Disney CEO loves his Toy Story more than 7,000 jobs and fans do not want to play anymore

Disney CEO Bob Iger returned to the company’s top position last year, eager to restructure Mickey Mouse’s empire and exercise his creative control. While Iger has been integral to Disney’s rise as the man who helped it acquire Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars, his return signals disaster for more than 7,000 employees who are about to lose their jobs. 

But this news of mass firing also comes with several new projects announced by Iger on February 8, 2023. Most of them just fall in the category of sequels, including the likes of Zootopia 2, Frozen 3, Inside Out 2, and (drum roll) Toy Story 5!

For those who believe that the Toy Story storyline ended for good with Toy Story 4 and for those who didn’t even know there was a Toy Story 4, some chronological context is required. 

Toy Story already had some unnecessary additions: The first Toy Story turned out to be a pathbreaker in computer-generated animation back in 1995. And then, in 1999, Toy Story 2 arguably turned out to be the greatest animated sequels of all time (a title that the newly released Puss In Boots sequel might hold for now). And then, over a decade later, Woody, Buzz, and their plastic friends returned in Toy Story 3. Going with the time passed, the film found the toys’ owner Andy growing up and deciding to not play with them anymore. The movie eventually made for a teary-eyed finale, perfectly ending the trilogy.

True to the nature of its properties like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Star Wars, Disney also decided to cash in on yet another sequel with 2019’s Toy Story 4. Again, the story made for a teary-eyed finale and settled its characters for good. For instance, Woody finally gets to live his life with longtime romantic interest Bo Beep while Buzz gets to lead the rest of the toys. 

The Lightyear backlash: But then, Disney decided to make some extra post-pandemic cash with a spin-off on Buzz Lightyear’s space adventures with a totally different animation style and Captain America actor Chris Evans voicing him for some reason. The casting choice even shocked Woody voice actor Tom Hanks, who publicly expressed his disappointment of not casting the original Buzz voice actor Tim Allen (who is in troubled waters currently thanks to Pamela Anderson’s latest memoir that accuses him of flashing her). 

The original Toy Story director John Lasseter similarly expressed his disappointment and criticism for Lightyear, an alternate take on the character Lassetter himself created more than two decades ago.

Lightyear managed to get lukewarm reviews but bombed at the box office (making $226 million on a $200 million budget) much like Disney’s other 2022 disaster Strange World (the acclaimed sci-fi flick could only earn $75 million against a budget of $180 million), many viewers did agree that it felt more like a “filler” chapter in Disney and Pixar’s universe. And now, with a new Toy Story film on the way, fans have a lot to say. 

How are people reacting to Toy Story 5? A good chunk of Twitter agrees that even if a sequel has been greenlit, the franchise should explore more stories on the supporting characters or introduce new toys. Woody and Buzz are relics of the past now.

Some other Twitter users seem to agree that even if Buzz makes an appearance, he must act his age and serve as a mentor to a new toy (much like how Woody behaved towards Buzz in the first Toy Story). 

Meanwhile, others have also been complaining on how Disney would ignore sequels for its other properties such as Wall-E, Turning Red, Princess and the Frog, Moana and The Incredibles in favour of yet another Toy Story movie just to make that extra cash.  

A Disney fatigue? Much like the Marvel fatigue that began creeping up on MCU fans since last year, Disney and its Pixar properties might be leading to a similar fatigue for viewers. As some Disney fans are agreeing, the excitement behind a new Disney animation production being announced is fading away with the over-saturation of content the Bob Iger-fronted corporation has been shelling out in theatres and its own streaming service Disney+.

ALSO READ: Marvel Fatigue is a real thing. You can blame MCU for placing quantity over quality

Given its universal hype for all ages all over the world, Toy Story 5 might most probably be a box-office and streaming success but whether it would still heartwarmingly stay in the minds of viewers like its early predecessors, is yet to be seen.

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