Sometimes we all suffer from sequel and reboot fatigue (with the rare exception of Shrek 5, because I love onions), but Quentin Tarantino has officially declared which franchise he refuses to invest in moving forward.
The Pulp Fiction director was recently interviewed on Bill Maher’s Club Random Podcast, where he revealed that despite his enjoyment of the first three entries, he will not watch the fourth or upcoming fifth installment of the Toy Story franchise. “I have no desire to see the fourth one,” Tarantino said of the most recent entry, which arrived in 2019. “You ended the story as perfect as you could, so I don’t care if it’s good, I’m done.” While that might dash the dreams of any Toy Story fan who vehemently believes their stuffed animals come to life when they’re not looking, Tarantino clarified that his decision to abstain from the Pixar franchise is borne out of love.
“In the case of Toy Story, the third one is just magnificent,” Tarantino said. “It’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, and if you’ve seen the other two, it’s just devastating.” That’s right folks, even a director who has an almost vampiric attraction to gore can be moved by a bunch of toys on their way to an incinerator (trigger warning), but he’s not about to invest in Toy Story 4’s Forky.
Perhaps Tarantino’s affinity for the franchise comes from its multiple shots of Woody’s boots, scrawled with the name Andy, since the director has a noted penchant for (oft-unmanicured) feet. In any case, he’s on to something when he refers to the Toy Story franchise as a trilogy, since the first three Oscar-nominated films follow Woody and the gang while they’re owned — and eventually donated — by Andy, before Bonnie overtakes the toy box in the fourth film.
Tarantino’s mention of the Pixar franchise was part of a broader discussion of trilogies, in which he named Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy as one that “completely and utterly works to the Nth degree.” Later, he cited the Mad Max franchise as one that wasn’t quite able to stick the landing. The director, who also made mention of his upcoming film The Movie Critic, might be saddened to learn that the Toy Story universe is only continuing to expand.
A fifth installment was announced by Disney earlier this year, with original Toy Story director Andrew Stanton on board to helm the project. Toy Story 5, which is said to follow the toys as technology takes over their kids’ lives, has a release date set for 2026, but don’t count on Tarantino being in the audience when the animation arrives in cinemas. Who knows, perhaps the Pixar Theory will one day include a bunch of animated feet, and Tarantino will be compelled to join in once more.
Published: Aug 26, 2024 10:02 pm