Toy Story 5 Must Avoid Pixar’s Ending Trap After Buzz & Woody’s Last 2 Movies Finished The Exact Same Way

Toy Story 5‘s final scene needs to shake things up, as the two most recent entries into the movie franchise suggest Pixar is running out of storytelling tricks for the series’ famous duo. Although every Toy Story movie revolves around Buzz (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks), each installment hasn’t balanced the characters’ roles evenly. This hasn’t been a problem, as it has just allowed both toys to shine in different ways. However, when Toy Story 5 is released, the upcoming sequel needs to find a way to make its finale stand apart from how Buzz and Woody’s arcs ended.

Since beginning in 1995, the Toy Story franchise has resulted in many of Pixar’s most profitable movies ever, as well as the studio’s most beloved and highest-rated efforts. The heartwarming tales are incredibly character-driven, so Toy Story 5 is likely to continue this ethos. Buzz and Woody have long been at the heart of the animated saga, as their rivalry-turned-friendship is one of the most compelling facets of the franchise. When they return in Toy Story 5, the movie’s script will need to include a fresh take on their shared storyline.

Toy Story 5 Can’t End On An Emotional Goodbye After Toy Story 3 & 4 Both Did

The upcoming Pixar sequel shouldn’t continue to rely on heartbreaking finales

2010’s Toy Story 3 ended devastatingly, with Andy leaving Buzz, Woody, and all his other childhood toys with Bonnie. It made sense as far as the plot went, as with Andy all grown up and headed off to college, it wouldn’t have made sense for him to take his toys with him. Toy Story 4‘s ending was equally sad, as it marked the separation of Buzz and Woody after watching their relationship grow through the decades. Both endings were effective, but doing something like this a third time in a row wouldn’t have the same level of impact.

Instead, it’s time for Toy Story 5 to try something else. From the success of the previous movies, the upcoming sequel’s success is pretty much a guarantee at this point. Given Pixar’s struggles with original content in recent years, it would make sense if the studio continued to focus on sequels like Toy Story 5 and Incredibles 3. If so, then Toy Story 6 or beyond isn’t necessarily an unlikely concept. Therefore, another attempt to “end” the franchise with an intensely emotional and poignant moment would feel even more disingenuous, as the toys could easily just come back again.

Toy Story 1 & 2 Prove The New Movie Can Have An Upbeat Ending

Toy Story movies didn’t always end on a sad note

Toy Story 3 and 4 have such sad conclusions that they’ve pretty much been adopted as the franchise norm, but that wasn’t always the case. In fact, the first two Toy Story movies ended in fun ways. The first installment teased a sequel by comedically revealing Andy had received a puppy for Christmas, and 1999’s Toy Story 2 came to an end with Wheezy’s showstopping rendition of Randy Newman’s franchise anthem, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” Both endings were good fun, so Toy Story 5 shouldn’t feel obligated to add a third sad closing scene in a row.

Instead of mourning the apparent ending of an entire string of movies, Toy Story 5 needs to adopt the same tactic as the first two films and celebrate the immediate events, themes, and messages of the movie. Andy’s departure and Buzz parting ways with Woody are, in all fairness, very good reasons to adopt an emotional tone. However, the series is now pretty much out of sad events that could also remain nostalgically lighthearted. So, the only remaining options are retreading the same narrative ground, or taking the franchise into territory that’s far too sad for a family-friendly adventure.

Don’t Worry, Toy Story 5 Can Make You Cry In Other Ways

Pixar often embeds sadder moments throughout the Toy Story movies

Toy Story doesn’t just confine its emotional moments to a movie’s ending. The characters often have experiences during which the audience would be forgiven for shedding a tear. For example, Buzz’s realization that he is actually a toy and not a Space Ranger is heartbreaking, and watching his last morsel of belief die as he fails to fly to the window in Sid’s house is almost too much to bear. Similarly, Jessie’s story in Toy Story 2 of how her previous owner abandoned her is just as depressing, largely due to the somber rendition of “When She Loved Me.”

Toy Story 3 even included an iconic fakeout ending, leading the audience to believe that all of Andy’s toys were about to be brutally incinerated. Thankfully, the movie still had another 10 minutes to go, which left just enough time for the toys to be left in Bonnie’s care. So, all these examples and more are solid evidence that Toy Story 5 can still be an emotional roller coaster but still end on a positive note.