Pixar News

Toy Story 4 (My Spoiler-free Reaction)

I’m not allowed to say anything about Toy Story 4 in too much detail yet, but I have been permitted to share “social media reactions” for now.

Here’s what I’ve said so far on Twitter:

I saw Toy Story 4 at the AMC Metreon in San Francisco, where I’ve watched plenty of other Pixar films like Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Finding Dory, Cars 3, Coco, and Incredibles 2. It’s a great theater worth checking out if you’re ever in town (I recommend getting the coffee served by an actual robot).

I happened to be sitting next to Jeffrey M. Anderson, film critic for The San Francisco Examiner, and we had a brief chat beforehand about the Fox lot in LA, one of the worst theaters in SF, and some other topics you probably won’t find as interesting as we did.

Jeffrey has been reviewing films for decades, and during all of Toy Story 4, I couldn’t help but notice how equally transfixed we were by what is admittedly a simple movie in many ways, and one primarily created for children. We both laughed with the film throughout, regardless (me more than him, to be clear).

This is worth bringing up, I think, because Toy Story has long served as a “stealth bridge” between older and younger generations. These movies have always been about nostalgia, but not an exclusive type of nostalgia you’ll see in lesser films trying to tap into potent emotions that wring the past dry.

Even a kid like me can have nostalgia for the first time I saw Toy Story in a theater (my second theatrical experience ever, after The Lion King). And when I first saw that film, I connected with Woody’s sense of anxiety when it came to feeling surpassed. In Toy Story 2, I felt his longing for existential purpose. In Toy Story 3, I wept like everyone else to see that purpose fulfilled. And now, in Toy Story 4, a movie about what you do after you’ve done your best, I’m weeping all over again.

Yes, Toy Story 4 does what it’s made to do. It’s an entertaining film that will make money because children will want to see it. And like in many other Pixar films, adults won’t feel left out when they see it, too. We can revel in the same, silent joy, keeping us connected to generations we don’t always fully understand.

Toy Story 4 is another wonderful return to a world I thought we’d seen the last of in any major way. But like Woody himself, this old film series still has a few new tricks.

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Or just say hey on Twitter: @JonNegroni

Will There Be More ‘Toy Stories’ After ‘Toy Story 4’?

toy story 4

Caitlyn Busch, reporting for SyFyWire:

Will there be another Toy Story movie?

“We sort of joked that we thought Toy Story 2 was the last one,” producer Jonas Rivera said at first of working on Toy Story 4. “When we finished that one we thought that was the end of the story. And how we approached [Toy Story 4] … with Woody as the protagonist, this was the final chapter. And as filmmakers, we feel satisfied that this is where you could end it.

He continued: “Now there’s an implied future to all these films. And we sort of ‘never say never’ at Pixar. But as storytellers, we’re satisfied with this as closing the chapter.”

This is Public Relations 101. Rivera probably doesn’t want fans to expect more Toy Story movies or even think about audience fatigue. But he also doesn’t want to make false promises.

So here’s where it gets interesting.

Go on…Will There Be More ‘Toy Stories’ After ‘Toy Story 4’?

It’s showtime.

It’s been a while, so I apologize for the silence (unless you follow me on Twitter, where silence isn’t exactly a feature). I took a temporary break from updating jonnegroni.com for a few important reasons. Below are just a few.

First, I’ve been hard at work developing another site: cinemaholics.com. This is the new one-stop shop for the podcast I do with Will Ashton, plus all my newest film reviews. You’ll notice that episodes of the show have migrated to that site for the sake of simplicity, with an exception or two, of course.

Second, I’ve been working on two books, which have been demanding a sizable chunk of my time. The first is Vainguard, which is in the final stages of publication. But there’s also a new and improved edition of The Pixar Theory, which will be bigger and better than ever. A lot of you have reached out to me about not being able to get your hands on a physical copy for some time. I haven’t been able to personally update all of you on this, but the short version is that the book is transitioning to a new publisher and will be drastically different (and improved, of course). Sorry for the wait, but I promise it will be worth it.

Last, I’ve been wondering how to shift this website into something truly useful for lovers of Pixar and fandom in general. You’ll notice that this latest design strips away the clutter of the sidebars and will be more type-focused than ever. I’ve also opted for an easier color scheme on the eyes. This has taken a lot of time, trial, and error to finalize, so I’m hoping the effort pays off and you find this blog to be a joy to read.

Moving forward, this will be a blog in the very traditional sense. Lots of me speaking matter-of-factly about Pixar and animation in general, either reacting to news or doing the occasional editorial. Maybe even videos if time permits. Please send me a comment below if you have suggestions for content you want to see, and I’ll look into it as soon as possible.

For now, I’m excited to be back. It’s been too long, and we have an infinity of things to talk about, and beyond.

Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 4’ Trailer Strategy is Out of the Box

toy story 4

At last, Pixar has revealed its first big marketing materials for Toy Story 4, which includes a brief teaser trailer, several character posters, and more recently a “teaser trailer reaction” video that pokes self-aware fun at the franchise in almost parody form.

The response so far has had a wide range, much of it to be expected. Of course, a lot of Toy Story fans are extremely worried about an unnecessary Pixar sequel turning out to be an inferior cash grab that diminishes an already perfect trilogy with what many consider the most satisfying ending possible. I’m one of those fans.

Go on…Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 4’ Trailer Strategy is Out of the Box

A Pixar Without Ed Catmull Might Be A Pixar Without Disney

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From Angela Watercutter at Wired:

Late Tuesday night, after 32 years, Ed Catmull announced he would be retiring at the end of this year. This is not sad news, though—it’s a chance to give Pixar a new future.

I’m late on this news because I was out of town and thus not blogging when the announcement broke (and somewhat silently from what I can tell). I didn’t even hear about Catmull’s retirement until a day after everyone else, and I’ve been stewing in my thoughts ever since.

In the cited piece above, Watercutter details how Catmull’s retirement is “an opportunity, not a loss.” And of course, Catmull himself claimed in his 2015 book Creativity Inc. that it was always his goal to leave Pixar with a strong legacy of lasting leadership (hence, Catmull is staying on as advisor through next July). It’s very Pixar-esque to look at a problem as an opportunity, and for now, I share in the optimism painting this upcoming era, but for a very different reason than even I expected.

It’s looking like Pixar is reclaiming its independence from Disney, albeit one promotion/departure at a time.

Go on…A Pixar Without Ed Catmull Might Be A Pixar Without Disney

Is Pixar in Decline? Cinemaholics Happy Hour w/ T.J. Wolsos

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It’s finally happened. T.J. Wolsos of PixarPost and I have collaborated on a project. Above, you’ll hear our full conversation on all things Pixar, mostly centering around the feeling that the animation studio’s best days are in the past. T.J. and I have a hearty debate and discussion about whether or not this is really true, and if it is, what caused the change (or “evolution” as T.J. aptly points out).

Is Pixar making too many sequels? Did Disney cause all of this? Has Disney animation surpassed Pixar? And what movies are coming next from the Emeryville campus? We answer these questions and tons more, plus we read your tweets and comments to parse out how everyone else feels about the subject. This is one podcast episode you Pixar fans don’t want to miss.

Go on…Is Pixar in Decline? Cinemaholics Happy Hour w/ T.J. Wolsos

The New Wreck-It Ralph 2 Trailer Finally Gives Us A Plot

wreck-it ralph 2

Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (yes, that is the full title) gives us a lot to chew on with its latest trailer. While the earlier teasers focused on the general conceit of a Disney-fied internet, this second official trailer introduces a fully baked story and some actual…ideas.

Go on…The New Wreck-It Ralph 2 Trailer Finally Gives Us A Plot