Warning! Plot SPOILERS ahead for Toy Story 4!
Disney screened the first seventeen minutes of Toy Story 4 at CinemaCon on Wednesday, a sequence that showed legacy characters separated and new ones introduced.
The prologue takes place nine years before the events of the main narrative and recounts how Bo Peep ended up separated from the gang during the events of Toy Story 3.
It’s a proverbially dark and stormy night when the toys stage a rescue mission to save RC. The toy car has been left outside in the rain and is about to get washed away when its fellow toys comes to its aid. Forming a human, er, toy chain, Woody is lowered down from a window in Molly’s room and rescues RC just in time. But they’re not out of danger yet.
As Woody, RC, and Slinky are being brought back up, Andy and Molly’s parents come in the room and close the window. The parents have also scooped up several toys to be given away.
There’s a box left by the hatch of the car in the driveway. Woody finds Bo inside it and wants to break her out but she says that she’s not one of Andy’s toys, she’s one of Molly’s, and that being given away or accidentally separated is just one of the many fates toys must face. Bo and Woody have a tender goodbye in the rain, with Woody left sprawled in the driveway as the car drives away and Andy comes down to retrieve him.
The movie then shifts to the opening credits where Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” plays over a montage catching the audience up on what happened in Toy Story 3 and afterward. In the present, Woody is struggling with being an older toy whose current owner, Bonnie, is no longer choosing to play with him. He’s been left in the closet so long he’s collected a dust bunny.
Woody is in a bit of denial over his current status and endeavors to make sure he plays a role in Bonnie’s life. Bonnie is off to kindergarten orientation and Woody sees this as his chance even though her parents don’t want her bringing any toys to school. Woody nevertheless stows away in her backpack and proceeds to witness her first time ever at school.
Over the course of her arts and crafts lesson, Bonnie proceeds to make something very special from some of the items of hers that Woody retrieved from the trash. With glue, a spork, some ties, a crayon, and buttons, Bonnie fashions herself … Forky.
\r\nPixar\u0027s Toy Story 4 is scheduled for release on June 21, 2019.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/toystory4blog-1542029994811-1553884894377.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/toystory4blog-1542029994811-1553884894377_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Upcoming Disney and Pixar Animated Movie”,”relativePosition”:”02″,”albumTotalCount”:”08″},{“caption”:”
Frozen 2\r\nWith Frozen becoming one of Disney\u0027s biggest animation successes in recent memory, it should come as no surprise that a sequel is on the way. Frozen 2 reunites Elsa (Idina Menzel), Anna (Kristen Bell), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and Olaf (Josh Gad) for a new adventure that takes them beyond the icy borders of Arendelle. Evan Rachel Wood and Sterling K. Brown also join the cast. Directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck are returning, with Lee and Allison Schroeder writing the screenplay.\r\n
\r\nFrozen 2 is scheduled for release on November 22, 2019.”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/frozen-2-1553884894374.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/frozen-2-1553884894374_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Upcoming Disney and Pixar Animated Movie”,”relativePosition”:”03″,”albumTotalCount”:”08″},{“caption”:”
Onward\r\nPixar\u0027s next film after Toy Story 4 will be an original project called Onward. This film is set in a \u0022suburban fantasy world\u0022 where humans don\u0027t exist and creatures like elves, trolls and unicorns are commonplace. Onward revolves around two elf brothers (Chris Pratt and Tom Holland) who seek a magical way of reuniting with their late father. Octavia Spencer and Julia Louis-Dreyfus will also provide voices.\r\n
\r\nOnward is written and directed by Dan Scanlon (Monsters University) and is scheduled for release on March 6, 2020.”,”height”:675,”width”:1200,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/onward0-1553884772476.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/onward0-1553884772476_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Upcoming Disney and Pixar Animated Movie”,”relativePosition”:”04″,”albumTotalCount”:”08″},{“caption”:”
Unknown Movies\r\nThere are a number of mystery animated movies where we only have release dates, not titles. Currently, Disney has dates set aside for three mystery animated movies – November 25, 2020, November 24, 2021 and November 23, 2022. The 2020 date had been reserved for Gigantic until that film was indefinitely shelved (read on for more on Gigantic).\r\n
\r\nAs for Pixar, there are currently four dates reserved for films after Onward\u0027s March 2020 debut – June 19, 2020, June 18, 2021, March 18, 2022 and June 17, 2022.\r\n
\r\nWe don\u0027t have any further concrete info on these mystery projects yet. One of these Disney projects is reportedly a collaboration between Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tangled\/Zootopia co-director Byron P. Howard. Another rumor suggests Disney is moving forward with a sequel to 1993\u0027s A Nightmare Before Christmas. Pixar is said to developing an animated movie inspired by the football team FC Barcelona. And given Pixar\u0027s trend of mixing sequels with original efforts, we\u0027d assume at least one of these mystery Pixar movies is a sequel to an existing franchise.”,”height”:680,”width”:1200,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/the-nightmare-before-christmas-1553884772477.png”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/the-nightmare-before-christmas-1553884772477_{size}.png”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Upcoming Disney and Pixar Animated Movie”,”relativePosition”:”05″,”albumTotalCount”:”08″},{“caption”:”
Rumored: Dragon Empire\r\nWhile Disney has yet to make an official announcement, the studio is reportedly developing a new movie called Dragon Empire. This fantasy movie will be set in Asia and, rumor has it, revolve around a heroine named Jan-Nin and her travelling companion Bolin.\r\n
\r\nFrozen and Big Hero 6\u0027s Paul Briggs is said to be directing the film. It\u0027s speculated that Dragon Empire may be claiming the November 25, 2020 release date vacated by the now-dormant Gigantic (read on for more on that).”,”height”:768,”width”:1366,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/20079a0b-a4f8-40bf-8d1f-08bbcbb015ab-1553884772468.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/20079a0b-a4f8-40bf-8d1f-08bbcbb015ab-1553884772468_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Upcoming Disney and Pixar Animated Movie”,”relativePosition”:”06″,”albumTotalCount”:”08″},{“caption”:”
Reportedly Cancelled: Gigantic\r\nAnimation is a tricky business, and many Disney movies faced a rocky journey from conception to actual release. That\u0027s definitely true of Gigantic. This new take on Jack and the Beanstalk is described as being set in Spain during the Age of Exploration, with tiny Jack befriending a giant woman.\r\n
\r\nUnfortunately, it may be a while before this project sees the light of day. Disney originally announced Gigantic (then known as Giants) at the D23 Expo in 2015. The studio eventually brought in Inside Out\u0027s Meg LeFauve to co-direct alongside original director Nathan Greno (Tangled). The film has continued face behind-the-scenes troubles, however. Disney pushed the release date from November 21, 2018 to November 25, 2020 and has now pulled Gigantic from the schedule altogether. According to Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios president Ed Catmull, the film is \u0022ending active development for now\u0022 and its November 2020 release date will be filled by another unnamed film.”,”height”:575,”width”:1022,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/gigantic-art-2-1553884772474.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/gigantic-art-2-1553884772474_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Upcoming Disney and Pixar Animated Movie”,”relativePosition”:”07″,”albumTotalCount”:”08″},{“caption”:”
Reportedly Cancelled: Planes 3\r\nThe Planes series is a spinoff of the wildly successful Cars franchise, and a third movie was announced with a release date of April 12, 2019. Unfortunately, the project was canceled as a result of Disney shuttering its DisneyToon Studios branch.\r\n
\r\nAll we know about the plot of the film is that it would have been set partly in outer space. While Planes 3 appears to be dead, there\u0027s no telling if it might be revived under a different department down the road. Perhaps as an exclusive to the Disney+ streaming service?”,”height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/maxresdefault-1-1553884772475.jpg”,”styleUrl”:”https:\/\/assets1.ignimgs.com\/2019\/03\/29\/maxresdefault-1-1553884772475_{size}.jpg”,”credit”:””,”objectRelationName”:””,”objectRelationUrl”:””,”albumName”:”Every Upcoming Disney and Pixar Animated Movie”,”relativePosition”:”08″,”albumTotalCount”:”08″}]’
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Woody doesn’t even realize Forky is sentient until they’re on their way home. Once there, Woody introduces the toys to Forky and says it’s their mission to make sure Bonnie adjusts to kindergarten and that her beloved new creation Forky is the key to accomplishing that. Forky, though, is having an identity crisis adjusting to his new life.
This is where the seemingly existential journey at the heart of Toy Story 4 truly begins. Woody is clearly struggling with his place in the world — what good is he as a toy if he’s not to be played with or to help a child? — while Forky is almost like Pixar’s answer to Frankenstein’s creature. Cobbled together from remnants and given new life but for what purpose?
And like that horror icon, Forky begins as mostly monosyllabic before developing self-awareness and better speech. At first, Forky says mostly just “trash” — his place of origin — and panics at being among the toys. It seems like both Woody and Forky will have to find purpose in why they exist and to embrace change in their lives.
For more coverage of Disney’s CinemaCon presentation, check out our breakdowns of the Avengers: Endgame, Aladdin, and The Lion King footage shown.