Tom Hanks Says Pixar’s Working On ‘Toy Story 4’

Pixar made it very clear that the "Toy Story" franchise was done after last year's heralded Toy Story 3. The film completed a trilogy and provided closure for fans young and old. No one had a problem with that — none whatsoever. The short film before Cars 2 also gave fans a peak into what the now-retired toys are up to these days. But if we're to trust Tom Hanks — and how can we not trust Tom Hanks? — Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang aren't going into storage just yet.

Hanks, who has been making the rounds to promote his new film Larry Crowne as both director and star, appeared on BBC's Breakfast News in an episode that aired this morning and had a surprising answer to the seemingly harmless question of "will there be a 'Toy Story 4'?" Hanks, as quoted by Bloody Disgusting, had this to say: 

"I think there will be yeah. Yeah, yeah. They’re working on it now. There you go."


Well I'll be. One would think that among the few people to know whether there would or wouldn't be a fourth film gearing up for production, Tom Hanks would be in that inner circle. Hanks' voice work has been vital to the series and Pixar does the majority of its animation after the voice acting has been recorded, so Hanks would be involved early in the process.

For most of us, it was easy to believe John Lasseter and the Pixar folks when they said that Toy Story 3 was the end. The studio had not been known for churning out sequels (now changing thanks to Cars 2 and Monster's University) this time last year and the story provided a clear ending.

How foolish were we, however, to ignore that Toy Story 3 had become the fifth biggest movie of all time in the world. It would be one thing if it had come out a few years after Toy Story 2, not 11. The film's success meant that audiences young and old were coming out in droves to see it and that success would likely continue with any future installments. If the poor reviews but good money for Cars 2 are any indication, the studio has no problem making an occasional cash grab. Although you'd like to believe (as was the case with Toy Story 3) that the film would only be done with the right story in place, $1.06 billion is a tough figure to shake. Perhaps John Lasseter and maybe Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich and writer Michael Ardnt are simply seeing if they've got something they like and Hanks is merely saying that they're trying. However, I doubt if they put their minds to it, that a good story idea for a fourth film wouldn't come along.
Shocked? What are your thoughts at the possibility of a fourth "Toy Story?"