Lesson 1 - The Franchise
The Toy Story Film Franchise consists mainly of five animated feature films, two spin-off films, and an animated television series. The feature films are Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), Toy Story 4 (2019), and Toy Story 5 (2026). The animated spin-off film Lightyear (2022) is also included in the film franchise. The other spin-off film is titled Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (2000). It is a 2D-animated direct-to-video spin-off film within a film. The animated television series is titled Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000–01). The films in the Toy Story film and media franchise are produced by Pixar Animation Studios, which is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios. It centers on toys that secretly come to life when humans are not around. In each of the films, the toys are sentient, aware of their surroundings, and capable of forming relationships, making choices, and embarking on adventures — all while the children who own them remain unaware of their true nature.
John Lasseter played a significant role in the creation of Toy Story, which was Pixar Animation Studio’s first feature film. He directed each of the films in the franchise and according to Encyclopedia Britannica, he made it the first CGI-only feature film ever made. He began working at Pixar in 1986 with the Graphics Group of Lucasfilm. He gained renown in the animation industry when he directed Luxo Jr. (1986), a two-minute animated short film that revolves around one larger and one smaller desk lamp. Regarded as a breakthrough in animation, it received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film, becoming the first CGI film nominated for an Academy Award. The film is also the source of Luxo Jr., the mascot of Pixar.
Lasseter worked as Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Pixar from 2006 until he stepped down in December 2018. He also worked as CCO at the newly formed Disney-Pixar when The Walt Disney Company acquired Pixar Animation Studios in May 2006. The acquisition finalized the merger of the two companies. He currently works as the head of animation at Skydance Animation.
According to Wikipedia.org, Lasseter’s leadership was instrumental in establishing Pixar as a leader in computer animation. During his tenure at Pixar, Lasseter also produced Toy Story 2 (1999) and executive produced Toy Story 3 (2010), Toy Story 4 (2019), and Toy Story 5 (2026). In this interview published by ScreenSlam on YouTube on July 31, 2014, he discusses making the original film in the franchise. “The story is a classic buddy picture,” he says. He goes on to say the following:
“When toys are alive, two days of the year are the most scary for them. That’s a birthday and Christmas because that’s when new toys come in and they are worried about being replaced.”
Toy Story (1995) was released on November 22, 1995, and grossed over $363 million worldwide.
The sequel to the original film Toy Story 2 (1999) was released on November 24, 1999. It grossed $511 million against a $90 million budget. It won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the 57th Golden Globe Awards.
Toy Story 3 (2010) was released on June 18, 2010. It grossed $1.067 billion worldwide against a budget of $200 million. It won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 83rd Academy Awards.
Toy Story 4 (2019) was released on June 21, 2019, and grossed $1.074 billion worldwide. It won Best Animated Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Lightyear (2022) is a spin-off film that was released on June 17, 2022. It grossed $226.4 million worldwide.
Toy Story 5 (2026) is scheduled to be released on June 19, 2026.
The film franchise also includes three animated short films that make up a Toy Story Toons series. They are Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation, Toy Story Toons: Small Fry, and Toy Story Toons: Partysaurus Rex.