Will Woody or Buzz Lightyear be able to save the toys from extinction?
That question was at the center of the “Toy Story 5” footage Disney and Pixar shared with theater owners at CinemaCon on Thursday. In one scene, the toy is pushed aside by its owner Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) and Lilypad (Greta Leigh) is chosen in her place. Lilypad is a tablet designed in the shape of a frog’s face that allows owners to build chat groups and play interactive games with friends for hours. This could mean the end of the line of Sporky, Rex, Hamm, Bo Peep and other dolls and action figures that once delighted Bonnie. So the toys send an SOS to Woody to figure out how to fight for that screen time. In the second sequence, Woody arrives more pretentious, bald (“Someone needs a brown marker”) and wearing a poncho that looks straight out of a Clint Eastwood western. However, this makes Buzz feel unappreciated, and the two eventually come to blows over who will be the one to save the day.
The world of toys has clearly changed a lot since 1995, when the first movie was released in theaters. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, who took to the stage in Las Vegas to unveil the first look, acknowledged that 30 years have passed since Toy Story first captivated audiences.
“I saw the video of us doing our first shoot. We look like our grandkids,” Allen joked, while Hanks said he looked like “middle school kids” when he saw what was going on behind the scenes.
In addition to Hanks and Allen, the cast includes Joan Cusack, Greta Lee, Tony Hale, and Conan O’Brien. The director is Andrew Stanton, who directed “WALL-E” and “Finding Nemo.” The film is expected to be one of the biggest films of the year, considering the series has grossed over $3 billion at the global box office.
As part of its show-and-tell to exhibitors, Disney screened footage and trailers for “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” “Avengers: Doomsday,” and the live-action remake of “Moana.” Disney has a lot of fans among theater owners, not only for releasing blockbusters, but also for their commitment to keeping movies in theaters for at least 45 days. Windowing, or the length of time a movie is shown only on the big screen, has been a big topic in movie theaters this year.
“Toy Story 5” is scheduled to be released in the United States on June 19th.
