"To infinity and beyond!" Seven years after Andy departed for college and left his toys in the loving arms of little Bonnie, Disney and Pixar will release a fourth installment in the beloved "Toy Story" franchise.
Disney CEO Bob Iger announced during an earnings conference call that "Toy Story 4" will be released on June 16, 2017 and John Lasseter will return to direct. The last "Toy Story" film premiered in 2010, and grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.
Lasseter will return to the helm after handing the reins over to Lee Unkrich for "Toy Story 3." He did receive a writing credit for the third movie and served as an executive producer.
The two directors came up with the story for the next film with Pixar veterans Andrew Stanton and Pete Doctor, who have all worked on the previous "Toy Story" films. Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, the scribes behind "Celeste and Jesse Forever," also joined the writing team.
Disney did not confirm any returning cast members. Tom Hanks (as Woody), Tim Allen (as Buzz Lightyear) and many of the other stars already reprised their voice roles for the short film "Hawaiian Vacation," which aired before "Cars 2," as well as the TV shorts "Toy Story of Terror" and "Toy Story That Time Forgot." The latter premieres on Tuesday, Dec 2 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
"Toy Story 4" will slide into one of the eight dates announced by Disney in May. It's the only confirmed movie on the slate of films set to premiere through 2018. Walt Disney Animation Studios announced in October it's next film "Moana" would premiere in late 2016, which would correspond to the Nov. 23 date set aside for a Disney Animation film.
A lone tweet claiming Disney officially announced a fourth "Toy Story" movie spread like wildfire in February 2013. Disney quickly shut down the rumor with a rep for Walt Disney Pictures telling Buzzfeed that "nothing official" had been announced. Pixar also released a statement saying, "We do not comment on speculation or rumors."
The next animated films coming down the Disney pipeline include "Big Hero 6," set to premiere on Nov. 7, and Pixar's "Inside Out," set to open on June 19, 2015.
