Toy Story 5 Should Be A Forky And Knifey Love Story (& Ditch Andy's Old Toys)
The "Toy Story" series has never missed a big swing. But four films deep — not even getting into spin-offs, shorts, or any of that — if the show must go on, an even bigger change is needed.
Now that "Toy Story 4" has left Woody Pride (Tom Hanks) traveling around with his true love, Bo Peep (Annie Potts) helping to find homes for downtrodden carnival toys as a part of the Lost Toys, and the rest of Andy's former friends have settled happily into life at Bonnie's place, one is left to wonder how many stories are left to tell featuring this same set of characters. How many times can we watch Woody grapple with his leadership position, or Buzz's bravado get him in trouble? "Toy Story 3" already ended the story satisfactorily, and "Toy Story 4" tied up all the loose ends for the original gang. What's left?
Fortunately, "Toy Story 4" offered a solution, by introducing two brand new characters. And if we're getting "Toy Story 5," why not build a whole movie about Forky (Tony Hale) and his newly-created companion, Knifey aka Karen Beverly (Melissa Villasenor)? A Forky and Knifey love story would not only be a fresh narrative step in the "Toy Story" universe, but is perhaps the only way to keep this narrative going without feeling stale.
Forky and Knifey are fresh characters - and centering their romance would be a unique idea for the Toy Story saga
One of the most compelling reasons why the next "Toy Story" movie should focus on Knifey and Forky is because they're completely new characters who are, in their special way, metacommentaries on the fact that they're completely blank slates.
While Forky has, thanks to Woody's intervention, finally figured out he's not a piece of trash who needs to hurl himself into the nearest can at every opportunity, Knifey has no idea who or why she exists. While Forky could simply lead Knifey to the light, so to speak, and help her realize who and what she is, that might be a little boring to put forth as a storytelling dynamic. It would be far more interesting to find out how and where they could progress from once they're already equals.
So, what's it like when two makeshift beings who have no idea how to be toys try to figure out how to be romantic partners for each other? It could be a comedy of errors. It would also bring a heavy romantic element to the movie series for the first time ever. Beyond Woody and Bo's subplot in the last movie and scenes here and there featuring Woody and Bo and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Jessie's (Joan Cusack) flirtation, there hasn't been a whole lot of romantic love in the series. Since it has preferred to explore familial and friendship-based inter-toy relationships, why not use Knifey and Forky this way?
Particularly since following the story of the original toys any longer seems likely to tarnish the series as a whole.
Andy's set of toys already got their happy ending ... twice
Another reason why the next "Toy Story" film needs to be about Knifey and Forky: Andy's toys have gotten their happy ending twice over and — much like "Futurama" — there's only so many times that the writers can give this same set of characters the "right" conclusion.
The ending of "Top Story 3," where a college-bound Andy gives his toys a new home with the energetic and imaginative Bonnie, is absolutely perfect. It's a conclusion to a movie that tugs hard on the audience's heartstrings, and does a good job exploring the bigger themes of letting go and moving into adulthood. Even though that seemed to bring the toys full-circle, "Toy Story 4" takes that perfect ending and goes a step further: In Woody and Bo's re-meeting, it examines what it's like to have a secondary career — IE: to find a different purpose after your original driving goal in life seems to be over.
But now, with Woody and Bo out there serving toykind and Buzz and Jessie leading up the troops in Bonnie's room, there isn't a lot of mileage left in tales centered around the same ensemble of characters. Sure, maybe the next story could be about Woody and Bo rejoining their family, or the entire gang becoming Andy's son's or daughter's toys, but that's going to be just a series of diminishing returns.
Pixar needs to stop messing with a good thing
Every time Pixar adds a little bit more onto the "Toy Story" universe, they risk hitting a clunker that will — for better or for worse — change how generations of kids who have grown up on the movies see the series as a whole. There's a bunch of money and a lot of goodwill riding on any movie bearing the franchise's name, and as recent events have proven, playing with that sort of loyalty can be risky. Every step they take with Woody and Buzz from here on out risks a disaster like "Lightyear" — which was a decent movie, but definitely not up to the grandiose standards of the "Toy Story" world. Looking forward, "Lightyear" is a red flag that this franchise is at risk of toppling with one wrong move.
The notion of exploring the stories of the people behind the toys, as Lightyear did, was interesting, but it's clear that the audience just isn't interested in seeing, say, the TV series that Woody is based on. So, if "Toy Story 5" is happening, it needs to do something wildly different in plot, characters, and tone.
Forky and Knifey's story should be weird, experimental, and not just another Pixar formula movie
Can you imagine what a Knifey and Forky movie might look like? Maybe something quiet and unique about the two characters going off on their own would be a fun story. Bonnie could leave them behind by mistake at a park or a mall, and they could get to learn all about one another — and then a romance could build from there, as they study the facets of the human world at a much closer scale. Keep the more famous toys off-screen. Focus, instead, on these two misfits learning what and who they are. The point, of course, would be to establish that Bonnie's homemade toys are just as important as Andy's — and that they don't necessarily need to lean on Woody and other familiar toys to make it great.
With a little bit of romance, a little bit of humor and a lot of luck, "Toy Story 5" could be just as much fun as its predecessors, but another Buzz and Woody sequel isn't going to impress anybody. The age of plastic utensils leading a film may, if we're lucky, be upon us.