If you’ve been wondering whether Disney might eventually follow up its live-action remake wave with a take on Toy Story, Pixar director Andrew Stanton has a pretty clear answer for you: please, no.
What Stanton Said
Speaking with BAFTA following the release of Toy Story 5, Stanton was asked about the possibility of a live-action Toy Story adaptation, a question that seems inevitable given how many animated Disney classics have gotten the live-action treatment in recent years. His response was immediate and unambiguous.
“Oh God, that’s like a hat on top of a hat. I hope not. A hard no,” Stanton said. The phrasing is colorful but the point lands: Toy Story is already a form of heightened, cinematic realism within the world of animation. The whole conceit of the franchise depends on the audience believing in the inner lives of toys, a trick that works precisely because Pixar’s animation creates its own version of photorealism. Translating that into actual live action wouldn’t deepen the magic; it would undercut it.
Lindsey Collins Agrees
Stanton isn’t alone in this view. Toy Story 5 producer Lindsey Collins was even more emphatic when BAFTA raised the question, saying, “Oh, God, no, I hope not. Please God, no. Don’t say that loudly! You know that Disney is going to be like…” The broader creative team behind Toy Story 5 appears to be in agreement that the franchise’s identity is inseparable from the animated medium.
It’s a thoughtful position, and one worth taking seriously. The Toy Story films work because of what animation can do that live action cannot: the expressiveness of Woody’s face, the way light catches Buzz Lightyear’s helmet, the entirely tactile world that Pixar’s artists have built over 30 years. A live-action version would require either photorealistic CGI (which just means animation) or puppets and practical effects, neither of which captures what makes these films special.
The Franchise in Great Shape
The good news is that with Toy Story 5 now in theaters, opening to a franchise-record weekend and earning an A CinemaScore, the series doesn’t need a reimagining. It just needs to keep doing what it does. Stanton has also mapped out a potential future for the franchise centered on Bonnie, suggesting there’s plenty of story left to tell within animation.
For more on the future of the franchise, check out our story on Andrew Stanton’s Bonnie trilogy plans.
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