"Toy Story" has been one of the most successful titles under Pixar; having released the first movie in 1995, two more followed with the third one in taking home two Academy Awards and grossed over $1 billion at the box office.
Walt Disney Company's chairman Bob Iger has announced that the fourth film has been given the green light for its release date with Chief Creative Officer of Pixar John Lasseter directing the project.
Lasseter has directed parts 1& 2 and has co-director credits in "A Bug's Life" and "Cars."
Iger expressed his delight in having Lasseter return to the director's seat in the upcoming movie via this statement from Entertainment Weekly.
"John created Toy Story and directed the first two films, and it's great to have him back directing one of our most valuable properties."
In an interview with Lasseter, taken from firstshowing.net, the director showed how excited he is after making the announcement.
"We love these characters so much; they are like family to us. We don't want to do anything with them unless it lives up to or surpasses what's gone before. Toy Story 3 ended Woody and Buzz's story with Andy so perfectly that for a long time, we never even talked about doing another Toy Story movie. But when Andrew, Pete, Lee, and I came up with this new idea, I just could not stop thinking about it. It was so exciting to me, I knew we had to make this movie-and I wanted to direct it myself."
First rumors of "Toy Story 4" surfaced when Tom Hanks mentioned that there was another film in development back in 2011, the series has remained dormant since.
Pixar's "Toy Story 4" is set to arrive in U.S. theaters in June 2017.
What do you readers think? Are you excited for "Toy Story 4"? Sound off in the comments section below!
