11 MISSING CHARACTERS WHO NEED TO RETURN FOR TOY STORY 5

Disney recently announced that the story of Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) would continue in Toy Story 5, setting up an opportunity for some forgotten characters to return. Toy Story 4, which reintroduced the character of Bo Peep (Annie Potts), felt like an ending of sorts, as it gave Woody his happy-ever-after ending. It's possible, therefore, that Toy Story 5 will focus on giving happy endings to Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen, Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the rest of the toys.

Bo Peep's Toy Story 4 comeback creates the possibility for other forgotten or abandoned toys to return for the fifth entry in the franchise. It was thought that the failure of Lightyear to kickstart a new Toy Story adjacent franchise was behind Disney's decision to resume the story of Woody and Buzz, but Tim Allen disputes this. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Tim Allen stated that the new movie has been in development for a while. If that's the case then it might be a spiritual follow-up to Toy Story 4 which focuses on giving Buzz Lightyear his own happy ending. Here are 10 forgotten Toy Story characters that could return for Buzz Lightyear's goodbye to the franchise.

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Al McWhiggin

Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight) was one of the villains of Toy Story 2, stealing Woody to make a huge profit from his collector's item status. In an age of collector's edition toys and hyper realistic action figures, the proprietor of Al's Toy Barn feels as relevant as ever. Perhaps Al's Toy Barn is now geared more toward adults, selling toys that are destined to live out their days in display cases or worse still, never leaving their original packaging. Al could set his sights on Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 5, introducing the Space Ranger to a nightmarish zoo of isolated and lonely toys that are set free in the movie's climax.

Chuckles

The ironically named Chuckles the Clown (Bud Luckey) didn't appear in Toy Story 4, after joining Bonnie's toy collection. Chuckles watched his old friend Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear (Ned Beatty) turn into the monster that ruled Sunnyside Daycare with an iron paw. Lotso's rage and anger broke Chuckles, turning him into the morose clown that the toys meet in Toy Story 3. Perhaps he fell out of favor with Bonnie, or maybe the child's parents decided that a morose clown toy was too creepy to have around the house. Maybe the discarded Chuckles could return as Toy Story 5's villain, realizing that Lotso had a point about the fickle nature of children.

Barbie and Ken

Barbie (Jodi Benson) and Ken (Michael Keaton) stayed at Sunnyside Daycare to oversee a retirement paradise for the many toys that were donated there. Barbie and Ken didn't appear in Toy Story 4, so it would be good to get an update on their life together at Sunnyside. There are two obstacles to the couple's return, one being that Bonnie is in first grade at the end of Toy Story 4, making it hard to find a new narrative reason to get back to Sunnyside. The other obstacle will presumably be the upcoming Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, which could complicate Pixar's rights to use the characters.

Zurg

Lightyear's Zurg plot twist ignored Toy Story 2's revelations about the Evil Emperor's relationship with Buzz Lightyear. As Lightyear was supposedly the movie that spawned the toy, it felt odd to ignore Toy Story 2's Star Wars gag. Toy Story 5 could fix this by bringing back the proper Zurg as either a villain or a supportive father figure to Buzz. Perhaps Lightyear has had a reboot, making the old Buzz Lightyear toys highly sought-after collectibles, seeing him sold into a private collection, where he is reunited with his "father".

R.C. Car

R.C. Car played an integral role in rescuing Woody and Buzz from Sid and his brutal dog Scud in the first Toy Story movie. Sadly, he faded away in future movies, perhaps because his batteries were depleted when Buzz dropped the remote control on the road. As a key participant in one of the Toy Story franchise's most iconic sequences, it's only fair that R.C. returns for Toy Story 5. Unlike some of the franchise's missing toys, R.C's ultimate fate was never disclosed, so this unanswered question deserves a definitive answer in Toy Story 5.

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Stinky Pete

At the end of Toy Story 2, Stinky Pete (Kelsey Grammer) was left to undergo a makeover by his new owner Amy. It would be fascinating to see Pete again, to find out if his years as an unwilling make-up model mellowed him or made him even more conniving. Pete was driven mad by being kept in his original box, so perhaps his years with Amy went some way to healing his bitterness over being rejected by kids. Hopefully, he found a new home when Amy grew up, or the whole vicious cycle could start again, turning Pete into a recurring Toy Story villain.

The Green Army Men

Only three of Andy's trusty green army men remained by the time they relocated to Sunnyside Daycare in Toy Story 3. The green army men were surprisingly fragile, so it's unclear how long they would have lasted with the boisterous youngsters at Sunnyside. Hopefully, they're enjoying their retirement, occasionally called back into service for important missions at the behest of Ken and Barbie. Depending on what story Pixar wants to tell, an update on the toys left behind at Sunnyside could nicely set up the plot of Toy Story 5.

Lotso

Lotso is one of the most chilling Toy Story villains as he took his rejection out on other toys, enacting cruel punishments and running Sunnyside Daycare as a brutal toy prison. He was last seen being strapped to a garbage truck before hitting the road. Hopefully, Lotso's life on the road has opened his eyes, rather than made him thirsty for revenge. With Ned Beatty's sad death in 2021, the character would have to be recast, but Lotso feels like a character who could still make a Toy Story comeback.

Wheezy & Mr. Mike

Wheezy became a beloved fan favorite in Toy Story 2, sharing the shelf for broken toys with the discarded Woody. At the end of the film, Wheezy got a new squeaker and celebrated with a lounge singer cover of "You've Got a Friend in Me", with help from Mr. Mike. Both Wheezy and Mike haven't been seen since being presumably sold off or donated elsewhere. It would be great for the toys to visit some new hangout for lost toys in Toy Story 5, only to find Wheezy and Mr. Mike providing the evening entertainment.

Sid

Sid is Toy Story's darkest character, a sadist who tortured toys and created his own Frankenstein-style monsters from their remains. Sid was presumably traumatized by the sight of his creations coming to life to enact their revenge so Toy Story 5 could provide a perfect opportunity to revisit this story. Perhaps Sid now has a child of his own but has forbidden them from having any toys, given his own trauma at the hands of Woody and Buzz.

It would be fascinating to revisit Sid after so many years, to see what type of man he grew up into, perhaps he decided to follow Woody's advice to "play nice" and has become a successful toy maker. While the pressure on Toy Story 5 to tell a worthwhile story will be immense, it's clear that there are various directions to go in. In revisiting some of the franchise's forgotten fan-favorite characters, the fifth Toy Story movie could carry on a franchise tradition of fun family adventures and emotionally resonant storytelling.

2023-06-01T15:55:46Z dg43tfdfdgfd