Tim Allen Compares Toy Story 4 to Avengers, Hints at Possible Spinoffs

Tim Allen expects Toy Story to end at 4, but says the world of living toys could continue on in spinoffs the way Marvel Studios’ Avengers franchise is tethered by offshoots that run concurrently.

“I can’t give that away. There’s very little to suggest that this isn’t, at the very least, [part of] a much bigger world,” Allen told Us Weekly when asked if Toy Story 4 is the end.

“It reminds me of the Avengers movies — there are not only offshoots of characters that have simultaneous stories, but the world itself got much bigger.”

Though Allen feels the story that ran between four movies across 24 years is finished, it would be “difficult” not continuing in some form.

“My sense is it’s done,” Allen said. “My creative side says, at the same time things end, there’s a new beginning. I would find it difficult not to just continue.”

Allen’s co-star Tom Hanks, who voices Buzz Lightyear’s best friend Woody, previously called 4 “the end of the series.” Producer Mark Nielsen said Pixar currently has no plans for Toy Story 5, but nothing is ever ruled out by the studio.

“Every film we make, we treat it like it’s the first and the last film we’re ever going to make,” Nielsen said. “So you force yourself to make it hold up. You don’t get in over your skis. Whether there’s another one? I don’t know. If there is, it’s tomorrow’s problem.”

The “never say never” philosophy is one that can very much apply to Toy Story 4, which is an ending that leaves the door open for future installments.

“We sort of joked that we thought Toy Story 2 was the last one,” producer Jonas Rivera previously told press.

“When we finished that one we thought that was the end of the story. And how we approached [Toy Story 4] … with Woody as the protagonist, this was the final chapter. And as filmmakers, we feel satisfied that this is where you could end it.”

Because of how 4 ends, there’s now “an implied future to all these films,” Rivera added. “And we sort of ‘never say never’ at Pixar. But as storytellers, we’re satisfied with this as closing the chapter.”

The first Toy Story 4 spinoff will be a series consisting of 10 shorts, titled Forky Asks a Question, centered around craft project and franchise newcomer Forky (Tony Hale). Forky Asks a Question will launch alongside Disney+ when the streaming service goes live November 12.

Toy Story 4 is now playing.