Toy Storycrosses over withBreaking Badin a new concept trailer that showcases just how interesting a darker tone would be for the beloved Pixar animated franchise. As the wait forthe upcomingToy Story 5continues, the franchise has remained in relative limbo until it is expected to be released on August 22, 2025. TheBreaking Badfranchise has also been left waiting for a new follow-up afterBetter Call Saulended in 2022.
In a video created byAfraid 2 Sleepon YouTube, the two universes come together as Woody and Buzz Lightyear explore a new scheme to get rich. With the iconicToy Storycharacters stepping into Walter White’s world, the characters reveal new sides of themselves in the “Breaking Toys” trailer. Afraid 2 Sleep developed the trailer with the help of AI and used it to combine Woody with Walter White.
Buzz appears largely unchanged, though he has been combined with Jesse Pinkman, giving him a more chaotic personality. Every image and clip in the trailer features a different design for the character, but the narration helps to ensure that he is easily recognizable as the drama’s protagonist. Considering that Woody does have a controlling personality, as White does, it makes sense that he could play a similar role in a crossover. Check out the concept trailer below:
Would A Darker Toy Story Work?
Woody Is Probably Not An Ideal Water White
Both franchises have seen immense success over their successive runs. The animatedToy Storyfranchise has seen a total box office take of over $3 billion, while the live-action drama never entered theaters but saw a decade-long run of domination in the TV landscape. Unsurprisingly, given their audiences,there has never been an official crossover between the franchises, but both have seen immense success. Neither has ever seen a Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter score of below 80%, and they both share generally high Tomatometer scores, which can be seen in the chart below:
100%
92%
87%
98%
90%
97%
94%
74%
84%
96%
91%
81%
Despite their success, the reason for that lack of a crossover is the completely disparate audiences.Toy Storyis a family-friendly franchise that focuses on moral lessons about friendship and letting go. Walter White’s story, however, is the dark tragedy of a high school teacher who gives in to his worst urges and becomes an abject monster. A six-year-old walking into a movie theater to see Woody White would be traumatized by the sight. Yet, after thesuccess ofWinnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, dark twists on childhood nostalgia are becoming commonplace, and a darker story could work if marketed appropriately.
Pixar Is Unlikely To Ever Seek It Out
2022’sLightyearwas a complete disaster for Pixar, having brought in just $226 million on a $200 million budget which, after theaters took their cut, meant it never managed to turn a profit.The failure is a hint that the company needs to either return to the franchise’s rootsor completely reinvent it altogether. WithToy Story 5on the way, the company has evidently elected to return to the core of what made the movies so popular. Rather than diving into new genres, asLightyeardid, the follow-up movies will instead focus on the adventures of the heartwarming toys.
Will Pixar Ever Let Go of The Toy Story Franchise
Today at Screen Rant, we look at the Toy Story franchise’s future and whether Pixar will ever let go of it.
Pixar has already rejected the idea of pursuing live-action remakesof their most beloved franchises. Attempting to twist the message of Woody’s story into a tragedy about a drug-dealing high school teacher would be a bizarre direction for a company that has already elected to retain its values over profit.TheToy Storycastremains one of Pixar’s most respected group of characters, so it is unlikely that the company would ever seek out aBreaking Badcrossover.
Toy Story
Toy Storyis a beloved animated franchise created by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The series centers on the secret life of toys, primarily focusing on the friendship between Woody, a cowboy doll, and Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger action figure. The films explore themes of friendship, loyalty, and growing up, resonating with audiences of all ages.Toy Storyis widely credited with revolutionizing animation, as the first film was the first fully computer-animated feature. The franchise is not only a critical success but also a cultural icon, influencing a generation of films and storytelling in animation.
