Toy Story 5, which premiered in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, is almost guaranteed to be both a critical and commercial success. However, there’s one vocal fan that still needs winning over: Quentin Tarantino.
During several interviews over the last few years, the filmmaker has revealed himself to be a devoted lover of the Toy Story franchise, counting Toy Story 3 as one of his favorite movies of all time. During a 2024 chat with Bill Maher, though, Tarantino said he had no interest in watching beyond the third movie, as “You literally ended the story as perfect as you could, so no, I don’t care if it’s good. I’m done.”
So what does the team behind Toy Story 5 have to say to Tarantino, and those like him, who may have dropped off along the way?
“I would say the simple pitch of Pixar doesn’t put out bad stuff,” Tony Hale — who voices Forky, a character Taraninto hasn’t yet met as he was introduced in Toy Story 4 — told The Hollywood Reporter on the carpet. “The thing about Pixar is they wouldn’t tell another story if there wasn’t a story to tell. Look at this — that marriage of technology and toys, I want to hear that story. So I would have him lean into his trust of Pixar.”
Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter teased “I’ve always thought Quentin Tarantino has really good taste” when it comes to his love of the franchise and admitted, “I like that he sticks to his guns” when he said he’s done with No. 3. Pixar president Jim Morris chimed in, “He’s gotta stick to his guns but I don’t think he’d be disappointed if he took a peek at this one.”
