Toy Story 5 Betting Special
It’s time for the greatest animated movie series of all time to retake the throne. The Toy Story franchise has been a smash success for Walt Disney ever since Pixar Animation Studios released the first chapter in 1995 – but it’s been a long five years since Toy Story 4. In that time, the Despicable Me franchise has taken over top spot at the global box office, with Shrek in second and Toy Story in third:
– 1. Despicable Me (six films, $5.086 billion)
– 2. Shrek (six films, $4.023 billion)
– 3. Toy Story (five films, $3.270 billion)
That’s not a typo: There are indeed five movies in the official Toy Story franchise, including the spin-off Lightyear from 2022. But that was more of a film within a film; the characters, with Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans) in the title role, appear as humans in a fictional movie that the toys in Toy Story have watched.
The “actual” Toy Story universe will be revisited next year – or at least that’s the plan – when Toy Story 5 hits the theatres. And judging by the Toy Story 5 betting odds at Bodog Sportsbook, it looks like fans of Lightyear and Sheriff Woody have plenty to look forward to.
The (Toy) Story So Far
In case you haven’t been following, or you skipped a chapter or two along the way, our story begins with the Davis family, who are moving into a new house. The son, Andy (voiced by John Morris), owns a collection of toys. Unbeknownst to Andy, those toys are in fact sentient, coming to life when no one is around.
Andy is about to have a birthday party, but the date is earlier than expected, prompting concern among the toys that some of them might get replaced. At the party, Andy receives a Buzz Lightyear action figure (voiced by Tim Allen) – a “Space Ranger” wearing a white spacesuit.
Indeed, Buzz quickly becomes Andy’s new favourite toy, much to the chagrin of former favourite Sheriff Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and the others. Hijinks ensue, made even more amusing by the fact that Buzz thinks he’s an actual Space Ranger and not an action figure.
Because Toy Story was such a ground-breaking film for the time, and a highly profitable one with over $373 million gross at the box office, the anticipation for the sequel was off the charts. In Toy Story 2 (1999), Woody gets stolen by evil toy collector Al McWhiggin (voiced by Wayne Knight). Buzz and the other toys set off to rescue Woody; this film was even more successful than the original, bringing in over $497 million in gross receipts.
Things take a somewhat darker turn in Toy Story 3 (2010). Andy is now off to college, and his toys have been accidentally thrown away, eventually getting dropped off at Sunnyside Daycare – where they are tormented by an evil teddy bear named Lotso (voiced by Ned Beatty), as well as the rough-housing toddlers. In their attempt to escape, the toys end up in a dumpster and get taken to a landfill. Will they avoid the shredder and the incinerator?
Spoiler alert: yes. And with Toy Story 3 grossing $1.067 billion worldwide, it was inevitable that Toy Story 4 (2019) would be released. Now owned by Bonnie (voiced by Madeleine McGraw), one of the nicer toddlers from the daycare, Woody finds himself cast aside as Bonnie creates a new toy, Forky (voiced by Tony Hale), who keeps trying to throw himself away because he sees himself as trash. More hijinks ensue as Woody and his pals rescue Forky over and over again.
It might not sound like much – and the script required extensive re-writes after wholesale changes were made to the production team. But Toy Story 4 was still hailed by critics, and managed to outperform its predecessors with $1.073 billion gross.
Favourite Characters
As you may have guessed by that fifth spin-off film, Buzz Lightyear was the breakout character in the Toy Story franchise. Disney Parks and Resorts created a special themed space called Toy Story Land at four of their locations (France, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Hollywood Studios near Orlando) and installed a series of Buzz Lightyear rides, which also appear at other resorts in the Disney chain.
Sheriff Woody is still the nominal lead of this show. Based partly on the Howdy Doody puppet from 1950s television, Woody is named after Western character actor and former Calgary Stampeders offensive lineman Woody Strode, who was part of the 1948 Grey Cup champions. Woody has his own Disney theme rides as well, along with giant statues and parade floats.
Other popular toys to appear in the Toy Story franchise include Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Slinky Dog (Jim Varney, then Blake Clark), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Rex (Wallace Shawn) and Bo Peep (Annie Potts). As the franchise has expanded, additional toys including Barbie (Jodie Benson) and Ken (Michael Keaton) have made appearances.
Favourite Moments
Pixar have done a remarkable job of crafting poignant and entertaining stories in their animated features. Arguably the most memorable – because it was so surprisingly dark – was in Toy Story 3 when the toys are in the incinerator. With their fate apparently sealed, Woody and his friends join hands and prepare for their doom.
On a more lighthearted note, you have the scene in the original Toy Story where our heroes gang up and scare the bejeezus out of Sid, the psychotic young boy who had been messing around with the toys, swapping their body parts around and torturing them in general.
Also from the first movie: Buzz is trying to prove to Woody that he can fly. In doing so, he doesn’t fly so much as plummet – “falling in style” as Woody famously puts it. However, Buzz achieves enough lift-off and air time to convince himself, and the other toys, that he can indeed fly. It’s the moment that sets the Buzz-Woody dynamic in motion for the rest of the series.
If you want a real tear-jerker, though, try the moment in Toy Story 3 where Woody realizes that his time with Andy is over. “So long… partner,’ Woody says as he watches Andy drive off to college. We’re tearing up right now just thinking about this.
Odds to be Killed off in Toy Story 5
These characters are indeed toys, so even those few who have been “killed” during the franchise have been reanimated to some extent – or could be for future episodes. The only official victims thus far were all from the first movie:
– Combat Carl (blown up by Sid)
– Ant (unknown, off-screen)
– Janie (decapitated by Sid; later revived)
– Pterodactyl Toy (ditto)
– Three Dolls (ditto)
Lots of humans die in the Lightyear film as well, but we’re not counting those. Meanwhile, Bodog’s Toy Story 5 odds at press time have the following characters on the chopping block:
– Woody (+800)
– Andy (+800)
– Rex, Hamm, Slinky Dog, Bo Peep (+1000 each)
– Buzz, Stinky Pete (+1200 each)
– Jessie (+1500)
Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack, with singing by Sarah McLachlan and yodelling by Mary Kay Bergman), aka Jessie the Cowgirl, is a character that Woody meets in Toy Story 2. She’s basically the female Woody and becomes a secondary figure in the third and fourth installments. As we go to press, we only know that Buzz and Woody will return, and Slinky Dog appears to be in the mix as well. Rumour has it Andy may return as someone who is dying, which is why he’s at the top of the odds list alongside Woody for what might be the final chapter in the series.
When Will Toy Story 5 Be Released?
Officially, Toy Story 5 is due to be released June 19, 2026 to theatres in the United States, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But this film has been in development since at least February 2023, and there have been plenty of twists and turns along the way.
Do CEO Bob Iger and the folks at Disney have their ducks in a row? The entertainment odds at Bodog have Toy Story 5 priced at –700 to be released in 2026 or before, and +400 to hit the silver screen in 2027… or beyond.
You can also bet on whether Toy Story 5 will receive an Academy Award. Here are the four categories on the board at press time:
– Best Animated Feature (+200)
– Best Original Song (+400)
– Best Original Screenplay (+2500)
– Best Picture (+5000)
The Toy Story franchise already has two Best Animated Feature awards for the third and fourth installments, which were released after this award was created in 2001. Toy Story 3 also won Best Original Song for “We Belong Together” by Randy Newman. Given how important this franchise is, it’s very likely they’ll pull out all the stops for Toy Story 5, so place your bets now at Bodog Sportsbook, and we’ll see you at the movies.
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