‘Toy Story 4’ Could Be In The Works, Along With Other Pixar Films

It seems a lot has been going on in the world of Pixar lately.

The animation studio, famous for movies such as “Finding Nemo,” “Wall-E” and the “Toy Story” trilogy, has had a lot on its plate in recent months. But most buzz worthy, perhaps, is the new rumor of “Toy Story 4.”

While doing an interview to promote his new movie “Larry Crowne,” Tom Hanks (and voice of Woody) was asked by a BBC interviewer if there would be a new movie in the series.

“I think there will be, yeah,” Hanks replied. “I think they’re working on it now.”

While this has not been confirmed by any representatives for Pixar, fans are claiming that the ending of “Toy Story 3,” in which Woody and the gang are passed on to a new, younger owner, leaves the story wide open for another sequel. Plus, when the last installment of the series received an Oscar for Best Animated Feature and earned $1,063,171,911 at the global box office, continuing the franchise seems like a smart business decision.

And work with the toys did not stop after the last movie. The “Toy Story” characters have most recently been seen in a short titled “Hawaiian Vacation” playing before Pixar’s newest film “Cars 2,” which became the 12th Pixar film to become No. 1 at the box office and earned $110.9 million worldwide in its opening weekend. There is a second short allegedly planned to play with “The Muppets” as well.

In addition, The Huffington Post reports that Disney is also introducing another new storyline for the film series’ characters to be featured in new toys and a digital book. The plot will star Buzz Lightyear and space-suit clad Woody and Rex going to space to fight the evil Zurg.

But Pixar has also announced the release of other movies, including a new mystery movie the company said would be released Nov. 27, 2012, rumored to be the project of “Up” director Pete Docter. No word has been spoken on the title or plot, but the company said it will be an original story and not a sequel.

The preview for “Brave” has also been recently released, showing the first time Pixar has featured a female lead character. The story follows Merida, a Scottish warrior princess who wants to prove herself as an archer, and will be released in 2012.

Also in 2012, the studio will help with the Jerry Bruckheimer/Disney adventure film “John Carter.”

And finally, in 2013, a sequel to “Monsters, Inc.,” titled “Monsters University,” will hit theaters.