So a few weeks ago, Tom Hanks gave an interview and talked about Toy Story 4. Hanks, of course, plays Woody, the lovable ringleader of the series’ band of sentient toys. And Hanks talked about the recording of Toy Story 4 in terms that make me nervous that this movie is going to break my heart. “When I realized what they were going for,” he said, “I realized, ‘Oh, this is a moment in history.’”

With any other film series, I would be like whatever. But given the Toy Story franchise’s penchant for absolute gutting adults with horrifically tragic scenes and endings, one has to wonder: Is Pixar going to bump off Woody?

Now take a look at the film’s first poster:

Toy Story 4 Poster
loading...

No colorful lineup of characters. No image of Woody and Buzz soaring through Andy’s room. Just Woody tipping his cowboy hat the way people do when they say ... [fights back tears] goodbye?

Granted, the promo materials for Toy Story 4 say that “every ending is a new beginning” — like this plot synopsis:

Woody and the rest of the toys are back for an all-new adventure in “Toy Story 4,” welcoming new friends to Bonnie’s room, including a reluctant new toy called Forky. ‘Like most people, I assumed that ‘Toy Story 3’ was the end of the story,” said director Josh Cooley. ‘And it was the end of Woody’s story with Andy. But just like in life, every ending is a new beginning. Woody now being in a new room, with new toys, and a new kid, was something we have never seen before. The questions of what that would be like became the beginning of an entertaining story worth exploring.

Toy Story 3 seemed like the last movie in the series at the time, but then the ending swerved us, and the toys wound up in a new home with a new owner and all-new adventures. (They’ve even had one or two short-form ones on television already.) On the other hand, maybe a new beginning involves ... getting rid of the old characters? Why else was Tom Hanks so emotional? Why is Woody so serious on this poster? Someone tell us so we don’t spend the next nine months sobbing until this film comes out!!!

Anyway, this is all very upsetting. Toy Story 4 opens next June.

More From Classic Rock 105.1