Toy Story 4: Pixar breaks tradition by not releasing animated short before new film

New film marks surprising first for beloved animated studio

Toy Story 4 marks a surprising first for Pixar who is breaking a 23 year tradition with its new film.

For 23 years, the animation studio’s releases have all been accompanied by short films, many of which have become extremely beloved by fans.

Those sitting down to the latest adventure with Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen), though, may be confused when the film begins – as it immediately begins without a short.

Interestingly, Pixar’s debut feature – the very first Toy Story – didn’t come with a preceding short, but John Lasseter’s 1988 Tin Toy was later attached in time for the film’s home entertainment release.

These short films, including Geri’s Game, For the Birds and Piper, have earned Pixar three Oscars alone

Toy Story 4 is expected to be the final outing for Woody and company, although new streaming service Disney+ has greenlit a series of shorts based on standout new character Forky, voiced by Tony Hale.

Pixar may also be holding back their shorts for a recent program announced as part of SparkShorts, an independent animated short film series developed by the studio.

As part of the program, employees are given six months and limited budgets to develop short films that are subsequently released on Pixar’s YouTube channel.

You can read our review of the film here.