Toy Story 4: Woody and Bo-Peep romance to feature in next instalment, John Lasseter confirms

Pixar's rule on sequels is to only make them 'if we come up with a story that's as good or better than the original'

Toy Story is one of Pixar's 13 films to have music from its score performed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at Pixar in Concert on Saturday 22 February (Rex)

They’ve survived moving house, being given away, even a fiery furnace and throughout three Toy Story films the friendship between Woody and Bo Peep has always looked like it could blossom into something more.

But the fourth instalment will centre around a love story between the pair, according to Disney’s chief creative officer John Lasseter.

While he gave away few details about the toy cowboy’s dalliance with the pink porcelain shepherdess, he confirmed to American cable channel CNBC: "It's a love story with Woody and—and this is news—Bo Peep."

Speaking at Disney's D23 Expo, a biannual convention where the company gives fans a behind-the-scenes look and previews its future releases, he said Pixar, which Disney purchased in 2006, had strict rules about film sequels.

They only made them “if we come up with a story that's as good or better than the original,” he said. “That's our rule. We don't do things just to print money.”

Toy Story and its two sequels earned around $2 billion at the international box office. Pixar is also working on follow-ups to 2003’s "Finding Nemo" and 2004's "The Incredibles."