Toy Story crosses over with Breaking Bad in a new concept trailer that showcases just how interesting a darker tone would be. As the wait for the upcoming Toy Story 5 continues, the franchise has remained in relative limbo until it is expected to be released on June 19, 2026. The Breaking Bad franchise has also been left waiting for a new follow-up after Better Call Saul ended in 2022.
In a video created by Afraid 2 Sleep on YouTube, the two universes come together as Woody and Buzz Lightyear explore a new scheme to get rich. With the iconic Toy Story characters stepping into Walter White’s world, the characters reveal new sides of themselves in the “Breaking Toys” trailer:
Afraid 2 Sleep developed the trailer with the help of AI and used it to combine Woody with Walter White. Buz appears largely unchanged, though he has been combined with Jesse Pinkman. Every image and clip in the trailer features a different design for the character, but the narration helps to ensure that he is easily recognizable as the drama’s protagonist. Considering that Woody does have a controlling personality, as White does, it makes sense that he could play a similar role in a crossover.
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Both franchises have seen immense success over their successive runs. The animated franchise has seen a total box office take of over $3 billion, while the live-action drama never entered theaters but saw a decade-long run of domination in the TV landscape. Unsurprisingly, given their audiences, there has never been an official crossover between the franchises, but both have seen immense success. Neither has ever seen a Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter score of below 80%, and they both share generally high Tomatometer scores:
Title | Tomatometer Score | Popcornmeter (Audience) Score |
|---|---|---|
Toy Story (1995) | 100% | 92% |
Toy Story 2 (1999) | 100% | 87% |
Toy Story 3 (2010) | 98% | 90% |
Toy Story 4 (2019) | 97% | 94% |
Lightyear (2022) | 74% | 84% |
Breaking Bad | 96% | 97% |
Better Call Saul | 98% | 96% |
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) | 91% | 81% |
Despite their success, the reason for that lack of a crossover is the completely disparate audiences. Toy Story is a family-friendly franchise that focuses on moral lessons about friendship and letting go. Walter White’s story, however, is the dark tragedy of a high school teacher who gives in to his worst urges and becomes an abject monster. A six-year-old walking into a movie theater to see Woody White would be traumatized by the sight. Yet, after the success of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, dark twists on childhood nostalgia are becoming commonplace. A darker story could work if marketed appropriately.
Our Take On The Breaking Bad And Toy Story Crossover
Pixar Is Unlikely To Ever Seek It Out
2022’s Lightyear was a complete disaster for Pixar. It was a complete disappointment that brought in just $226 million on a $200 million budget. After theaters took their cut, it never managed to turn a profit. The failure is a hint that the company needs to either return to the franchise’s roots or completely reinvent it altogether. With Toy Story 5 on the way, the company has evidently elected to return to the core of what made the movies so popular. Rather than diving into new genres, as Lightyear did, the follow-up movies will instead focus on the adventures of the heartwarming toys.
Pixar has already rejected the idea of pursuing live-action remakes of their most beloved franchises. Attempting to twist the message of Woody’s story into a tragedy about a drug-dealing high school teacher would be a bizarre direction for a company that has already elected to retain its values over profit. The Toy Story cast remains one of Pixar’s most respected group of characters, so it is unlikely that the company would ever seek out a Breaking Bad crossover.
Source: Afraid 2 Sleep / YouTube
Toy Story
Toy Story is a beloved animated franchise created by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The series centers on the secret life of toys, primarily focusing on the friendship between Woody, a cowboy doll, and Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger action figure. The films explore themes of friendship, loyalty, and growing up, resonating with audiences of all ages. Toy Story is widely credited with revolutionizing animation, as the first film was the first fully computer-animated feature. The franchise is not only a critical success but also a cultural icon, influencing a generation of films and storytelling in animation.
- Created by
- John Lasseter , Pete Docter , Andrew Stanton , Joe Ranft
- Character(s)
- Woody , Buzz Lightyear , Jessie , Mr. Potato Head , Rex , Slinky Dog , Hamm , Bo Peep , Andy , Bonnie
- Video Game(s)
- Toy Story , Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue
Summary
Toy Story is a beloved animated franchise created by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The series centers on the secret life of toys, primarily focusing on the friendship between Woody, a cowboy doll, and Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger action figure. The films explore themes of friendship, loyalty, and growing up, resonating with audiences of all ages. Toy Story is widely credited with revolutionizing animation, as the first film was the first fully computer-animated feature. The franchise is not only a critical success but also a cultural icon, influencing a generation of films and storytelling in animation.
