'Thunderbolts' Director Claims The Movie Is Inspired By 'Toy Story 3'

Jake Schreier, the director of Marvel’s upcoming Thunderbolts film claims the movie is inspired by Toy Story 3.

Speaking with Empire about the upcoming film that arrives in theaters on May 2nd, Schreier shared that the film is inspired by Toy Story 3, “I had Toy Story 3 in there.”

He explained, “It wasn’t as focused on a genre as much as dynamics amongst characters. They all have that dynamic of a team that is thrown together.”

Schreier then pointed to a specific scene from Toy Story 3, “That [furnace] sequence works so well because you’ve come to care about these characters so much. Can they get out of the trash can together?”

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He elaborated, “You’re talking about a group of characters that have done a lot of bad things, and maybe are struggling with feeling good about themselves. There’s an element that does speak to mental health, and loneliness, and how some of the darkness that we experience in our lives can’t be necessarily fixed, but can only really be made lighter through connection and finding others.”

The furnace scene from Toy Story 3 shows the toys coming together, but them coming together does not actually save them. They are saved by the alien toys from Pizza Planet operating a giant claw. It’s not hard to see that they are saved from the destruction of hell by divine providence. After being saved, Mr. Potato Head, Slink, and Hamm all confess to the bad things they said about being in Andy’s attic. Furthermore, Jessie and Buzz recognize that being in Andy’s attic serves a purpose that they might not have initially recognized with Buzz saying, “We’ll be there for him, together.”

Given the context of the scene, it’s really unclear what Schreier is talking about when he says the film is inspired by Toy Story 3.

Regardless, one would think that a Thunderbolts film might take inspiration from the Thunderbolts comic. However, Schreier has made it clear in a previous interview that the movie is not what fans are expecting or want.

He told Collider in August 2023, “It’s not a sequel. Yes, these characters have appeared before, but it is a new story being told and a story I think with a very different perspective than people are expecting. And that felt exciting and felt like a real challenge worth taking on.”

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To that point the film does not feature any of the characters that comic readers might associate with the Thunderbolts such as Baron Zemo, Fixer, Beetle, Screaming Mimi. Goliath, and Moonstone. Rather the film features Yelena Belova, Winter Soldier, Red Guardian, Ghost, U.S. Agent, Taskmaster, and Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

What do you make of Schreier’s claim that the film is inspired by Toy Story 3?

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