Disney was all about movies and franchises coming to an end in 2019 – until they didn’t. The Mouse House had one of its biggest years when it comes to movies, with highly anticipated titles such as Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Toy Story 4, and the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. In addition to that, Disney launched its own streaming platform, Disney+, which had original content (both movies and TV shows) available at launch.
Still, the studios’ strength this year were its big screen releases. Avengers: Endgame surpassed Avatar and became the highest-grossing movie of all time, Toy Story 4 is the highest-grossing installment of the Toy Story franchise, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will surely break some records itself. Another thing these movies have in common, and that has played a key role in their marketing and impact on the audience, is that they have been billed as the final entries in their respective franchises and universes.
Although the Marvel Cinematic Universe will still continue for many more years, Avengers: Endgame was the end of the arc of the original Avengers and a turning point in this connected universe. Toy Story 4 was the end of the toys’ adventures as viewers knew them (especially Woody’s), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the end of the Skywalker saga – except none of these were or will be the endings Disney teased.
How Disney’s 2019 Was Defined By False Endings
The marketing for Avengers: Endgame was all about this being the final mission of the original Avengers – Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye – which it was… but not for all. Iron Man sacrificed himself and Captain America went back in time to live his life next to Peggy Carter, bringing closure to their arcs. However, the rest are coming back (except for the Hulk, whose future is unknown for now). Black Widow is getting her own (prequel) movie, Thor is coming back for his fourth solo movie, and Hawkeye is getting his own TV series on Disney+. There will most likely be another Avengers movie in the future, and while it won’t have the original team back, Avengers: Endgame definitely wasn’t the end of it.
Toy Story supposedly ended in 2010 with Toy Story 3, until Toy Story 4 was officially announced in 2014. The movie was marketed as the final one in the Toy Story franchise, but producer Mark Nielsen hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a fifth movie, though it might not happen anytime soon. In addition to that, Forky is getting his own TV show on Disney+ titled Forky Asks A Question, and if it does well with the audience, it wouldn’t be surprising if Disney gave other Toy Story characters their own Disney+ shows. As for the Star Wars universe, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the final chapter of the Skywalker saga, but not of the franchise. A new trilogy independent from the Skywalkers is in the works with Rian Johnson as writer and director, and Kevin Feige is working on another Star Wars movie.
The false endings of these franchises worked in Disney’s favor as the audience was drawn to these movies and are now looking forward to the upcoming content. However, this tactic probably won’t work if the studio uses it again in the future, but at least it helped give it one of its biggest years in terms of movies.
Next: 2019 Winter Movie Preview: 15 Most Important Films To See
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Release Date: 2019-12-20
