It might seem hard to believe, but the original Toy Story movie turns 30 this year. Yes, it has already been three decades since Woody and Buzz Lightyear had their initial adventure on the big screen back in 1995, with Toy Story going on to become a massive, multi-billion-dollar franchise, with four main films already having been released, and a fifth on the way next year.
To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the classic film, Marvel Comics will be releasing a series of variant covers showcasing Toy Story characters in place of the regular Marvel heroes. The variant covers were created by Marco Forcelloni and Nicky Nicotera, and they can all be viewed on Marvel’s official website.
The article even includes image comparison sliders between the original Marvel covers and the Toy Story variants, so you can see how closely the new covers resemble the originals to which they pay homage. And as you can see, the Toy Story variant characters will feature all your favorite characters from the beloved movies, including Woody, Buzz, Rex, Hamm, Jessie, and one of the three-eyed aliens who constantly reminds Buzz Lightyear of how grateful he is to him for saving his life. These covers look both beautiful and hilarious, and they will no doubt fly off shelves when they arrive in November.
The comics with the Toy Story variant covers will include Avengers No. 32, which will feature a cover paying homage to Spider-Man's first appearance in Amazing Fantasy No. 15, Captain America No. 5, which will include a cover by Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. No. 6, and Avengers No. 32, which will feature a cover based upon that of Avengers No. 2 from 1964. And the way in which these covers harken back to the past will invoke feelings of nostalgia while also making fans excited about the future of both Marvel and Toy Story.
Since both Pixar (the company which produced the Toy Story films) and Marvel are owned by Disney, the announcement of these variant covers does not come as much of a surprise. And fans of both Marvel and Toy Story will no doubt be absolutely delighted by them.
Toy Story was a major milestone in cinema. The first ever fully CGI animated film, in addition to being the first animated film to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, its 30th anniversary is definitely an occasion worth being celebrated. The original film was directed by future Pixar CEO John Lasseter, and it featured the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger, Don Rickles, and Annie Potts, with the plot focusing on Woody becoming jealous when he believes that his owner, Andy, prefers playing with the newly-arrived Buzz Lightyear, before the two toys become separated from their home and embark on a journey to find their way back. It managed to gross an impressive $394 million at the box office, with the third and fourth films also individually grossing over $1 billion. Therefore, we can expect Toy Story 5 to also be a massive hit when it opens in wide release on June 19, 2026.
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