It's been 30 years since Toy Story broke new ground for animation, and in the upcoming fifth instalment, Woody, Buzz, and Jessie will now find themselves contending with a very modern problem: technology!
Being a child now is vastly different from three decades ago, and filmmaker Andrew Stanton has set out to tell a story that reflects today's world.
In an interview with Empire Online (via Toonado.com), he explained, "Honestly, it’s not even really about a battle so much as the realisation of an existential problem: that nobody’s really playing with toys anymore."
"Technology has changed everybody’s lives, but we’re asking what that means for us — and to our kids. We can’t just get away with making tech the villain," Stanton added before addressing how the Toy Story franchise will continue after the third and fourth instalments offered what felt like pretty definitive endings for these characters.
"So 3 was the end of the Andy years," the director explains. "Nobody’s being robbed of their trilogy. They can have that and never watch another if they don’t want to. But I’ve always loved how this world allows us to embrace time and change. There’s no promise that it stays in amber."
Sequels have become a priority for Disney, especially at a time when studios like Pixar are struggling to sell original stories to moviegoers. Over the past year, we've seen Inside Out 2 gross $1.69 billion compared to Elio's $154 million global haul.
With these comments comes a new look at the Buzz Lightyear army we've learned is collectively called "the Multi-Buzz." According to the site, they're "set to cause chaos as they all come to realise the true nature of their plastic existence."
In Toy Story 5, it's Toy meets Tech as Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the gang match wits with a villainous tablet. Our heroes will face Lilypad, a high-tech, frog-shaped smart tablet voiced by Greta Lee (TRON: Ares) that makes Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the gang's jobs exponentially harder when they go head to head with the all-new threat to playtime.
Tom Hanks returns as the ever-loyal cowboy Woody, Tim Allen reports for duty as Buzz Lightyear, Joan Cusack saddles up again as the rootin'-tootin’ cowgirl Jessie, and Tony Hale is back as the voice of the handcrafted toy Forky.
It was recently announced that former late-night host Conan O'Brien will also join the voice cast as the toilet training tech toy, Smarty Pants.
Toy Story 5 is directed by Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton (WALL•E, Finding Nemo, Finding Dory), co-directed by Kenna Harris (Ciao Alberto) and produced by Lindsey Collins (Turning Red, WALL•E, Finding Dory).
The animated adventure releases in theaters nationwide on June 19, 2026.