NEED TO KNOW
Pixar fans, rejoice: details about the plot of Toy Story 5 have arrived!
During a presentation in New York City on June 5, Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter said the upcoming installment in the 30-year-old franchise will have a feeling of “toy meets tech.”
“In all of the Toy Story films, above anything else, the job of the toys has been to be there for their kids. But with Toy Story 5, that job gets exponentially harder when our toy crew gets replaced by what kids are obsessed [with] today: electronics,” said Docter, 56.
“If you remember from Toy Story 4, Woody has left the kids’ rooms for a life of adventure … helping lost toys in need,” he continued. “Sheriff Jessie is now in charge of Bonnie’s room, with the recently deputized Buzz as assistant deputy. And the rest of the toy crew is still around with their same sassy attitudes, like Hamm, Rex, Slinky and Mr. Potato Head.”
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“But Bonnie is now 8, and she’s become more concerned about being socially connected and making friends, which is why her parents agreed to get her this Lily Pad,” he continued. “It’s a new tech tablet that allows Bonnie to chat with her friends and play games and other things, too. But Lily can also be a bit sneaky and prickly to be around — because in her mind, it’s a lot better to be socialized, and Bonnie needs to move on from toys.”
According to Docter, Lily’s attitude has her “at odds with our toys,” in the sense that “they both have very different opinions on what Bonnie needs.”
“Woody is called back to help, but it’s been a while since they’ve all seen each other — and he and Buzz don’t always see eye to eye, as Mr. Potato Head says in the movie, [but] it’s nice to see them arguing again,” Docter continued, before introducing an advance look at the opening of Toy Story 5.
Disney CEO Bob Iger announced Toy Story 5 — along with sequels to Frozen and Zootopia — in February 2023. The movie will see the return of several voice cast from previous Toy Story installments, including Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz and Joan Cusack as Jessie.
“We are thrilled, of course, to have Tom, Tim and Joan back leading the toys on another adventure,” Docter said during the June 5 presentation.
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Allen, 72, previously said in an April interview with WIVB that Hanks’ Woody and his Buzz would be taking a step back from the spotlight in the movie’s plot and allowing Cusack’s Jessie to shine.
“I can tell you that it’s a lot about Jessie,” he told the outlet of Toy Story 5. “Tom and I do — Woody and I — do realign. And there’s an unbelievable opening scene with Buzz Lightyear.”
“I can give you that, but I can’t give you much more,” Allen teased at the time, adding that production on the fifth installment was already underway.
Last December, the Home Improvement alum also said of the “very clever” Toy Story 5, “I don’t really believe it’s about the money. I’m sure they want it to be a success, but that’s not why they did it.”
Toy Story 5 is in theaters June 19, 2026.
