'Toy Story 5' Introduces A New Villain: Which Toy Is 'Woody' And 'Buzz' Afraid Of? Find Out

Children's as well as adults' favourite animated film, Toy Story 5, is reportedly set to release next summer, on June 19, 2026. The teaser for this anticipated film just dropped, and we cannot keep calm. While most of our beloved characters, such as 'Woody' and 'Buzz Lightyear', are set to make a comeback for this sequel. The teaser also introduces a new arrival. This latest character is a high-tech, frog-shaped smart tablet named 'Lilypad', who is voiced by Past Lives star, Greta Lee. Will this new character be an 'all-new threat to playtime'?

Who will direct Toy Story 5, and what to expect from the film? 

Toy Story 5 will be directed by Andrew Stanton and McKenna Harris. Aside from being the director, Stanton co-wrote all of the previous Toy Story films and is credited as the sole screenwriter for the upcoming sequel. While Stanton has directed some pretty popular films like Finding Nemo, and WALL-E; Toy Story 5 will mark McKenna Harris's directorial debut after having worked with Pixar in the past in other roles.

According to Stanton and Harris, Toy Story 5 will try to deliver a 'playfully antagonistic tone'. 'Lilypad', the frog-shaped smart tablet, will make things exponentially harder for our favourite toys when they go head-to-head with each other. The co-directors were quoted as saying in a statement:

“It’s been a hilarious and poignant journey exploring how our favourite team of legacy toys might respond to today’s world of technology, and we’re thrilled to share this first glimpse with audiences.”

John Lasseter initially directed the first Toy Story film, and has been involved in its sequels. However, for those who are wondering why Lasseter is no longer involved with Toy Story 5, this is because he left Pixar in 2018 after allegations of sexual misconduct.

Who will voice the characters in Toy Story 5?

Most of the voice actors from the previous films are set to make a return for Toy Story 5. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen voice 'Woody' and 'Buzz', respectively. Joan Cusack also returns as 'Jessie', Blake Clark as 'Slinky Dog', and Tony Hale as 'Forky'. Another celebrity who will join this returning cast is Conan O'Brien, popularly known for his late-night talk shows, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. He will be voicing 'Smarty Pants', a new character in the series who is a toilet training toy. Additionally, due to the death of Carl Weathers in 2024, Ernie Hudson will take over the role of ‘Combat Carl'. 

Will Toy Story 5 be a box office hit?

Toy Story 5's release will come after a disappointing year for Pixar with its most recent release, Elio, a sci-fi adventure. This movie had the worst box office opening in the company's history. The film faced various setbacks in the form of reshoots and the supposed removal of queer themes.

Additionally, Toy Story 5 follows on from the spin-off story of Buzz Lightyear, titled Lightyear, which was another box office disappointment for Pixar in 2022, reportedly leading to USD 106 million in losses for Disney. With Toy Story 5 releasing in the same season as the sequels of other popular films like The Devil Wears Prada 2, Mortal Kombat II, Scary Movie 6, Minions 3, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it will be interesting to see whether the movie can truly become a box office success. 

Have you watched the trailer for Toy Story 5 yet? If yes, let us know your thoughts on it.

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