Toy Story 5 (2026) gets an exciting teaser!
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Toy Story (1995) is one of the most beloved films of all time. It is the first full-length Pixar film, as well as the first movie ever to be completely computer-animated, filled with lovable characters, amazing comedy, and themes that hold up to this day.
From the original came three more absolutely incredible movies in the form of Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019). These movies allowed the original cast–particularly the protagonist Woody–to keep growing as characters while seamlessly weaving in new lovable characters in each film. They are both wonderful movies that you cannot help but love, even when they bring a tear or two to your eyes. It seems the Toy Story franchise just cannot miss, with not a single movie getting below a 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
This is why it is so exciting that Toy Story 5 (2026) is coming very soon! The official release date is confirmed to be June 16, 2025. The news of another Toy Story movie had been confirmed during the D23 event in 2023 with the first official teaser trailer just released on Nov. 12, 2025. The teaser depicts just about all of the main toys from the previous movies, including Woody, despite his leaving at the end of Toy Story 4 (2019). Each of the toys watches in terror as a package is delivered to their new owner, Bonnie. Inside the package is revealed to be a sort of tablet styled like a frog, dubbed the “Lily Pad.” A caption shown during the teaser reads, “The Age of Toys is Over?”
A few months prior to the release of the teaser, on June 13, 2025, a few media outlets were given a first look at the film and a bit more context behind what is happening in the teaser, particularly what brings Woody back. According to Screenrant, who attended the event, it was revealed that Woody had been requested back by Jessie in order to figure out how to deal with the Lily Pad seemingly replacing the toys.
Between the teaser and information from the first look, it is pretty obvious that Toy Story 5 (2026) is going to be a commentary about technology, like phones or tablets, replacing toys effectively limiting a child’s use of imagination. This is very topical, as the amount of screen time children get is discussed and debated on the regular, and is therefore something most audiences are likely going to be able to relate to very well. If done right, this movie could be an absolutely spectacular addition to an already phenomenal franchise.
As of now, we know that Toy Story 5 (2026) is going to be directed by Andrew Stanton, who has directed absolute masterpieces, such as WALL-E (2008) and Finding Nemo (2003) —both of which share the similar mix of heart and charm that each of the Toy Story movies have— which makes him a good choice alongside co-director Kenna Harris. According to Backstage, voice actors who have been confirmed to reprise their roles include Tom Hanks (voice of Woody), Tim Allen (voice of Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusack (voice of Jessie), and Tony Hale (voice of Forky).
Now, Disney, who owns Pixar, has left a bad taste in the mouths of their audience recently, with their latest releases primarily consisting of subpar sequels and remakes, most of which left something to be desired. It is an understandable concern that Toy Story 5 (2026) may become one of these disappointments. That being said, everything we know about the movie implies that Toy Story 5 (2026) looks very promising so far, with a very topical theme and a franchise that seems to always stick the landing with every release. According to Tim Allen in an interview with Collider, the script is "brilliant" and has a “very, very clever story.” All in all, the stars seemed to be aligned in favor of Toy Story 5 (2026), and it certainly has the potential to capture the same magic as the films before it.