Everything we know about Toy Story 5 (original) (raw)
Disney has announced a return to the world of Woody and Buzz in Toy Story 5. The studio's CEO Bob Iger confirmed there would a new Toy Story sequel coming from Pixar, and recently announced it would be released in 2026.
It will be the sixth feature-length Toy Story movie following 2022's Lightyear and 2019's Toy Story 4. The Pixar series, which announced the arrival of the animation studio back in 1995, has grossed more than $3.3bn so far, and Toy Story 5 will hope to follow in the footsteps of its predecessors to become another box office hit for Disney.
Read more: Why isn't Tim Allen in Lightyear?
Here's everything we know about Toy Story 5 so far.
When is Toy Story 5 coming to cinemas?
Tom Hanks and Woody at the European premiere of Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 4, 2019. (Getty Images for Disney and Pixar)
Toy Story 5 will be released in cinemas globally on 19 June, 2026.
The studio confirmed the sequel would be getting a summer release like the previous films in the franchise, during a Disney announcement that also included release dates for a new Star Wars movie.
Who is in the Toy Story 5 cast?
Tom Hanks and Tim Allen at a press event for Toy Story 4 in 2019. (Disney Resorts via Getty Images)
In June 2023, Pixar boss Pete Docter confirmed that Toy Story 5 would again focus on the story of Woody and Buzz.
There wouldn't be Toy Story without the powerhouse voice performances of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as Woody and Buzz Lightyear — so will they return for Toy Story 5?
Read more: Tom Hanks' greatest moments
Following the announcement of Toy Story 5, the Home Improvement star — who didn't appear in the Lightyear spinoff — confirmed he would be back as Buzz alongside Woody tweeting: "See ya soon Woody... off we go to a number 5! To infinity and beyond!"
Allen confirmed Disney had reached out to both himself and Hanks during a visit to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon before pondering whether five might be Buzz and Woody's limit.
"Bob Iger, head of Disney, said it was on and said it was going to happen. They have reached out to Tom and I to reprise the roles," he told Fallon, adding: "...you wonder if four was too many. Is five going to be too much?"
Despite this, Allen's apparent interest in returning to the franchise goes back a few years. Talking to ET in 2019 about the prospect of Toy Story 5, Allen didn't rule out returning as Buzz Lightyear for a fifth film.
"Once you've gotten to four, you're passed that trilogy [point], so I don't see any reason why they wouldn't do it, certainly," Allen said. "If you ask me, I'd say do five."
Hanks seemed less sure in 2019, telling Ellen DeGeneres: "We’re saying goodbye to Woody and Buzz and Bonnie’s room and Andy and everybody," before adding: “Is it over? I don’t know. It’ll live forever."
Hopefully, this means we'll also see the return of Tony Hale as Forky, Annie Potts as Bo Peep, Joan Cusack as Jessie, Wallace Shawn as Rex, John Ratzenberger as Hamm, and Blake Clark as Slinky Dog.
One cast member who sadly won't return is Don Rickles as Mr Potato Head as the actor died in 2017.
What is the plot of Toy Story 5?
Toy Story 4 (Credit: Pixar/Disney)
Toy Story 5 will see the original gang of toys including Woody, Buzz and Jessie going up against technology, with Disney announcing: "the gang’s jobs get exponentially harder as they go head to head with this all-new threat to playtime."
Talking about the fifth film, Pixar boss Pete Docter told The Wrap: “I think it’ll be surprising. It’s got some really cool stuff that you haven’t seen before.”
The ending of Toy Story 4 was an emotional one as it saw Woody and Bo Peep leaving Bonnie's toys to become 'lost toys' with Giggle McDimples, Duke Caboom, Bunny and Ducky at the fair ground.
They decided to stay behind with the travelling carnival as Bonnie no longer needed Woody. It was an emotional scene for the cast to record as it seemed to mark the end of the series, with Hanks saying he had to turn around from the crew in the recording booth in case it made him cry.
Read more: Pixar in-jokes that will blow your mind
The rest of Bonnie's toys — Buzz, Jessie, Forky, Bullseye, Slinky, Rex, the Potato Heads, Trixie, Dolly, and Buttercup — returned to her family's RV to continue being the young girl's playthings while she still needed them.
Looking ahead, while official details of Toy Story 5's plot are still hidden deep in the toy chest, that hasn't stopped its stars from suggesting their own ideas. In addition to confirming that Disney has one of the original Toy Story franchise scribes penning the script, Allen shared his thoughts on a potential new Woody and Buzz adventure that'd reunite all of the toys with their beloved owner Andy.
Speaking to The Movie Dweeb whilst promoting season two of The Santa Clauses, Allen said: "I don’t know if this is where the story is going, but what if the whole story was through Andy as an adult? [He] has children, and they just happen to be online, and the kid goes, ‘Have you ever seen this toy?’ and Andy sees that Buzz has got a hand missing, and they’re selling these vintage toys. And Andy goes and gathers all the toys up.
"He has to go out and find each one of them and put them back together, bring them back to his house, and start the whole thing over again with his son. And I said, ‘What a wonderful idea, it’s all through Andy’s eyes because we [the toys] made his life, and now he’s returning that favor.”
Will this be the plot of Toy Story 5? Only time will tell.
Who is making Toy Story 5?
Andrew Stanton pictured with Woody and Buzz in 2009. (Damien Meyer/AFP via Getty Images)
Toy Story 5 will be directed by Pixar stalwart Andrew Stanton and McKenna Harris. Stanton's back catalogue at Pixar includes being co-director on A Bug's Life, and directing Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, WALL-E and John Carter. He was also co-writer on the first four Toy Story movies. Harris was the writer and director of Pixar short Ciao Alberto.
Josh Cooley was the director of Toy Story 4, taking over the reins from John Lasseter — the director on the first three films — who left Pixar in 2017 following allegations of misconduct at the Californian animation studio.
Cooley has since moved on from Pixar to direct an animated Transformers movie for Paramount which is due for release in 2024.
Toy Story 5 will be released in cinemas globally on 19 June, 2026.