“Toy Story 5” director Andrew Stanton is defending the ongoing Pixar franchise despite fears from some that it’s being stretched thin with far too many sequels. Speaking to Empire magazine, the “Finding Nemo” and “Wall-E” Oscar winner broke down the franchise into the original trilogy and then everything that comes after (2019’s “Toy Story 4” and the upcoming fifth installment). Given how the relationship between children and toys continue to evolve with new generations, Stanton suggested there is no limit on how many “Toy Story” movies could be made.
“So ‘3’ was the end… of the Andy years,” Stanton told Empire. “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.”
“Toy Story 5” finds Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the rest of the beloved gang facing off against an iPad-like tablet called Lilypad. Stanton said the movie is “not even really about a battle so much as the realization 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.
“Toy Story 5” arrives six years after “Toy Story 4,” which became the franchise’s highest-grossing entry yet with $1 billion at the worldwide box office. The installment also won the Oscar for best animated feature, following in the footsteps of “Toy Story 3.” Voice actors Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return as Woody and Buzz, respectively, alongside Joan Cusack as Jessie, Blake Clark as Slinky Dog and Tony Hale as Forky. Conan O’Brien joins the franchise as Smarty Pants, while “Past Lives” favorite Greta Lee voices Lilypad.
“Toy Story 5” opens in theaters June 19, 2026, from Disney and Pixar.
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