Summary
With the franchise gearing up for its return,Toy Story 5has reportedly found its director with a major franchise veteran. Development ona fifth installment in theToy Storyfranchisewas first announced in early 2023 by Disney CEO Bob Iger, with Tim Allen confirmed to be reprising his role as Buzz Lightyear for the sequel, though Tom Hanks has yet to be officially confirmed to be back as Woody. Save for teases from Allen and Pixar exec Pete Docter about the sequel being “surprising” and landing a June 23, 2025 release date, no major updates have been shared for the movie over the past year.
During a recent advance screening ofInside Out 2(perThe MontyVerse), Pixar CCO Pete Docter offered an update on the studio’s upcoming movie slate, includingToy Story 5. The exec revealed that the fifth installment in the blockbuster franchise is set to be directed by Andrew Stanton, who is not only a longtime veteran of the studio, but also has been with theToy Storyfranchise since the original 1995 movie.
Stanton Directing Toy Story 5 Is A Promising Sign For The Franchise’s Return
Following Lightyear’s underwhelming performance with audiences and at the box office, having Stanton in the director’s chair could putToy Story 5on the best track possible to redeem the franchise.
Having joined the studio well before they began making movies, Stanton is a longtime staple of Pixar, even holding their Vice President of Creativity position. Across his 40-plus-year career, the filmmaker has been on the teams for many of the studio’s most acclaimed hits, including co-writing the script and story for the originalToy Story,its 1999 and 2019 sequels, while also co-developing the story for 2010’s threequel and executive producingtheLightyearspinoff. Stanton also previously made his feature directorial debut onFinding Nemoand going on to helm its 2016 sequel and 2008’sWALL-E.
Stanton’s work on bothFinding NemoandWALL-Ewon him the Oscars for Best Animated Feature in their respective years.
In addition to marking his first animated directorial effort sinceFinding Dory, Stanton returning forToy Story 5could prove a promising sign for the next movie’s success. Up to this point,the mainlineToy Storymovieshave seen a variety of shifts in their creative teams, with the third and fourth installments bringing in Lee Unkrich and Josh Cooley to direct instead of John Lassiter, while the writing teams also saw various names come and go. Stanton’s consistent presence both with the studio and the franchise, however, would ensure a fitting continuation of the series.
6 Ways Toy Story 5 Can End The Franchise (For Real This Time)
Toy Story seemingly ended the franchise twice, only to return. With the confirmation of Toy Story 5, these storylines can end Toy Story for good.
FollowingLightyear’s underwhelming performance with audiences and at the box office, having Stanton in the director’s chair could putToy Story 5on the best track possible to redeem the franchise. Though the spinoff was co-written and directed by fellow franchise vet Angus MacLane, he held a bigger position on the animation side of things rather than the creative side, and as such, putting someone directly involved with the creative team since the beginning could put the franchise back on track.
The previous Toy Story movies and Lightyear are available to stream on Disney+.
Toy Story 5
Cast
Toy Story 5 follows Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and the rest of the gang as they confront a new challenge to playtime posed by advanced technology. Set to release in 2026, this installment continues the beloved Toy Story series with its familiar cast facing modern dilemmas.
