The toys are back in town, and this time their biggest rival is not a villain, a daycare centre or a dusty collector’s cabinet. It is a touchscreen.
Disney and Pixar have released the first trailer for ‘Toy Story 5’, bringing Woody, Buzz and the rest of Bonnie’s toy box back to cinemas this summer. And yes, the reunion you have been waiting for is right there in the footage.
The new adventure introduces a modern threat to playtime in the form of Lilypad, a frog-themed tablet with bright lights and some very strong opinions about what is best for Bonnie. Voiced by Greta Lee, Lilypad quickly becomes the toy box’s glowing nemesis as screens begin to replace squeaky wheels and pull strings.
Pixar teases that the device has “her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie,” raising the question: Will playtime ever be the same?
The trailer also delivers the emotional hook longtime fans were hoping for. After Woody’s decision at the end of ‘Toy Story 4’ to leave with Bo Peep and help lost toys find new homes, he is called back into action. Jessie radios him for help, and soon enough, he is face-to-face with Buzz again.
“It’s been too long cowboy,” Buzz says, before embracing Woody. The pair are later seen slipping back into familiar bickering mode, prompting one of the other toys to comment that it is good to see them fighting again.
In a wonderfully meta twist, the trailer also plays with the idea of ageing. Woody appears to have developed a noticeable bald patch under his hat, leading to jokes about markers and midlife crises. For a generation that grew up with these characters in the 1990s, it feels like Pixar is gently acknowledging that the audience has aged right alongside them.
Returning voices include Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear and Joan Cusack as Jessie. John Ratzenberger is back as Hamm, Tony Hale returns as Forky and Keanu Reeves once again lends his voice to Duke Caboom. Mr Potato Head is now voiced by Jeff Bergman following the death of Don Rickles.
New additions to the cast include Conan O’Brien as Smarty Pants, Craig Robinson as Atlas, a talking GPS hippo toy, Ernie Hudson as Combat Carl, Shelby Rabara as Snappy and Scarlett Spears as Bonnie.
The tagline sums up the theme neatly: “Times may change, but friends are forever.” At one point, Buzz declares, “Our mission on this planet is to make a child happy.” It is a reminder that beneath the jokes about technology and bald spots, the heart of ‘Toy Story’ has always been about loyalty and purpose.
The original 1995 film made history as the first entirely computer-animated feature and earned a Special Achievement Academy Award for pioneering the technology. ‘Toy Story 3’ and ‘Toy Story 4’ both won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and the main series has grossed more than £3 billion worldwide.
More than three decades on, Pixar is now exploring what play looks like in an age of tablets and constant connection. It is a very 2026 problem for a set of toys born in 1995.
‘Toy Story 5’ is released in cinemas on Friday, 19th June 2026.
Login to Geektown