A lot has happened since 1995. In the 30 years since the first Toy Story, the entire state of play has changed – and the toy landscape is a much more tech-heavy place. So when Toy Story 5 arrives in 2026, six years after Toy Story 4, it has much to say – about toys, technology, and what childhood means in the 2020s. And, as director Andrew Stanton – a Pixar legend, behind Finding Nemo and Wall-E, here making his first Toy Story – tells Empire, it’s a nuanced conversation, simply trying to reflect where we are.
“Honestly, it’s not even really about a battle so much as the realisation of an existential problem: that nobody’s really playing with toys anymore,” Stanton explains. “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.” While the notion of screentime is embodied by incoming frog-tablet antagonist Lilypad, the original toys are back too – not just Woody and Buzz, but an entire army of Buzzes. Together they’re known as the Multi-Buzz, set to cause chaos as they all come to realise the true nature of their plastic existence.
While the original Toy Story trilogy came to a hugely acclaimed conclusion in 2010’s Toy Story 3, the evolving nature of childhood means there’s more to explore with these characters as the years go on. “So 3 was the end… of the Andy years,” says Stanton. “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.” Time to get Woody and Buzz back out of the box.
Read Empire’s full Toy Story 5 story in The Odyssey issue, on sale Thursday 20 November. Order a copy online here. Toy Story 5 comes to UK cinemas from 19 June.