Source: Radio New Zealand
The Toy Story franchise is back with its fifth instalment and this time – the toys are taking on technology.
By the time Toy Story 5 hits theatres in June, it will have been seven years since Toy Story 4 was released.
The trailer for the latest Disney and Pixar film has just been released today, with plenty of familiar characters.
Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and the rest of the gang are all back.
But the toys that remained with Bonnie after Andy gave them a new home at the end of Toy Story 4 have become second best to a new one – a Lilypad smart tablet.
The trailer shows Bonnie – now 8 years old – becoming obsessed with her tablet and Jessie growing angrier with its seemingly lack of interest in her concerns.
Jessie reaches out to Woody for help.
“Is it as bad out there for toys as they say it is?” she asks.
“We’re finding more abandoned toys each day,” he tells her.
“I don’t know, Jessie, toys are for play but tech if for everything.”
Understanding Jessie’s fears of “losing Bonnie to this device”, he finds his way back to the team to help.
As well as the much-loved characters from the previous films in the franchise, all new ones will be introduced in Toy Story 5.
According to a press release, Craig Robinson has joined the franchise as Atlas, a talking GPS hippo toy, Shelby Rabara voices a camera toy named Snappy, Scarlett Spears will voice now 8-year-old Bonnie, and Mykal-Michelle Harris voices Blaze, “an independent 8-year-old girl who loves animals”.
Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are both back voicing Woody and Buzz Lightyear with Greta Lee voicing Lilypad.
Toy Story 5 is directed by Andrew Stanton, also known for other animated hits like Finding Nemo, Finding Dory and Wall-E.
According to Variety, Stanton says the film is less of a traditional “good-versus-evil showdown” and more “an existential reckoning for toys facing obsolescence”.
According to The Numbers, the Toy Story franchise has grossed more than US$3.3 billion worldwide. Toy Story 4 and Toy Story 3 are its biggest earners so far, grossing more than $1b each.
Toy Story 5 will be released in New Zealand theatres on 18 June 2026.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand