Toy Story 5 hasn’t been released yet, but director Andrew Stanton is already thinking about the storyline for a sequel.
The latest installment in the long-running Pixar franchise has Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (TIm Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the other toys contending with technology when Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) gets a tablet named Lilypad (Greta Lee). The sequel is being released seven years after Toy Story 4 and 16 years after Toy Story 3, both of which seemed as though they could have concluded the movie series.
In Entertainment Weekly‘s Toy Story 5 preview, Stanton reveals that with only two months of brainstorming about the lifecycle of a toy, including the more mundane elements, he believes that there is enough story material for two more movies. This could continue to involve Bonnie or shift focus to another character, which is why he “feel[s] like it can keep going.”
He explains that with Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4, “What broke my brain was that we can embrace time. Other stories don’t have that luxury.” This opens the door to telling more stories about Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and their toy friends in a potential Toy Story 6, where the passage of time can help the narrative instead of hindering it.
If Toy Story 5 does happen, though, Stanton does not plan on directing it: “This is probably the last one I’m gonna do.” That being said, as the Vice President of Creative at Pixar, and after directing A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, WALL-E, Finding Dory, and now Toy Story 5, he will still be involved in the animation studio’s future, adding that he will probably continue to advise on these movies until he is “in a rocking chair somewhere. And I will always have a strong opinion about this. This is probably the best way I can leave my stamp at Pixar — teaching others how this is done.”
Based on Stanton’s comments, it does not sound as though Toy Story 5 will be directly setting up another sequel or ending on a cliffhanger. As Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 did, it will likely serve as a complete story that can be an ending to the franchise while still leaving room to possibly return in the future.
If Toy Story 5 earns more than $1 billion worldwide at the box office as the two previous movies did, Toy Story 6 is all the more likely to happen. While Hoppers was a box office success, Pixar’s other original movies in recent years have largely underperformed. The studio is still making more original movies like Gatto, but they are also focusing heavily on sequels, including the upcoming Incredibles 3 and Coco 2.
Since Bonnie is still quite young, continuing to follow the journey with her toys is feasible, perhaps with her being aged up via a time jump in Toy Story 6. Since Andy (John Morris) passed the torch to Bonnie at the end of Toy Story 3, she has been the human child at the center of the franchise, but after 16 years in the real world, it could be time to center new stories on someone else.
Along with Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bonnie, and Lilypad, the Toy Story 5 cast of characters includes Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Rex (Wallace Shawn), Slinky Dog (Blake Clark), Mr. Potato Head (Jeff Bergman), Mrs. Potato Head (Anna Vocino), Bo Peep (Annie Potts), Forky (Tony Hale), Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves), Dolly (Bonnie Hunt), Trixie (Kristen Schaal), Mr. Pricklepants (John Hopkins), Combat Carl (Ernie Hudson), Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien), Atlas (Craig Robinson), and Snappy (Shelby Rabara).
Toy Story 5 releases in theaters on June 19.
Release Date
June 19, 2026
Director
Andrew Stanton
Writers
Andrew Stanton, McKenna Jean Harris
Tim Allen
Buzz Lightyear (voice)
Joan Cusack
Jessie (voice)
Greta Lee
Lilypad (voice)