Back in the day, it used to be, ‘You’ve got a friend in me’. But these days everywhere you look, it’s more like, ‘You’ve got a friend in screens.’ Or so, that’s the gist of Pixar’s upcoming Toy Story 5. During Disney’s D23 Expo panel, Pixar boss Pete Docter hit the stage to give a major update on Buzz, Woody and Jessie’s next big-screen adventure – not only confirming studio legend Andrew Stanton as the director of the film, but unveiling a first piece of concept art too. That image, in the broadest of strokes, indicates what the fifth outing will explore: the notion that kids these days are increasingly more besotted by technology than they are traditional toys.
Speaking on the D23 stage, Stanton confirmed that his Toy Story 5 will tackle “what kids are obsessed with today: electronics”. And the associated art sees Woody and pals looking particularly saddened as they go unnoticed at the end of a child’s bed (is that Bonnie?) in favour of a tablet screen. Of course, there’s plenty more to uncover here – most notably how Woody has reunited with his fellow toys, after deciding to enter a new chapter with Bo Peep at the end of Toy Story 4. And it was also teased at D23 that the film will involve a marauding army of programmable Buzz Lightyear toys.
Here’s hoping Stanton can deliver some nuanced ideas on the evolving relationship younger generations have with technology, and what that means for toys and ideas around traditional play – without devolving into mere “screens bad” ideas. Given that he’s the filmmaker behind beloved classics like Finding Nemo and Wall-E, you’d imagine he has a powerful story to tell. We’ll find out when Toy Story 5 arrives in cinemas in summer 2026.