Disney can’t stop and won’t stop making Toy Story movies. While we’re not exactly counting the days to watch the next one, we all know we’re still going to be tuning in eventually. That’s the power of Woody and Buzz.
The franchise has spawned six films, including the four Toy Story movies we all know and love, the less popular stand-alone Lightyear attempt from 2022, and its 2000 direct-to-video predecessor Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins. There has also been a Toy Story-adjacent television series, several television specials and short films, and a lot of video games. Soon, Toy Story 5 will join the roster.
Is there a release date for Toy Story 5?
Although everyone thought Toy Story 4 was the end of the road for Woody and Buzz, Disney surprised everyone with the announcement of Toy Story 5 in early 2023. The movie was announced alongside Frozen 3 and Zootopia 2 and given a 2026 release window.
Little is known yet about the plot of Toy Story 5. Fans of the series will recall that the emotional fourth film saw Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) say what appeared like their final goodbyes as the cowboy made the tough call to part ways with his friends and join his girlfriend Bo Peep as part of the Lost Toys. Buzz, Jessie, Rex, and the rest of the crew re-joined Bonnie, the young girl who inherited Andy’s toys in Toy Story 3 (which had already felt like its own goodbye back when it was released in 2010).
Pixar’s chief creative officer, Pete Docter, told Variety in 2023 that the two lead characters would be coming back for the fifth installment, while Allen also confirmed Disney has reached out to him and Hanks. In a The Tonight Show appearance, the Buzz voice actor also revealed that “one of the creators of the original series” was behind the film.
“According to the scuttlebutt, the writer that’s doing it wrote one of the better ones and said, ‘If I didn’t get this right, I wouldn’t do it.’ It could be a very, very interesting way to reunite it.”
In truth, there are no limits to the adventures these beloved toys can go on, just as long as they continue to feel original and necessary. Toy Story 4 somehow managed to subvert expectations and deliver a heartwarming and, at the time, definitive chapter in the heroes’ journeys, all the way to a Best Animated Feature Oscar win. The legacy of Toy Story is so great, however, that we doubt quality is that great of a factor in drawing audiences to theater seats or Disney Plus subscriptions.
