Toy Story 5: Everything we know so far

The 2024 D23 Expo has revealed the teaser trailer for Toy Story 5, a new installment in Disney and Pixar's long-running Toy Story franchise, which began with the groundbreaking film that was released in 1995. It was the first of the popular film series.

Toy Story 5 will see the toys, we've grown to know and love, fighting against electronics this time around. At the D23 Expo hosted on August 9, writer and co-director Andrew Stanton mentioned a plot point of a computer-controlled Buzz Lightyear army that goes on to wreak havoc.

Toy Story 5 is still in development, with the film having a release window of sometime in 2026.

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Toy Story 5 was unveiled at the D23 Expo

Toy Story 5 was one of the many new releases unveiled at the 2024 D23 Expo, alongside other projects such as The Incredibles 3 and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. The announcement was made five years after the release of Toy Story 4, the last mainline film in the franchise.

The first three Toy Story films followed the story of anthropomorphic toys while they were under the ownership of a child named Andy, who grew into an adult by the time of the third film.

While details of the plot of Toy Story 5 are currently scarce, Woody and Buzz Lightyear have been confirmed to be returning.

Writer and co-director Andrew Stanton, who's working on this franchise for the first time, has stated his interest in exploring the conflict between more traditional toys like the film series protagonists, and new electric toys that are currently giving them tough competition in the market.

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The Toy Story films have been groundbreaking achievements

The original Toy Story film is noted to be the first fully CGI feature film to gain mainstream popularity and success, as it made a splash in the box office and turned Pixar studios into a household name.

Ever since then, Pixar has produced some of the most acclaimed animated features in the industry and the studio's releases remain highly anticipated events that consistently draw media attention.

The sequels, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, and Toy Story 4, have shown Pixar's willingness to continue improving on their craft and push the boundaries of what CGI animation can be capable of. The movies also explored numerous themes regarding the relationship between toys and the kids who own them.

The first Toy Story introduced Andy, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Mr. Potato Head and the rest of the toys that make up the cast. It explored the theme of treating toys with respect, through its portrayal of the main antagonist, the troubled Sid Phillips, who's portrayed as abusive to the toys he owns.

Toy Story 2 showed the toys facing off against the unscrupulous toy collector Big Al who abducts Woody. It also explores Woody's fears of turning obsolete, which tempts him into going along with Big Al's plan to put him in a museum.

Toy Story 3 follows Andy's transition into adolescence which makes him outgrow his toys. The toys all face the question of whether or not they're needed anymore, and face off against the villainous Lotso, a teddy bear who has succumbed to nihilism after being accidentally abandoned, and subsequently replaced, by his original owner.

Toy Story 4 follows the toys adjusting to their new owner, a girl named Bonnie, and Woody's struggles with adapting to her household, especially since she already has other toys of her own.

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Toy Story 5's announcement has generated considerable buzz at 2024's D23 expo, and unless any unexpected developments take place, it's on track to being one of the most anticipated releases of 2026.