After three stellar movies and a very good fourth, plenty has been said about whether Toy Story 5 needs to happen. The devastating ending of Toy Story 3 appeared to close the saga with a note-perfect handover from Andy to Bonnie, then Toy Story 4 kept the franchise alive by breaking up the Woody and Buzz dynamic and giving Pixar’s ol’ cowboy a brand-new purpose. Was there really enough bandwidth for another outing?
Unsurprisingly, then, there are pretty clear similarities between Toy Story 5‘s plot and past entries. Lilypad steamrolling into Bonnie’s room and stealing her away from the toys follows the same “are we obsolete?” concept that sat at the heart of Toy Story (when a fancy new electronic toy arrived), Toy Story 2 (when Woody broke), and Toy Story 3 (when Andy went to college).
But while Toy Story 5 is undeniably like its predecessors, the film itself appears to realize this.
Toy Story 5’s Trailer Acknowledges Its Parallels With Past Movies
There’s a moment in the Toy Story 5 trailer when Lilypad first appears, and a not-sad-just-disappointed Rex responds with, “Extinction… not again!” At face value, we can appreciate the dinosaur gag here, but there’s a deeper, more meta reading. Because this isn’t the first “extinction” Andy’s toys have been through. They faced extinction when Buzz first arrived, they were moving to the attic at the start of Toy Story 3, and they were staring into the fires of an incinerator by the end of that movie.
Rex’s comment applies as much to the Toy Story franchise in real life as it does the dinosaurs being wiped out by an asteroid.
Near the end of the trailer, Hamm admits, “It’s good to see them [Woody & Buzz] fighting again.” As with Rex’s comment, it’s another acknowledgment that Toy Story 5 isn’t reinventing the wheel here. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen bickering has been a constant theme of the Toy Story saga, and just like Hamm, the audience gets a familiar sense of warmth from seeing these two Pixar icons exchanging insults.
The Toy Story 5 trailer is rammed with other callbacks too. The make-believe sequence with Forky getting married continues a Toy Story tradition of cinematic play scenes. Jessie confronting Lilypad on Bonnie’s bed mirrors Woody confronting Buzz on Andy’s bed from the original movie. Lilypad’s Spanish mode has echoes of Spanish Buzz. The “halt, who goes there?” and “I come in peace” exchange is a major throwback to 1995. “You Got a Friend in Me” plays softly in the background. Woody and Buzz hang off the back of a moving car again…
In stark contrast to Toy Story 4, Toy Story 5 isn’t hiding its nostalgia.
Does It Matter If Toy Story 5 Repeats The Same Plot?
Toy Story has defied the odds to deliver a consistently high level of quality while so many franchises around it have collapsed. There’s enough goodwill built up for audiences to trust that Toy Story 5 can repeat the same premise, yet still add enough freshness to avoid feeling like a retread. Jessie’s memories of Emily are evidently coming to the surface, the army of Buzz Lightyears is giving Small Soldiers vibes, and the idea of a balding Woody approaches new conversations about aging and death.
At the same time, Toy Story 4 represented the franchise’s first movie that didn’t feel like essential Pixar viewing, and that could mark the beginning of a larger pattern. It’s also difficult to ignore the fact that Pixar is no longer the surefire hit machine it used to be, with movies like Elio and Lightyear proving the aura of magical invulnerability from the company’s first 20 years has faded.
There’s reason to hope for the best with Toy Story 5, but concerns over it being one film too far aren’t completely unfounded either.
- Release Date
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June 19, 2026
- Director
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Andrew Stanton
- Writers
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Andrew Stanton
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Tim Allen
Buzz Lightyear (voice)
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Joan Cusack
Jessie (voice)
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