Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and the beloved toys that have defined playtime for over 30 years and revolutionised the CG animation industry are back for an all-new adventure in Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5.
Packed with comedy, heart, fun and friendship, the new chapter of the groundbreaking franchise reunites Woody and Buzz and explores how the toys react to the rise of technology now affecting contemporary childhoods—all while the rootin’-tootin’ cowgirl Jessie is on her own journey discovering what it means to truly matter to her kid.
Directed by two-time Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton (“WALL•E,” “Finding Nemo”), co-directed by Kenna Harris (“Ciao Alberto”) and produced by Lindsey Collins (“Turning Red”), Toy Story 5 features a screenplay by Stanton and Harris and balances the legacy of its predecessors with a timely and relevant twist.
“I always figured they’d keep going with Toy Story, the world is just so rich,” says director and screenwriter Andrew Stanton. “The toys don’t really age, but the world does. It’s not every movie idea you come up with where time is part of the interesting aspect of a story about childhood, parenthood, growing up and moving on. The toys are the observers of everything.”
With the world of “Toy Story” already well-established, entertainment was the number one guiding principle when it came to the filmmakers’ approach.
“Andrew and I are on a similar wavelength about wanting every idea to be entertaining,” explains co-director and screenwriter Kenna Harris. “If we had a story problem, the hurdle it needed to pass was whether it was entertaining and something an audience would clamour to see.”
In addition to being genuinely entertaining, the filmmakers wanted the story to feel relevant. That meant introducing tech devices into the world of “Toy Story” to create an organic, nearly inevitable conflict.
“We wanted to build in all the fun, thrills and humour you expect from a ‘Toy Story’ film, but also focus on an aspect of childhood that we hadn’t yet explored. We’ve noticed—or at least it feels this way to us—that toys have become less of a factor in a child’s life. Having toys in a room without electronic devices dominating is almost antiquated now. How does that shift in dynamics affect the child, let alone the toys? This seemed like something worthy of tackling in a new ‘Toy Story’ film—something we could sink our teeth into and have fun with at the same time.”
Toy Story 5 is also shaped by music from renowned artists including Taylor Swift, who performs the all-new original song “I Knew It, I Knew You” for the upcoming film. The song draws inspiration from Jessie’s ongoing journey and is written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff.
Returning for his fifth “Toy Story” feature is two-time Oscar® winner Randy Newman, whose iconic scores, themes and songs are as emblematic of the franchise as the toys themselves. The celebrated song “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”—written and performed by Newman for the original “Toy Story”—is featured in all five of the “Toy Story” films.
Development
Stanton, a major creative force at Pixar since 1990 when he became the second animator and ninth employee to join the company’s elite group of computer animation pioneers—was a key player on all five of the “Toy Story” features.
Andrew Stanton’s “Toy Story” Credits
● “Toy Story” (1995) – screenplay by, original story by, storyboard artist, character artist,
Pixar sr. creative team
● “Toy Story 2” (1999) – screenplay by, original story by, Pixar sr. creative team
● “Toy Story 3” (2010) – story by, Pixar VP of creative
● “Toy Story 4” (2019) – screenplay by, original story by, executive producer, Pixar VP of
creative
● “Toy Story 5” (2026) – directed by, screenplay by, Pixar VP of creative
“Toy Story 5” marks his first time in the director’s chair for the franchise, and Stanton didn’t anticipate being approached for the film.
“I was surprised to be asked!” Stanton explains with a laugh. “I had been working on television and live action for nearly a decade. I told them, ‘I want to see it. I definitely want it to be done. I care about the world too much. So, I’ll agree to write a script. If you like where I’m going, we can continue talking.’”
After turning in the initial script, which included the rise of electronic devices, Jessie as the core of the story, and 50 little lost Buzz Lightyears—Stanton agreed he’d stay on to direct. He partnered with co-director Kenna Harris (“Ciao Alberto”) early on in development after a brainstorming session for the film.
“Kenna brings a fresh perspective of what ‘Toy Story’ means to the next generation, and what Bonnie is going through,” says Stanton. “Collaborating together really complemented my strengths and weaknesses. I can’t imagine making this movie without Kenna—it was a perfect match.”
“It takes a certain kind of pace to keep up with Andrew, and Kenna matches him,” agrees Collins. “They’re both able to write quickly, think quickly, push back on each other. It really was an instant fit for the two of them.”
As story supervisor Jason Katz puts it, “The first question our filmmakers ask before deciding to make any sequel is, ‘Does this movie deserve to exist in the world?’ Andrew is one of the massive creative energies of the franchise, and he found a story that we felt needed to be told. And after almost four years of production, I can’t imagine a world without this film. It feels like our story was always out there, waiting for us to find it…and that’s a really good sign.”
“Toy Story 5” builds upon the established worldbuilding and visual design of the earlier films, and the filmmakers were excited to push style choices to tell the most vibrant, entertaining version of the film. While the entire feature is full of rich detail that would have been unthinkable due to the limited technology and computing power available over 30 years ago when the original “Toy Story” was released, the playtime sequences offer a clear example of that approach.
“Andrew and Kenna wanted to show the audience what Bonnie’s imagination looks like, because Bonnie is different than Andy,” explains visual effects supervisor Thomas Jordan. “The idea was, ‘What if all kids have their own unique way of imagining playtime?’”
Since audiences don’t see inside of Bonnie’s imagination in “Toy Story 4,” the team had freedom to explore new character designs, costumes, textures and more to create playtime scenes that are unique to her.
ANDREW STANTON (Directed by, Story by, Screenplay by)
Andrew Stanton has been a major creative force at Pixar Animation Studios since 1990 when he became the second animator and ninth employee to join the company’s elite group of computer animation pioneers. As vice president, creative, he currently oversees all feature and streaming projects at the studio. Stanton co-wrote and directed the Academy Award®–winning feature films “Finding Nemo” and “WALL•E,” as well as “Finding Dory.” He also co-wrote and co-directed “A Bug’s Life.” He has been nominated for an Academy Award four other times for Best Original Screenplay (“Toy Story,” “Finding Nemo,” “WALL•E” and “Toy Story 3”), and was executive producer of Monsters, Inc.,” “Monsters University,” and the Academy Award–winning films “Ratatouille,” “Brave” and “Inside Out.” More recently, Stanton co-wrote and was an executive producer on the Academy Award–winning “Toy Story 4.”
In addition to his animation work, Stanton made his live-action writing and directorial debut with Disney’s “John Carter,” released in March 2012. Since then, he has delved into the world of television, directing for two Emmy Award®–winning series, “Stranger Things” and “Better Call Saul,” helped develop the Showtime/Blumhouse series “The Loudest Voice,” and most recently directed episodes for the FX series “Legion,” the Amazon series “Tales from the Loop,” and two seasons of the Apple TV series “For All Mankind.”
Kenna Harris joined Pixar Animation Studios in September 2018 as a story artist. Harris then went on to work as a story lead on Pixar’s feature film “Luca.” Harris then went on to direct their first Pixar short film, “Ciao Alberto.” More recently, Harris served as the story supervisor on “Inside Out 2,” Pixar’s highest-grossing film of all time.
Prior to Pixar, Harris worked at Walt Disney Animation Studios as a story apprentice. Prior to WDAS, they briefly worked as a character designer for Cartoon Network on Daniel Chong’s “We Bare Bears” and as an intern at Sony Pictures Animation. Harris grew up in Yucaipa, CA, and following high school, studied on and off at the California Institute of the Arts. They currently reside in Berkeley, CA.
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