Toy Story 5 Director and First Teaser Revealed

At the annual D23 showcase, Pixar shared news of several upcoming projects — both previously announced and brand new — including the fifth installment of the iconic Toy Story franchise. Since its announcement in early 2023 by Disney CEO Bob Iger, fans have been clamoring for updates on what their favorite toys are getting up to on their next adventure. In early June, Pixar CCO Pete Docter let it slip that a longtime Pixar veteran will be helming the ship for this movie, but that news was confirmed at tonight’s D23 showing. Andrew Stanton, who has had a part in the Toy Story franchise since 1995, is officially back on board.

Stanton has never directed a Toy Story film however he co-wrote the first four installments and was an executive producer on Toy Story 4. Stanton has directed Finding Nemo and its follow-up Finding Dory, WALL-E and A Bug’s Life. The new teaser for the upcoming movie doesn’t reveal a whole ton, but it does reunite Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Jessie as well as the beloved alien friends (with the claw!) Stanton revealed during the showcase that the upcoming installment will see the toys face off against technology as many rogue commemorative Buzz action figures stuck in toy mode that will provide considerable problems for everyone.

After the release of Lightyear which saw Chris Evans pick up the helmet of Buzz, fans were rather critical, something Docter understood as he believed they ultimately asked too much of the audience. With Stanton back manning the ship, he has the opportunity to take Toy Story back to its core. In an interview with The Wrap in 2023, Docter teased the upcoming installment as “surprising,” further explaining that “It’s got some really cool stuff that you haven’t seen before.”

Last year Tim Allen, who has voiced Buzz Lightyear for the better part of three decades, explained in an interview that he and Tom Hanks were contacted to reprise their roles, though he expressed hesitation with the idea. “What it is, for people like me, it’s just like I’m a sci-fi buff. You wonder if four was too many, is five going to be too much? According to the scuttlebutt, the writer that’s doing it wrote one of the better ones,” Allen said on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. “He said, ‘If I didn’t get this right, I wouldn’t do it.’ So it could be a very, very interesting way to reunite it.”

Stay tuned to ComicBook for news and updates on Toy Story 5.