The first four Toy Story movies are very much about Woody, exploring his relationship with Andy as he watches his own grow up and start college. But after Woody made his fateful decision and became a “lost toy” at the end of Toy Story 4, it was clear his character arc had run its course. If Toy Story was to continue, someone else would have to be elevated into the lead role. Fan-favorite cowgirl doll Jessie is the main character in this summer’s Toy Story 5, doing her best to navigate the challenges that stem from Bonnie’s new tech obsession. Considering her history with the franchise, Jessie is a natural pick to lead a Toy Story movie, but the filmmakers have other ideas in mind.
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During an interview with ComicBook to promote Toy Story 5 (in theaters June 19th), co-director Kenna Harris and producer Lindsey Collins shared their picks for who could be the next main character in another Toy Story sequel. After casting a vote for Slinky because “he’s got a long enough back to carry” the story, Harris mentioned the new tech toys as a possibility. “Toy Story 5 introduces a pretty killer cast, and tech toys are really opening up potential for the series, so I would also I’d watch more Smarty [Pants].”
Collins continued, “Yeah, yeah, all the tech trio in this movie are so fun and they’re so fun together. And the fact that they’ve just gotten a taste of playtime, I feel like there’s a lot of like there’s going to now, like now that they’re going to be like, itching for more.”
Could Bonnie’s Tech Toys Become the New Toy Story Leads?
The main hook of Toy Story 5 is the “toys vs. tech” conflict, as Jessie and the rest of the gang of traditional toys face yet another existential crisis when Bonnie becomes infatuated with her new tablet Lilypad and a collection of other tech-based playthings (including Conan O’Brien’s Smarty Pants). In Toy Story 5 marketing materials, Lilypad and the electronic toys are positioned as obstacles for Jessie, Buzz Lightyear, and friends to overcome, so it’s interesting to hear Pixar even mention the potential of technology becoming the main focus of the franchise moving forward.
That possibility ties into something Toy Story 5 director Andrew Stanton said about the film back in April. Discussing the sequel’s plot, Stanton was frank in admitting, “When tech comes in, it wins,” suggesting that not even the return of Woody will be enough for the toys this time around. Over the course of the first four movies, the gang always found a way to solve any problem they were faced with, but technology is a completely different animal. If tech is truly the unbeatable foe Stanton says it is, we could be looking at a scenario where Bonnie says goodbye to her old toys and goes through the rest of childhood with Lilypad, Smarty Pants, and the rest.
That would be a devastating development and quite a shock for long-time Toy Story fans (especially with Toy Story 5‘s Jessie-centric story earning high praise), but it’s a shift that could make sense, particularly if audiences respond positively to the new tech toys. After five movies following the same main group of toys, even the storytelling geniuses at Pixar could be reaching the end of the line for that particular bunch of characters. The franchise has already covered the full growth cycle of a child and is now bringing technology into the fold. Plus, jokes about Slinky’s extended back aside, there isn’t another toy who reads as a logical candidate to be the next main character. Jessie made sense given her prominence in the earlier films (especially Toy Story 2), but the others have always felt more like parts of the ensemble.
Making the series about the tech toys moving forward could be a way to keep things fresh. Technology obviously plays a massive role in our daily lives, so Pixar would be able to lean into topics and issues that are relevant to today’s society. It would also be interesting to see how Lilypad and Smarty Pants deal with challenges of their own. Technology is constantly evolving, meaning a device that’s innovative one day can become obsolete the next. Watching the tech toys reconcile with that reality could be poignant in Pixar’s hands.
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