Summary

  • Toy Story 5 will be reportedly be directed by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton.
  • Stanton has been with the franchise since the original movie, being part of the Senior Creative Team for all four previous movies and co-writing the 1999 and 2019 sequels.
  • With Stanton leading the charge on the new movie, Toy Story 5 can make up for Lightyear's disappointments.

With the franchise gearing up for its return, a fifth installment in the Toy Story franchise was first announced in early 2023 by Disney CEO Bob Iger, with Tim Allen confirmed to be reprising his role as Buzz Lightyear for the sequel, though Tom Hanks has yet to be officially confirmed to be back as Woody. Save for teases from Allen and Pixar exec Pete Docter about the sequel being "surprising" and landing a June 19, 2026 release date, no major updates have been shared for the movie over the past year.

During a recent advance screening of Inside Out 2 (per The MontyVerse), Pixar CCO Pete Docter offered an update on the studio's movie slate, including Toy Story 5. The exec revealed that the fifth installment in the blockbuster franchise is set to be directed by Andrew Stanton, who is not only a longtime veteran of the studio, but also has been with the Toy Story franchise since the original 1995 movie.

Stanton Directing Toy Story 5 Is A Promising Sign For The Franchise's Return

Following Lightyear's underwhelming performance with audiences and at the box office, having Stanton in the director's chair could put Toy Story 5 on the best track possible to redeem the franchise.

Having ed the studio well before they began making movies, Stanton is a longtime staple of Pixar, even holding their Vice President of Creativity position. Across his 40-plus-year career, the filmmaker has been on the teams for many of the studio's most acclaimed hits, including co-writing the script and story for the original Toy Story, its 1999 and 2019 sequels, while also co-developing the story for 2010's threequel and executive producing the Lightyear spinoff. Stanton also previously made his feature directorial debut on Finding Nemo and going on to helm its 2016 sequel and 2008's WALL-E.

Stanton's work on both Finding Nemo and WALL-E won him the Oscars for Best Animated Feature in their respective years.

In addition to marking his first animated directorial effort since Finding Dory, Stanton returning for Toy Story 5 could prove a promising sign for the next movie's success. Up to this point, the mainline Toy Story movies have seen a variety of shifts in their creative teams, with the third and fourth installments bringing in Lee Unkrich and Josh Cooley to direct instead of John Lassiter, while the writing teams also saw various names come and go. Stanton's consistent presence both with the studio and the franchise, however, would ensure a fitting continuation of the series.

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Following Lightyear's underwhelming performance with audiences and at the box office, having Stanton in the director's chair could put Toy Story 5 on the best track possible to redeem the franchise. Though the spinoff was co-written and directed by fellow franchise vet Angus MacLane, he held a bigger position on the animation side of things rather than the creative side, and as such, putting someone directly involved with the creative team since the beginning could put the franchise back on track.

The previous Toy Story movies and Lightyear are available to stream on Disney+.

Source: The MontyVerse/Twitter

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Toy Story 5
Not Yet Rated
Animation
Adventure
Family
Comedy
Release Date
June 17, 2026
Director
Andrew Stanton
Writers
Andrew Stanton
Producers
Pete Docter

Cast

See All
  • Headshot Of Tim Allen
    Tim Allen
    Buzz Lightyear (voice)
  • Headshot Of Tom Hanks In The Los Angeles World Premiere Of Apple TV+ Series 'Masters Of The Air'
    Tom Hanks
    Woody (Voice)
  • Headshot Of Joan Cusack
    Joan Cusack
    Jessie (voice)
  • Headshot Of Ernie Hudson
    Ernie Hudson
    Combat Carl (voice)

Toy Story 5 follows Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and the rest of the gang as they confront a new challenge to playtime posed by advanced technology. Released in 2026, this installment continues the beloved Toy Story series with its familiar cast facing modern dilemmas.

Main Genre
Animation