TOY STORY 5 Director Defends Sequel: It "Allows Us to Embrace" the "Existential Problem" That "Nobody Plays With Toys Anymore"
Some fans were grumpy about the continuation of the Toy Story franchise after the third film felt so conclusive. But after a pretty fun fourth film, people are a little less up in arms about the idea of Toy Story 5, as it seems the folks at Pixar have a handle on telling good stories.
Of course, there’s still some grumbling from fans, but the film’s director Andrew Stanton is defending the next film and the new story angle.
Speaking to Empire magazine, the Finding Nemo and Wall-E Oscar winner broke down the franchise into the original trilogy and then everything that comes after (2019’s Toy Story 4 and the upcoming fifth installment).
Given how the relationship between children and toys continue to evolve with new generations, Stanton suggested there is no limit on how many Toy Story movies could be made.
Stanton told Empire:
“So ‘3’ was the end… of the Andy years. Nobody’s being robbed of their trilogy. They can have that and never watch another if they don’t want to. But I’ve always loved how this world allows us to embrace time and change. There’s no promise that it stays in amber.”
Toy Story 5 finds Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the rest of the beloved gang facing off against an iPad-like tablet called LilyPad (Greta Lee).
Stanton said the movie is “not even really about a battle so much as the realization of an existential problem: that nobody’s really playing with toys anymore. Technology has changed everybody’s lives, but we’re asking what that means for us — and to our kids. We can’t just get away with making tech the villain.”
Among the cast are returning actors Blake Clark as Slinky Dog and Tony Hale as Forky. Conan O’Brien joins the franchise as Smarty Pants.
Toy Story 5 opens in theaters on June 19, 2026.
via: Variety