Toy Story 5 trailer is out; reunites Woody and Buzz for a digital age rescue mission

Pixar has dropped the first trailer for Toy Story 5, and yes, Woody and Buzz are back together again. This time, though, they are not battling daycare politics or grappling with existential crises. They are up against something far more contemporary: an iPad-style tablet called the “Lilypad”.

The new film follows eight-year-old Bonnie, now firmly in her screen era. When she receives the Lilypad, voiced by Greta Lee, her attention drifts from her toys to the glowing device.

The trailer frames the conflict plainly. “Toys are for play, but tech is for everything”, Woody tells a worried Jessie, who confides that she feels Bonnie slipping away. It is a very 2026 problem for a franchise that began in 1995.

Screens vs string-pull nostalgia

The trailer leans into the anxiety many parents will recognise. Bonnie misses out on making real-life friends as she sinks deeper into her tablet. Jessie, voiced once again by Joan Cusack, looks heartbroken. Woody, still voiced by Tom Hanks, sounds determined but weary.

Buzz, voiced by Tim Allen, re-enters the frame with a familiar greeting, “It’s been too long, cowboy”. The duo team up to rescue Bonnie from the gravitational pull of the Lilypad and whatever digital distractions it brings.

Pixar also appears keen to have a little fun at Woody’s expense. The once-pristine sheriff is now showing his age. Trixie suggests someone fetch a brown marker to fix his bald patch, and Forky bluntly informs him that Bonnie thinks he is old “because you’re bald, Woody”. It is gentle ribbing, but it signals that time has passed in this universe.

The gang’s all here and then some

Alongside returning favourites, the voice cast adds Greta Lee as Lilypad, with Conan O’Brien and Ernie Hudson joining in undisclosed roles. Andrew Stanton, a longtime creative force on the series and director of Finding Nemo and WALL-E, wrote the script and co-directs with Kenna Harris.

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The stakes are as commercial as they are emotional. Toy Story 4 crossed the $1 billion mark at the global box office in 2019 and picked up the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Pixar clearly believes there is still life left in the toy box.

Toy Story 5 lands in cinemas on June 19. Will you be heading to the cinema to watch it? Drop a comment to let us know.