'Toy Story' Writer Explains Why 'Toy Story 5' Should Exist

I'll be honest, there are certain film franchises with unnecessary sequels that I straight-up will myself to forget. The new Indiana Jones movies are one (sorry, James Mangold, we end on The Last Crusade); Jaws is another. Let's just pretend those never happened.

Many would probably be okay adding the Toy Story franchise to that list, especially on the heels of Toy Story 5's recent teaser release.

The film comes to us six years after Toy Story 4 and 30 years after the original Toy Story, which first wrapped up in a tidy trilogy that found the toys transitioning ownership after the graduation of Andy, their child. Toy Story 4 had the toys road-tripping and reflecting with old friends.

Fan reactions to the new film's teaser have been mixed (and comments on the teaser are currently disabled, which is never a good sign).

Writer/director Andrew Stanton knows this.

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Andrew Stanton Talks Toy Story 5

The Pixar veteran (who's been with the franchise since the beginning) recently spoke with Empire to address why another film makes sense, even after what felt like perfect endings in both the third and fourth installments.

He points out that Toy Story 3 wrapped up one specific era, not the entire concept.

"So 3 was the end... of the Andy years," Stanton said. "Nobody's being robbed of their trilogy. They can have that and never watch another if they don't want to."

It's a kind of diplomatic way of saying you can keep your nostalgia intact while the franchise explores new territory.

Stanton told Empire that the world of Toy Story has always been built on the foundation of time passing and circumstances shifting.

"I've always loved how this world allows us to embrace time and change," he said. "There's no promise that it stays in amber."

Stanton posited that the original trilogy is a complete story about Andy and his toys, while everything that follows raises new questions about what happens as childhood itself transforms.

The franchise has always centered on change and impermanence. Toy Story 2 wrestled with obsolescence. Toy Story 3 dealt with growing up and moving on. Now the fifth film tackles something more contemporary, Stanton said, which is that kids aren't playing with physical toys the way they used to.

"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," Stanton said.

The plot involves the gang facing off against an iPad-like tablet called Lilypad.

The question is whether audiences will show up for a fifth entry in a franchise that already delivered two satisfying conclusions. Toy Story 4 pulled in over a billion dollars worldwide and won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, so financially speaking, there's precedent for continuing past what felt like a natural endpoint.

The film arrives June 19, 2026, with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen returning as Woody and Buzz.