Advertisement
Buzz wakes up alone on a beach with no dialogue, no clue where he is. And he’s not the Buzz you think. That’s how Toy Story 5 opens, not with the familiar comfort of Bonnie’s room or Woody’s cowboy drawl, but with a cinematic gut punch that instantly tells us: this isn’t just another nostalgia trip. Pixar is going for something weirder, bolder, and way more existential.
During Pixar’s Annecy Animation Festival panel, Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter dropped the scene that’s now got everyone buzzing. A fresh-out-of-the-box Buzz Lightyear toy finds himself stranded on a remote island, surrounded by a graveyard of unopened Buzzes. There’s no one talking. Just sound design, a haunting score, and a slow burn of confusion turning into purpose.
They’re factory resets. No memory. No mission until one of them starts whispering: “Star Command.” Then another chimes in. Before long, dozens are chanting it in unison, building rafts like they’re prepping for a toy-sized Normandy invasion. It’s absurd. It’s brilliant. And it’s exactly the jolt this franchise needed. Pixar’s not just dusting off old toys. They’re rewriting their mythology from the ground up.
Advertisement
Back home, it’s a different kind of crisis. Bonnie is now eight and into her new tech toy — a slick, sentient tablet called Lily Pad. No more playing pretend with Slinky and Jessie. Lily Pad has Bonnie’s attention, and the toys are well obsolete. Pete Docter explained it best (per Collider): “Bonnie has become more concerned about being socially connected and making friends… but Lily Pad can be a little sneaky and prickly… in her mind, to better socialize, Bonnie needs to move on.”
Sheriff Jessie is holding down the fort, deputized Buzz at her side. Woody’s still out in the wild with Bo, but yes, he does get called back. There’s friction. There’s nostalgia. And yes, there’s the unmistakable crackle of something new.
With Andrew Stanton and McKenna Harris steering the ship, Pixar clearly isn’t playing it safe. This isn’t just “toys meet tech,” it’s legacy versus reinvention. It’s classic Toy Story heart wrapped in a surprising new shell, and the opening makes it crystal clear: everything is on the table.
Between Bonnie’s emotional drift and the mystery of the Buzz armada, Toy Story 5 is setting itself up to be the franchise’s boldest swing yet. The kind that makes you rethink what you knew, what you loved, and what you thought was over. This time, the toys might not just be trying to get home, they might be redefining what home even means. Toy Story 5 lands in theaters on June 19, 2026.
For more such stories, check out Hollywood News
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Google News
Advertisement
