Toy Story 5 Trailer Frames Tech as an Existential Threat — Woody and Buzz Return
The first full trailer for Toy Story 5 landed on Feb. 19, 2026 (ET), and it makes the film’s central question blunt: what becomes of classic toys when screens soak up childhood? The footage positions a high-tech device named Lilypad as a charismatic, modern rival and reunites Woody and Buzz on a mission to keep kids connected to old-school play. The new preview and studio materials also confirm the core creative team and a June theatrical launch.
Trailer sets up a toys-versus-screens showdown
The trailer makes clear that Toy Story 5 will stage its conflict around attention and obsolescence. A frog-shaped smart tablet called Lilypad is introduced as a slick, attention-grabbing intrusion into the toys’ world. The device arrives as an irresistible focus for kids, and the toys’ reaction ranges from confusion to alarm. Woody — now with thinning hair and a poncho — and Buzz lead the charge to rescue Bonnie from the tablet’s pull, and scenes show Jessie, Forky, Slinky Dog, Hamm and Trixie joining an army of Buzz Lightyears in a playful, almost militarized effort to reclaim playtime.
The new character Lilypad is voiced by Greta Lee and is presented as a modern antagonist whose charm masks a deeper threat: a device designed to monopolize a child’s attention. The trailer leans into comedy but also into a sharper, existential tone. Rather than a simple good-versus-evil chase, the film appears poised to probe how digital devices reshape the meaning and purpose of toys in a world where screens are always present and always listening.
Creative team, cast returns and newcomers
Andrew Stanton returns to writer-director duties, a creative choice that signals a blend of heartfelt character work with speculative texture — hallmarks of his prior features. Co-direction is credited to Kenna Harris, and Lindsey Collins is listed as a producer. The voice roster largely reunites familiar talents: Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are back as Woody and Buzz, joined by Joan Cusack, Blake Clark and Tony Hale among others.
Studio materials name several notable additions to the ensemble designed to refresh the franchise’s roster. Greta Lee’s Lilypad is joined by Conan O’Brien in a new role, Craig Robinson as a GPS hippo toy called Atlas, and Shelby Rabara as a camera toy named Snappy. New child characters include an 8-year-old Bonnie and an independent 8-year-old named Blaze. The cast list expands to include names from earlier films and fresh faces that underscore the film’s effort to balance continuity with contemporary stakes.
Release timing and what the trailer suggests about the film’s aims
Toy Story 5 is slated to open in theaters on June 19, 2026 (ET). That date places the sequel in a summer release window where the franchise’s emotional stakes and brand recognition will be front and center. The trailer suggests the film will treat technology less as a flat villain and more as a mirror reflecting how childhood itself has changed. Expect moments of slapstick and spectacle — toys staging raids on devices, army-of-Buzz sequences — alongside quieter, more reflective beats about obsolescence, friendship and purpose.
From a narrative perspective, the footage hints at how the sequel will reconcile Woody’s post-Bonnie independence with a renewed sense of duty. The toys’ scramble against Lilypad reads like a literal and figurative effort to preserve tactile, imaginative play in an era of screens. If the trailer is any guide, Toy Story 5 will try to balance nostalgia for low-fi play with a frank look at the realities of modern childhood.
With a seasoned director at the helm, a largely returning cast, a handful of notable newcomers and a trailer that foregrounds toys-versus-screens, the next chapter in this long-running saga is shaping up to be both timely and emotionally pitched. Moviegoers will get a fuller sense of how the film resolves its central dilemma when it reaches theaters June 19, 2026 (ET).
