Pixar gives first look at surprising new villain in ‘Toy Story 5’

Toy Story 5 is just a year away — and Pixar is giving a first look at concept art from its latest sequel.

Pixar’s chief creative officer, Pete Docter, appeared at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in Annecy, France, on Friday to tease the new adventures of Buzz and Woody, as well as several other upcoming animated projects.

Festivalgoers viewed the first footage from Toy Story 5, which saw Buzz Lightyear wake up on a beach surrounded by other Buzz toys. The army of Buzzes seemingly washed up from a shipping container that fell overboard, and they all gradually remember their allegiance to Star Command before crafting a makeshift raft to escape the island.

Docter also confirmed that Joan Cusack is returning to voice Jessie, the iconic cowgirl doll first introduced in Toy Story 2. He showcased new concept art of the character alongside Bullseye and Buzz, confronting a formidable new adversary: a frog-themed tablet named Lily Pad, which competes with the toys for Bonnie’s attention.

“It’s a new tech tablet, which allows Bonnie to chat with their friends and play games and other things too,” Docter teased at a June 5 presentation in New York City. “But Lily can also be a bit sneaky and prickly to be around. And because, in her mind, it’s a lot better to be socialized, and Bonnie needs to move on from toys.”

The film will also see Jessie fulfilling her duties overseeing Bonnie’s room following Woody’s departure at the end of Toy Story 4 — until Tom Hanks’ beloved cowboy returns to reunite with his pals. “Woody is called back to help,” Docter said on June 5. “But it’s been a while since they’ve all seen each other, and he and Buzz don’t always see eye to eye.”

Toy Story 5 is written and directed by Andrew Stanton, the Pixar veteran behind hits like Finding Nemo and WALL-E. Though this marks his first directorial effort in the franchise, Stanton was one of several credited screenwriters on all four preceding Toy Story movies. The film will release on June 19, 2026.

Hanks and Tim Allen are returning to voice Woody and Buzz, respectively. Additionally, Conan O’Brien was recently cast as a new character named Smarty Pants, and Ernie Hudson was announced as the new voice actor playing Combat Carl, who was previously voiced by the late Carl Weathers in Toy Story 4.

Elsewhere during the studio’s Annecy presentation, Pixar announced a new original film, Gatto, which is set to release in the summer of 2027. Set in Venice, the film follows a black cat named Nero who befriends a street musician and struggles to disentangle himself from the feline mob. Gatto will be Pixar’s second feature from director Enrico Casarosa, who previously wrote and directed 2021’s Luca, which was also set in the filmmaker’s native Italy.

Docter teased that the film will possess a new visual aesthetic distinct from Pixar’s previous projects. “Venice is like a living painting,” Docter said on June 5. “We’re trying to bring the depth and dimension that you expect from a Pixar film, [while] at the same time capturing that painterly texture.”

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Aside from the sci-fi adventure Elio, which hits theaters next week, Pixar’s next film will be Hoppers, from which the studio also showed footage during its Annecy presentation. The comedy film follows young nature-lover Mabe as she attempts to prevent the construction of a new highway that threatens the woodlands — and jumps into the body of a robotic beaver in the process.

“Mabel hops into this adorable beaver,” Docter said on June 5. “It’s kind of like Avatar, but cuter when she first hops. It is an incredible experience: to now inhabit an animal body is absolutely surreal. She loves it. And going out into nature is a dream come true.”

Hoppers stars Piper Curda as Mabel, Jon Hamm as the villainous Mayor Jerry, and Bobby Moynihan as King George of the beavers. Written and directed by We Bare Bears creator Daniel Chong, the film is set to release on March 6, 2026.

Additional reporting by Nick Romano.