Which means that kids who sat down in a theater to watch the first adventure with Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) probably have kids of their own now.
And in that crate are 50 Buzz Lightyear toys that escaped their cargo shipment.
The thing about this subplot is that the 50 Buzz figures we are meeting have not been conditioned to be – normal?
Subscribe to the newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, expanded scene breakdowns, interviews with creators, and exclusive context on the film’s mysteries, from the Buzz Lightyear squad to production design.
And we finally did.”The mystery mission that the Buzz Lightyear figures embark on will remain just that – a mystery – until Toy Story 5 opens in theaters on June 19.
If you can believe it, the original Toy Story turned 30 years old in 2025. Which means that kids who sat down in a theater to watch the first adventure with Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) probably have kids of their own now.
They are going to have to bring the whole family to the multiplex beginning on June 19 because Pixar Animation Studios has gathered the whole gang for the brand new Toy Story 5, and CBR got an exclusive first look at the animated family comedy. The toys probably want to believe that they haven’t aged a bit since 1995, though there are jokes in Toy Story 5 about Woody having a bald spot and tech potentially making Bonnie’s plaything irrelevant.
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But in the 35 minutes of footage that CBR got to watch as part of an Early Press Day in Anaheim, it became abundantly clear that the true scene stealers of Toy Story 5 are 50 Buzz Lightyear toys who are embarking on a mysterious – and mostly silent adventure. Allow me to explain…
Toy Story 5 Credit: Pixar
Who Are These Buzzes, And Where Are They Going?
Based on the footage that CBR was able to screen in Anaheim, California, the upcoming Toy Story 5 is very much a Jessie (Joan Cusack) story, with the rambunctious cowgirl toy struggling to adjust to the fact that her owner Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) has grown attached to an iPad-type device named Lilypad (franchise newcomer Greta Lee). I guess you could view “tech” as the villain of the new Toy Story sequel, though any parent would confirm that reliance on devices and screen time is a relevant conversation starter in most families.
As interesting as Jessie’s new journey turned out to be in the Toy Story 5 footage that we watched, I left the screening obsessed with a subplot that has yet to reveal all its cards. Director Andrew Stanton, a Pixar legend in his own right, starts his movie on a deserted island where a crate was washed on shore. And in that crate are 50 Buzz Lightyear toys that escaped their cargo shipment.
Where are they going? How will they get there? And what impact will these guys have on Jessie’s story?
During the press day, I expressed my fascination with the army of Buzz Lightyear’s to Stanton, McKenna Harris (Co-Director), and Lindsey Collins (Producer), and I learned that they planned to have even more of this subplot in the finished film.
Stanton told CBR:
We have one (sequence) that we had to cut out … that’ll probably show up on a Blu-ray or something. Out of just running time. But we could have kept coming up with scenes if we needed to.
And now I will wait patiently for this sequel to hit home video, so I can get even MORE adventures with the choreographed Buzz Lightyears.
The thing about this subplot is that the 50 Buzz figures we are meeting have not been conditioned to be – normal? So they are still Space Rangers, programmed to perform like crisp soldiers. And because Stanton specializes in wordless action (he directed WALL-E, after all), the precision of the action in these scenes is hilariously sharp. And they move the plot forward.
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McKenna Harris added, “The scenes that (Stanton) wrote in the first draft are more or less what you are seeing on screen.”
To which Stanton added:
“We just had to figure out… because it was kind of a random entertainment choice, to put them in the beginning on a first draft, trusting that we’d figure out what their purpose was. And we finally did.”
The mystery mission that the Buzz Lightyear figures embark on will remain just that – a mystery – until Toy Story 5 opens in theaters on June 19. Stay tuned to CBR for more coverage from our exclusive look at the latest Pixar feature film.
