Quick! Someone call the Shrek 5 police! Someone has updated the looks of Woody and Buzz Lightyear for Pixar‘s upcoming sequel, Toy Story 5. Now, before you sharpen your pitchforks and march through the streets of Emeryville, California, toward Pixar Studios, understand that the changes are minor, and we’re all going to be okay.
In a new Toy Story 5 banner posted online by The Disney Beat, Woody and Buzz sport slightly different looks. First, Woody no longer wears his Sheriff’s star on his cow-print vest, suggesting there’s a new Sheriff in town. I would guess that Woody passed the torch to Jessie, who’s in charge of the toys in Bonnie’s room in the upcoming sequel. Meanwhile, Buzz has a gold star on his spacesuit, suggesting he’s been deputized, possibly by Jessie. Is this nepotism? We know Jessie has a crush on Buzz, but he’s also a Space Ranger, making him a qualified fit for the job.
At the very least, the changes made to the characters are a matter of fashion rather than outright augmenting the characters, as DreamWorks did with its Shrek universe. Do you remember how upset everyone became when the images for Shrek 5 were released? That was a sad day for maturity within film fandom, if you ask me.
Previously, during the Annecy Animation Film Festival in June, Pete Docter revealed that Toy Story 5 “will explore the challenges faced by the toys in a digital-first world. ‘It’s Toy meets Tech,’ he said, outlining the film’s plot, which will see the original movies’ team of toys facing up to the challenge presented by the new favorite plaything of their eight-year-old owner Bonnie Anderson: A tech tablet called Lillypad. Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang will confront a new generation of children more enamored with screens than playthings.”
Toy Story 5 is slated for a June 19, 2026 release. Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, and Joan Cusack reprise their roles as Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and Jessie, respectively. Other members of the voice cast include Ernie Hudson, who will take over the voice of Combat Carl from the late Carl Weathers, and Anna Faris, who has been cast in an undisclosed part. It was recently reported that Conan O’Brien joins the cast as Smarty Pants, a new addition to the franchise. Andrew Stanton is directing Toy Story 5 alongside co-director McKenna Harris, while Jessica Choi produces the film.
