Toy Story 5 will feature a surprising lead character (& it’s not Woody or Buzz)

According to the recent comments from comedian Tim Allen, who voices Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story 5 will focus more on the cowgirl doll Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack). During a conversation with the WIVB Network, he shared a few more insights about the animated film that will reportedly bring Buzz and Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) together.

“I can tell you that it’s a lot about Jessie. Tom [Hanks] and I do — Woody and I — do realign. And there’s an unbelievable opening scene with Buzz Lightyears. I can give you that, but I can’t give you much more.”

Allen did not go into any specifics about Toy Story 5, which is slated for a June 19, 2026, release. However, his comments offer a few details, including Buzz and Woody's reunion after the falling out in Toy Story 4. It's not clear how or why they get back together, but their reunion might offer a sigh of relief to the fans who were not pleased with the way things ended for them in the fourth chapter.

As far as the lead character/s are concerned, it is important to note that Tim Allen's comments don't indicate that Jessie is the sole lead of Toy Story 5. After all, the Toy Story movies have focused on two lead characters, Woody and Buzz, so far. So, it's natural to give additional characters more space in the story and let them be one of the focal points in the script.

Toy Story 5: What to expect from Pixar's upcoming animated movie?

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Toy Story 5 was officially announced at Disney's D23 Expo, which took place in August 2024. It was revealed that the film is eyeing a Summer 2026 release and will focus on the changing focus of today's children toward electronic gadgets.

A few months later, Tim Allen had a conversation with Collider, where he shared his experience of returning to voice Buzz Lightyear and what the fifth film has in store for the fans.

"It’s a very, very clever story. Do you wanna do five of these? I don’t really believe it’s about the money. I’m sure they want it to be a success, but that’s not why they did it. Had they not come up with a brilliant script, they wouldn’t have done it and they wouldn’t have called me and Tom [Hanks]. It’s really clever. It was really a struggle to get, and then maybe two hours in, I was doing Buzz."

He further added,

"I’m so blessed to be Buzz Lightyear, to be honest. It’s gonna be fun. I think we’rea year out. I’ve gotten up to the third act. We’ll do the third act. And then, we’ll go back and clean it. And then, I’ll do it about five more times. It’s a really good story, guys. It’s really good."

Andrew Stanton, the Oscar-winning director behind Finding Nemo (2004) and WALL·E (2009), is writing and directing Toy Story 5. McKenna Harris serves as the co-director. Their project marks the fourth sequel for the movie series that began in 1995.

Toy Story 5 is scheduled to be released on June 19, 2026.