‘Toy Story 5’ Trailer: Woody and Buzz Reunite to Save Kids From Screens

Seven years after Toy Story 4 brought what many believed was a fitting farewell, Pixar is reopening the toy chest.

The first trailer for Toy Story 5 dropped Thursday, reuniting Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear for a new adventure — one that trades dusty attics and daycare chaos for a far more contemporary adversary: technology.

The premise strikes at a question that feels uncomfortably current. What is a toy’s purpose when childhood is increasingly mediated by screens?

A Digital Threat in Bonnie’s Room

The trailer introduces Bonnie’s newest obsession: a sleek, glowing Lilypad smart tablet that seems to command her attention far more effectively than her once-beloved playthings.

Woody — now sporting a slightly weathered look, complete with thinning hair and a poncho — returns alongside Buzz to confront the existential crisis posed by digital devices. The cowboy and space ranger, once separated by circumstance at the end of the last film, appear reunited by necessity.

Joining them are familiar faces: Jessie, Forky, Slinky Dog, Hamm and Trixie. At one point, an entire aisle of Buzz Lightyears springs into action, suggesting the film will blend nostalgia with large-scale set pieces reminiscent of earlier installments.

Pixar’s teaser leans into both comedy and melancholy. The toys are not simply battling a gadget; they are grappling with irrelevance.

A Franchise Evolves With Its Audience

Since the original Toy Story revolutionized animation in 1995, the franchise has followed Andy — and later Bonnie — through shifting stages of childhood. Each sequel has mirrored generational change, from daycare politics in Toy Story 3 to questions of identity and independence in Toy Story 4.

Now, Toy Story 5 appears poised to explore a reality many parents recognize: children increasingly drawn to tablets and smartphones over tactile play.

Pixar has not released full plot details, but the trailer suggests the emotional core remains intact. The toys’ mission is not to destroy technology, but to reclaim connection — to remind Bonnie of the imaginative worlds that exist beyond a glowing screen.

Nostalgia Meets Modern Anxiety

The reunion of Woody and Buzz will likely be the film’s emotional anchor. Their friendship has defined the series, evolving from rivalry to brotherhood. Seeing them side by side again signals a return to the franchise’s foundational dynamic.

Yet the stakes feel more philosophical than physical. Unlike previous villains — from the prospector Stinky Pete to the daycare tyrant Lotso — the antagonist here is less a character than a cultural shift.

In an era where children’s attention spans are increasingly contested by algorithms and apps, Pixar seems ready to ask whether traditional play can survive — or adapt.

The trailer closes not with a triumphant battle cry, but with a quiet moment: Woody and Buzz watching Bonnie, hopeful but uncertain.

For audiences who grew up with these characters, the message lands squarely. The toys may be animated, but the dilemma is real.

Toy Story 5 promises not just another adventure, but a reflection on how childhood itself is changing — and whether there is still room, on crowded bedroom floors, for imagination untethered to a charging cable.