Toy Story 5 is on the 2026 movie schedule for this summer, and the latest trailer is going straight for my heart, and I'm all about it. While there's been a lot of talk about why there's a new Toy Story movie after it had two endings, I'm sold on catching up with Woody, Buzz and the gang after this new look (in the video above). And, part of that has to do with some clever references to previous movies.
The new Pixar movie follows all our favorite toys as Bonnie gets a tablet called Lilypad that begins to take up all of her time and leave the toys with no playtime. Let's talk about the references I noticed:
The "When She Loved Me" Reference Has Me Emotional
Toward the end of the trailer, there's a brief shot of Jessie being swung around my the arms by who I assume is Bonnie. Obviously, it reminds one of the tear-worthy "When She Loved Me" scene from Toy Story 2. It makes me think of how Jessie is with a young girl again and that must bring up memories of her prior buddy. I wonder if we'll get the song all over again?
Woody And Buzz Are Back At It Jumping On Cars
In the first Toy Story, Buzz and Woody famously jump onto a moving car so they can make sure to follow Andy home with the moving truck. I love that the new trailer calls back to this moment with a new scene with a hilarious bit about Woody's poncho (which is just a red bandana). The chemistry between these two is the bread and butter of the Toy Story movies, and I'm happy to see they have a new action scene together. As Potato Head puts it:
It's good to see them fighting again.
The Return Of The Buzz Lightyear Army
In Toy Story 2, Buzz Lightyear find out there's a ton of other Buzz Lightyear toys and gets to know them. So, I love seeing that he calls "backup" with an army of them at some point in the movie. Tim Allen previously teased the scene, calling it "hysterical."
The other reason I'm interested in Toy Story 5 is because of its commentary on how tech are increasingly becoming more common for kids to play with rather than good old-fashioned toys. Also, after seeing this trailer in particular, I also love seeing all the classic humor that has made this series so beloved to me since the 1995 original. Sure, there's the another sequel of it all, but this trailer made me want to instantly venture back into the world of Toy Story again.
You can see Toy Story 5 in theaters on June 19. Before then, you can see Pixar's Hoppers first on March 6.
