Pixar's Toy Story 5 Is Toys Vs Tablets, New Original Hoppers Puts Our Minds Inside Animals [D23]

Last year, we learned that "Toy Story 5" would be coming to theaters in 2026, but that was pretty much all we knew about Pixar's sequel to its longest-running and arguably most beloved film franchise. Thankfully, though, Disney and Pixar have revealed some more information about the upcoming follow-up at tonight's D23 Expo panel presentation in Anaheim, and /Film's Jacob Hall was on hand to experience it in person.

Andrew Stanton, the Pixar veteran who directed animated movies like "A Bug's Life," "Finding Nemo," "WALL*E," and "Finding Dory," is officially returning to the studio to write and direct "Toy Story 5." This is a homecoming for him in more ways than one: He's spent the past several years directing live-action TV shows like "Better Call Saul," "3 Body Problem," and more, and Stanton was also one of the credited writers on the original "Toy Story" way back in 1995.

As for the plot, the toys will be going head-to-head with electronics this time around, and the presentation included concept art of the toys looking sad at the foot of a bed, while a kid — perhaps Bonnie — plays with a tablet under the covers. That sounds like a continuation of a theme that's been permeating this franchise since the very beginning, and was explicitly addressed in the short film "Toy Story That Time Forgot," which features Bonnie on a play date where video games temporarily claim her attention before she ultimately returns to her toy pals.

Stanton, who was on stage in Anaheim, also teased a plotline about 50 Buzz Lightyear toys stuck in toy mode and going rogue, which sounds hilarious.

After "Inside Out 2" became such a smash hit, we were worried Pixar would resort to making more sequels. That's still possible (probable?) in the years to come, but at least there will be a few original movies mixed in there, too. In addition to the upcoming "Elio," Pixar announced a brand new original feature called "Hoppers" that will also be hitting theaters in 2026.

Brief footage showed off two female mad scientists looking like a cross between veterinarians and Doc Brown from "Back to the Future" who can transplant human minds into animals, and a new character named Mabel — a young woman who loves animals and can enter the mind of a robot gopher to go undercover into the animal world. The footage was extremely cute, with traditional Pixar character designs; there were a few quick shots of her running wild in her new body, sprinting toward the camera through a clearing. It had very Looney Tunes energy, which could be a nice change of pace for Pixar.

As for the voice talent involved, Jon Hamm ("Mad Men") will be voicing the villain, who is a human mayor, while "Saturday Night Live" veteran Bobby Moynihan will be playing a beaver king (adorned with a crown and everything) who befriends Mabel.

Stay tuned for more about this movie as we learn it.