Conan O’Brien has joined the cast of Toy Story 5 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.
Toy Story 5 is slated for a June 19, 2026 release. The sequel will see Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the gang’s jobs challenged after being introduced to what kids are obsessed with today — electronics. Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, and Joan Cusack are expected to be reprising 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.
O’Brien commented on his new gig on Instagram. He joked that he’d initially wanted the role of Woody or Buzz Lightyear, only to be told that Hanks and Allen would still be voicing the characters. Thankfully, he realized Smarty Pants is “the best character of them all.“
While speaking with WIVB earlier this year, Allen teased that Toy Story 5 will focus more on Jessie, the cowgirl voiced by Cusack. “I can tell you that it’s a lot about Jessie,” Allen said. “Tom [Hanks] and I do — Woody and I — do realign. And there’s an unbelievable opening scene with Buzz Lightyear. I can give you that, but I can’t give you much more.“
The first three Toy Story movies are damn-near perfect; In fact, Quentin Tarantino is such a big fan that he refused to see the fourth movie. “In the case of Toy Story, the third one is just magnificent. It’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen,” Tarantino said. “And if you’ve seen the other two, it’s just devastating. But the thing is, then three years later or something they did a fourth, and I have no desire to see it. You literally ended the story as perfect as you could, so no, I don’t care if it’s good. I’m done.“
Fans were anxious that Toy Story 4 would ruin the franchise, but it received rave reviews and grossed over $1 billion worldwide. Can Toy Story 5 continue the trend?
