MAJOR Toy Story 5 Updates, 30th Anniversary Celebrations, Christmas, and MORE!
- cowgirlamanda95
- Nov 29, 2025
- 9 min read
My goodness, what a crazy month this has been for us Toy Story fans! Between the teaser trailer dropping, 30th Anniversary celebrations, cast interviews, and more, it's so much to comprehend!
First off, we got the teaser!
This teaser trailer literally broke the internet! It is the third most watched animated teaser trailer of all time!
Remember guys, this is a teaser. It's meant to hype the audience, so what we see here most likely will not be in the final movie.
The characters look more and more real with every new render, I swear. Jessie especially looks so pretty.
Also, here is the first poster:
It has also been confirmed that Greta Lee will be the voice of Lily Pad
I held a Q&A over on my Instagram and my answers and thoughts are all complied into this video:
We also have some new character renders! The first batch is from an email I received from Renderman about their updated software, Renderman XPU. Note, the last Jessie image of her running is a recreation from Toy Story 3, just updated with the Sheriff badge.
(Images are property of Pixar)
So the following images I had shared on my social media pages must have been shared by Amazon in error (probably jumping the line and posting these too early). My partner in crime, YodelingCowgirl, found these shirts during her search and sent them to me, where then I shared. These postings/images have been since taken down from Amazon, but nonetheless, they were posted by the official Disney account on there:
Our sheriff is front and center on these designs! There are also two major things these designs tell us:
First, Woody has a bandana cape, just like how Bo Peep has a cape. My fangirlness is coming out because both couples complement the other (ie. Woody and Bo have capes, Buzz and Jessie have sheriff star badges/stickers).
Second, we see Jessie with a few new toys in the last design. We see Smarty Pants, voiced by Conan O'Brien, a camera allegedly named Snappy, and a hippo allegedly named Atlas.
I want to address something regarding these when I shared them. The internet went mad, especially with Woody's cape, which is totally fine. However, there was no credit given to us for being the original posters (I mean, I'm not dwelling on it, but it would have been nice), and folks were spinning my posts around and making untrue statements. We are living in a world of uncertainty where you don't know if something is fact, fake (for clickbait), or AI.
I realize these shirt design listings were probably posted due to negligence on someone's part on either Amazon's or Disney's side. I take due diligence on reporting accurate updates and sources, and these designs were shared on a public, e-commerce website originally. I will not and do not cover leaks or anything not intended to be seen by the public officially on any social media spaces.
We are all excited for this movie, trust me, I know, but we need to be respectful to Pixar, the hardworking creative team making the movie, and to each other.
Cast Interviews:
Tim Allen, Tom Hanks and Ernie Hudson have recently spoken about Toy Story 5.
Ernie Hudson spoke with "Bleeding Cool" very briefly about his upcoming role as Combat Carl, assuming the role from the late Carl Weathers.
I'm excited that you're joining the Toy Story franchise. What's it like to be in the fifth movie?
Yeah, I mean, it took five movies for [Disney] to invite me to come and play, but I'm thrilled they did. I did not know until we had already started working on it that Carl Weathers had voiced that character before. They didn't tell me, I'm assuming, because they want me to sort of do my own thing with it, but it's fun. I love the Toy Story films. Tom Hanks, I did an episode of Bosom Buddies(1981) with him years ago, and I consider him a friend, and of course, Annie Potts. A lot of people worked on it, and I never knew why I hadn't been. It's almost like Marvel. I'm like, "I'm over here, guys!" As actors, we must wait to be invited, so they haven't invited me.
Source: https://bleedingcool.com/movies/toy-story-5-ernie-hudson-on-joining-disney-pixar-animated-franchise/
Right now, Tom Hanks is performing in an Off Broadway show "This World of Tomorrow" and he was on The Seth Meyers show to promote it. While on the show, he briefly mentioned his time as Woody and his friendship with Tim Allen, with whom visited his friend at his play:
Next, Tom Hanks appeared on Steven Colbert and gave fans a hilarious insight into his time with Woody, but also spoke about recording lots of dialogue for scenes that were cut, and it sounds like there were many! I think I speak for us fans when I say we would love to see those!
Our friend Tim Allen either doesn't care about NDA's or just loves giving us fans the deets on what to expect on a higher level. For that we are grateful, haha! He has been on numerous news outlets giving interviews about his show "Shifting Gears" which is on Season 2, and his upcoming stand-up comedy shows coming up. When asked about Toy Story 5, his answers are mostly the same; it's an amazing, clever story, it's about Jessie, and what to expect from the "Multi Buzz" (aka the group of rogue Buzz Lightyears).
Tim on Jimmy Kimmel:
They reboot everything. It's all about Jessie, which is really cool, she's in trouble and needs help. We're all over-so she has to gather everybody.
Tim on Jimmy Fallon discussing wrapping his recording of Toy Story 5, toys "balding", and speaks more of the same:
Lastly, Tim's post on X saying he has wrapped recording Buzz:
(I also want to point out, this does NOT mean he is done with Buzz/Pixar. It just means he's done recording for Toy Story 5. He has, on record, said he'll do Buzz until he can't do it anymore.)
Toy Story 5's Director, our lord and savior, Andrew Stanton was interviewed for Empire Magazine's January 2026 edition, which you can order here: https://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/empire-january-2026
Stanton dives into what to expect from the film with the toys versus tech narrative. He also goes on to defend the decision to make a Toy Story 5:
So 3 was the end...of the Andy years. Nobody's being robbed of their trilogy. They can have that and never watch another if they don't want to. But I've always loved how this world allows us to embrace time and change.
He also compares the toys to little vampires, which I find hilarious!
These toys don't age, they're like little vampires.
Here is also a preview article: https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/toy-story-5-nobody-playing-with-toys-anymore-exclusive/
One last notable interview is with Pete Docter speaking to IGN about why they chose this story of "toys versus tech":
“I think it's especially relevant today because of the tech and how that's changed the world,” Docter told me. “I mean, we're late to the party as it's been a number of years since technology's kind of already beat toys. Look around you at a restaurant, kids are looking at their iPhones and not playing with plastic figures anymore. I'll refrain from commenting on how I feel about that, but it's definitely out there in the world, and I think it's disturbing to a lot of people. And even in the last year, AI has brought up those same kind of fears in a maybe even a larger way because it seems to threaten what makes us human.
"And I think that's ultimately what the Toy Story movies are about. They look like toys, but they’re really stories about us as human beings, what it is to be alive, and the joys, threats, and difficulties of that.”
He also further chats about his time working on the Toy Story films for the past 30 years:
"I just want the world to remember it was made by people,” Docter said when I asked him how he wanted people to look back on Toy Story. “Every detail in the film has some meaning for someone, either because that's what the character's feeling, or even just personal stuff. Hannah was named after a family friend of ours, or when Buzz is drunk after losing his arm, he's talking about being Mrs. Nesbit. That was my sister's second-grade teacher! So, everything is just connected to the people who made it. I think a lot of times people figure these things are,” and he pretends he is a robot typing into a prompt when he says, “Make…film… enter!” It doesn't work that way. It's made using a computer, but not by computers.”
You can read the full article from IGN here: https://www.ign.com/articles/pixars-pete-docter-on-the-heart-of-toy-story-the-threat-of-ai-and-tech-and-why-now-is-the-perfect-time-for-toy-story-5
Toy Story 30th Anniversary Celebrations
This is a good segway into the Toy Story 30th Anniversary, which took place on Saturday, November 22. The 30th was so exciting this year because we got some fun merch/collaborations, a rerelease of the first film in theaters, great insights into some behind the scenes from the films, and much more!
Entertainment Tonight shared some "Lost Footage" of Tim Allen and Tom Hanks behind the scenes of recording the first film in 1995. At the end of this video, Tim also shares what fans can expect from Toy Story 5, once again reiterating the crashed Buzz Lightyear's being hilarious and it being about Jessie:
Next, and this was super exciting to me, the Disney Store came out with even more new merch, like spirit jerseys, jackets, but most importantly, Lenny (the binoculars) and RC!
I had purchased Lenny and RC for our collection, since we desperately needed them!
The only official Lenny toy out there originally was from "Toy Story on Ice" back in the 90s, and they go for hundreds on eBay. We also never had a RC between my husband and I. Naturally, we were ecstatic when these dropped! In my opinion, Lenny is to scale and he's in great quality! RC seems to be a little smaller than what he is in the movies, but nonetheless, he's really cool too and fun to drive around!
Next, a new Steve Jobs interview was recentely posted on YouTube from the Steve Jobs Archives!
He talks about the early days of Pixar, the relationship with Disney, and how Pixar/the animation industry is/was a "hotspot":
D23 gave Gold Members a rare 20 minute behind the scenes look at some original artwork from the Pixar archives. Unfortunately, they have rules were we can not film/photograph the broadcast, nor reproduce any content shared, but what I can say is that it was nice to see, but it wasn't anything us fans don't already know (for the most part).
Finally, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade brought back an updated Buzz Lightyear balloon to commemorate the 30th! It was so fun to see it live Thanksgiving morning!
There were so many tributes, fun posts from Pixar, and overall memories that were shared over the course of the 30th weekend. Here's some tribute pictures and video that I made to share my thoughts:
Upcoming and Miscellaneous
Who loves a good ambient video and/or sound to put in the background as white noise? I personally put on ambience to fall asleep to (what's up my fellow ADHD friends).
Pixar has created not one, but TWO Toy Story ambience videos!
First video is from all four films posted in lieu of the 30th:
This next one is for Christmas! This one is my personal favorite at the moment since it gives cozy vibes!
Speaking of Christmas, there's a few fun Toy Story Christmas items and events that are happening/have happened:
First of all, here in Chicago, every year we have the Festival of Lights. This festival takes place on the Mag Mile (Michigan Avenue) by the Chicago river. There's vendors, free giveaways, concerts, and photos with Santa. At night, there is a parade to kick off the holiday season followed by fireworks over the Chicago river. The parade runs down Michigan Avenue and features characters from Walt Disney World and big, holiday balloons (similar to Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade). Every year, Mickey and Minnie Mouse are the grand marshals of the parade, and other characters like Goofy, Donald Duck, Pluto, Anna and Elsa, and especially, Toy Story can appear in the parade over the years.
I have attended these parades off and on over the past years. One year, Woody and Jessie were here to promote Toy Story Land!
This year, Woody and Buzz were here for the 30th! I don't go to these anymore because it's always so crowded and chaotic, but they do show it live on ABC 7 Chicago!
It's always wild and taboo when these characters come up to my home! Especially when it's so cold and snowy!
Next, Target has these cute Christmas Toy Story shirts for kids. I call these out because for one, I know Target is not our favorite store at the moment, and second, on the plus side, I have seen these designs in passing online like TikTok shop, etc. for adults.
There is also a Youth Christmas Toy Story shirt at the parks:
So at the parks, the Toy Story characters get a Christmas layover and Toy Story Land is decorated for the holidays. They are also at Mickey's Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom in shows and the parade. I went in 2018 and 2019 and I believe everything you see is still there today!
One last Christmas update, over at Hong Kong Disneyland, the characters have a slightly different Christmas look than the parks here in the U.S.
Finally, Disney Kids YouTube channel has been posting "Character Profiles" and have some out of Jessie and Woody. I love the Jessie one, especially how they say Buzz and Jessie "keep each other safe". Gahh!
We have SO many exciting things to look forward to! It's so crazy how fast time is flying and before we know it, Toy Story 5 will be here!
I am plugging the Discord here: https://discord.gg/72Us6ACnCw
The Discord has been a great time chatting with other fans!
I always (try to) share updates in real time on my socials, so make sure you follow along @cowgirlamanda95 on all platforms!
I want to know, what did you guys do to celebrate the 30th Anniversary?
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