Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546606
Problem-solving is one of the things animation crews do every day, whether the problem is story, art or technology. We tend to thrive on it. A sequel brings another strange challenge. You would think the world-building is already done. In reality, every Toy Story has arrived with newer technology, which means the assets from the previous films are already aging. Characters have to be resurrected and revived in the latest software. Props and sets can sometimes be pulled forward, including pieces from the antique mall in Toy Story 4, but it isn't always easy. We have an inventory in our digital backlot, but bringing older assets into the present can be difficult enough that it has earned a nickname: the "digital tar pit." The tools keep changing. The job, strangely, doesn't change that much. For artists who worked on previous Toy Story films, opening the toy box again has special meaning. For those who hadn't, it is the first opportunity to work with characters they may have known for years. That comes with a responsibility. These characters have history. The world has rules. Audiences know what a Toy Story film should feel like, even if they cannot always explain exactly why. At the same time, every film has to introduce something new. Toy Story 5 is especially interesting because technology exists on both sides of the screen. We are using some of the most sophisticated tools we've ever had to tell a story about the role technology should play in our lives. But technology isn't the villain. The first Toy Story itself was proof that technology could be transformed into emotion. The computers, software and technical breakthroughs mattered because artists used them to make audiences A. HI-TECH BUZZ TOYS IN BAMBI HOMAGE MOMENT. DIGITIAL CONCEPT ART BY CARLOS FELIPE LEÓN. B. CAMPSITE VISITED BY HI-TECH BUZZ TOYS. DIGITIAL CONCEPT ART BY KRISTIAN NORELIUS. C. HI-TECH BUZZ TOYS IN SHIPWRECKED CONTAINER. DIGITIAL CONCEPT ART BY KRISTIAN NORELIUS. D. HI-TECH BUZZ TOYS ON THE ISLAND. DIGITIAL CONCEPT ART BY CARLOS FELIPE LEÓN. E. HI-TECH BUZZ TOYS EXPLORE THE ISLAND. DIGITIAL CONCEPT ART BY CARLOS FELIPE LEÓN. F. HI-TECH BUZZ TOYS IN THE CONTAINER. DIGITIAL CONCEPT ART BY CARLOS FELIPE LEÓN. G. HI-TECH BUZZ TOYS AT THE PORT. DIGITIAL CONCEPT ART BY KRISTIAN NORELIUS. H. HI-TECH BUZZ TOYS LANDING AT DOCKS. DIGITIAL CONCEPT ART BY KRISTIAN NORELIUS. ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF PIXAR. © 2026 DISNEY/PIXAR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. A F D C E B