Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546606
1 2 P E R S P E C T I V E S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 6 Toy Story 5 reflects something we are all in the middle of: balancing technology in our lives. Jessie, Buzz, Woody and the rest of the toys are facing the fact that, in the age of devices, the magic of creative play can be a diminishing resource. Director and writer Andrew Stanton and co-director Kenna Harris lead with that premise, but it's more nuanced than technology as the bad guy and toys as the good guys. It's about balance, and what happens when that balance gets lost. The film takes place a few years after Toy Story 4. Bonnie was 5; now she's 8. Her parents give her a tablet called Lilypad to help her make friends, but the seductive technology begins taking over her attention. Toy Story 5 is Pixar's thirty-first feature and arrives more than thirty years after the original Toy Story. With four previous films, there is a lot of history to draw from. Having worked on all five, there is both a joy and a responsibility in returning to these characters. A Toy Story film needs to be faithful to the world while taking advantage of technical developments that allow us to expand its cinematic imagery. One of the fundamentals of a Toy Story film is scale. One of John Lasseter's earliest lessons has stayed with me throughout my career. He never asked us to chase photorealism, but rather, believability. At Pixar, we call it "truth to materials." A toy may have exaggerated proportions or stylized features, but the plastic should still behave like plastic. Wood should T o y S t o r y 5 T E C H V S . P L AY T I M E B Y B O B PA U L E Y, P R O D U C T I O N D E S I G N E R A. BUZZ AND WOODY WATCH FROM THE CLOSET. FINAL FRAME. B. EARLY LILYPAD DESIGNS DIGITAL CONCEPT ART BY DEANNA MARSIGLIESE. C. BULLSEYE, BUZZ AND JESSIE CONFRONT LILYPAD. DIGITAL CONCEPT ART BY CARLOS FELIPE LEÓN. D. JESSIE, STICKY, SMARTY PANTS, ATLAS AND SNAPPY IN BLAZE'S HOUSE.FINAL FRAME. ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF PIXAR. © 2026 DISNEY/PIXAR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. A