Toy Story 5 Pixar Returns to the Toy Box

Pixar's flagship franchise returns under the direction of Andrew Stanton — the filmmaker behind Finding Nemo and WALL·E — which immediately signals this isn't a cash-in. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are back as Woody and Buzz, with new voices including Conan O'Brien and Greta Lee joining the toy box. Early synopses suggest a story about the gang confronting a new threat to "playtime" itself, a premise that lets the series reckon (again) with obsolescence and purpose.

The Toy Story films have an almost unprecedented track record — each sequel has been met with "they shouldn't make another" skepticism, and each has silenced it. With Stanton at the wheel, Toy Story 5 has the creative pedigree to justify its existence and the nostalgia pull to be one of the year's biggest family hits.