Toy Story 5 Is Ushering In A New Era Of Pixar Movies

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It seems natural that Pixar would make another Toy Story movie – it’s their biggest franchise, and this fifth installment reunites many of the beloved characters. However, some people feel that Toy Story 5 is unnecessary, especially since Buzz, Woody, and the others already had what felt like satisfying conclusions to their stories – twice over.

The recent trailer for Toy Story 5 indicates things are looking up. While the studio is clearly hoping to boost its popularity with a familiar franchise after some less successful original films, the new story addresses concerns about bringing Woody and Buzz back together after Toy Story 4. It also suggests significant changes are on the horizon for Pixar’s future films.

Toy Story 5 Shows A Glimpse Of Pixar Using A New Animation Style

Pixar changed animated films 31 years ago with the release of Toy Story, the first feature-length movie created entirely with computers. Since then, they’ve largely maintained a consistent visual style. Though films like Turning Red have tried new things, the look first established by Toy Story remains distinctly Pixar, and Toy Story 5 will continue that tradition for most of the movie.

The Toy Story 5 trailer features a short, surprising scene with a completely different animation style. It mixes computer-generated imagery (CGI) with the look of traditional hand-painted 2D animation. This happens early in the trailer, showing what’s happening inside Bonnie’s imagination as she pictures a wedding for Forky. For a few moments, characters like Buzz, Jessie, and Bullseye, who are normally animated in 3D, appear in this new 2D style.

The creative choices in Toy Story 5 follow Pixar’s observation of other animation studios receiving acclaim for innovative visual styles. Films like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and Flow have led the way in this area.

Pixar is moving away from its traditional look, opting for a fresh new style with more detail and richer textures. The upcoming Toy Story 5 will kick off this exciting new chapter for the studio.

Pixar’s Next Movie After Toy Story 5 Is Going All In On This New Animation Style

Pixar is releasing Toy Story 5 this June, and they’ve already announced their next original film, Gatto, which will come out in 2027. Directed by Enrico Casarosa, who also directed Luca, Gatto tells the story of Nero, a black cat involved with the mob. Pixar revealed a new, hand-painted animation style when announcing Gatto, and fans have recently spotted a similar look in the trailers for Toy Story 5. Gatto is scheduled for release on March 5th.

Unlike the latest Toy Story movie, Gatto will be entirely animated using a beautiful, hand-painted 2D style. Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, Pete Docter, recently explained to BAFTA that the film takes place in Venice, and the animation is designed to look like the city’s vibrant paintings come to life. Docter also shared the reason behind this new approach.

Animation is at a turning point. Because audiences have seen so much already, they’re now eager for fresh and original content.

Now the big question is how often Pixar will use this new animation style in the future. They’ll probably stick with their traditional look for sequels like Incredibles 3 and Coco 2 to keep them consistent with the earlier movies. But hopefully, we’ll also see more original films that try out this new style – and other innovative techniques – and they might even use sequels like Toy Story 5 as a way to see what audiences respond to.

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2026-02-20 19:28