Toy Story 5 is coming up on the 2026 movie release calendar, and our official first look is finally here. I'd been expecting to see Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and the rest of the toys we love from the Pixar franchise However, I wasn't expecting to see one character's return. But I absolutely welcome it.
Forky's Love Interest Is Back For Toy Story 5
Remember Karen Beverly? It's the name of the plastic fork that was introduced at the end of 2019's Toy Story 4. I'm so happy to see that her presence wasn't just a bit, given her appearance in the first teaser trailer (which you can watch above).
In that fourth installment, the character of Forky was a major part of the movie. The handcrafted plastic spork basically has an existential crisis because his original purpose of being a utensil was changed by Bonnie. Of course, I expected Forky to return for this new Toy Story movie, but I'd honestly forgotten about Karen Beverly's introduction at the end of the 2019 movie.
If you forgot like I did, at the end of Toy Story 4, Bonnie made Karen Beverly on her first day of first grade, and she brings her home with her. Forky instantly falls in love with Karen as she nervously asks "How am I alive?" I wonder how much Beverly will be weaved into the plot of this new movie and what her and Forky's relationship will be like. Either way, I cannot wait!
The Toy Story 5 Teaser Trailer Introduces The Villain
My observation aside, the 49-second teaser hilariously frames the new Toy Story film as something akin to a horror movie, with the toys in Bonnie's room feeling a considerable amount of fear. When Bonnie receives a frog-shaped tablet named Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee), the child's attention to the toys instantly becomes threatened as the trailer asks, "The age of toys is over?"
During the Disney showcase at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France in June 2025, it was announced that Lilypad would be the villain of Toy Story 5. Apparently, the tablet's presence in Bonnie's room will change the playtime dynamics, and the toys will once have to deal with possibly being put away, again.
It sounds like a really tight concept for the latest flick in this animated saga, considering these days there is a sharp balance a lot of kids are dealing with between watching and playing on screens and enjoying palpable toys. I like how this new teaser is able to communicate this idea so swiftly, and I think Pixar is going to have a chance to tell a great story (that includes Karen Beverly) with its established franchise here.
Toy Story 5 is set to be released in theaters on June 19, 2026! To prepare, be sure to stream the first four films on Disney+!
