See the “Toy Story 5” Cast Side-by-Side with Their Animated Characters
See the “Toy Story 5” Cast Side-by-Side with Their Animated Characters
Skyler TrepelSat, June 20, 2026 at 11:30 AM UTC
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'Toy Story 5' ; Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack on May 28, 2026 in London, EnglandCredit: Disney/Pixar; Kate Green/Getty
Everyone’s favorite toys are back to take on tech, but they’re joined by some new friends.
The magical world of Pixar’s Toy Storyfranchise where toys come to life has been dominating the box office and revolutionizing animation since 1995’s Toy Story. The films present thrilling, family-friendly adventures while exploring deeper themes like growing up and finding one’s purpose with 2026’s Toy Story 5exploring the highly relevant toys vs. tech dilemma.
For four films Woody’s (Tom Hanks) been the franchise lead — as Andy’s toys for three films and Bonnie’s in the fourth — but Jesse (Joan Cusack) takes the helm in Toy Story 5. Toy Story 5 also brings new characters like the tech villain threatening the toys’ existence Lilypad (Greta Lee) and the potty-training toy Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien).
Many franchise mainstays will also return, including the complex space ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen). Hanks told PEOPLE he can’t believe how many of his fellow actors have been with the franchise for decades.
“I don’t know how they do it, but it is a vibrant and proper chapter in the Toy Story canon,” Hanks said. “None of us can believe that we’re still a part of it.”
From icons like Hanks, Cusack and Allen to new voices like Lee and O’Brien, here’s the cast of Toy Story 5 side-by-side with their animated characters.
01 of 10
Woody voiced by Tom Hanks
Woody in 'Toy Story 5' ; Tom Hanks on June 9, 2026 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Disney/Pixar; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Tom Hanks plays the loyal, kind, brave and clever Sheriff Woody in all five Toy Story films. He was Andy’s favorite toy through the first three films until Andy went to college and gave his toys to Bonnie before finding his purpose helping lost toys find a home in Toy Story 4(2019).
As Bonnie becomes consumed with screens, Jesse reaches out to Woody to come help, but signs Woody showed of aging in Toy Story 2(1999) reappear in Toy Story 5 as a seemingly bald spot. However, Hanks justified this as wear and tear from overuse.
"[Woody] has been played with to excess," Hanks told Entertainment Weekly. "You put a rubber hat on top of a rubber head again and again and again and again, something's gonna chafe. So, yeah, he does have… let's say a worn area on the back of his head."
Hanks had had one of Hollywood’s most memorable acting careers, winning Academy Awards for Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump(1994). He’s also known for rom-com collaborations with Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle(1993) and You’ve Got Mail(1998) along with Steven Spielberg-directed movies like Saving Private Ryan(1998) and his Academy Award-nominated role in Cast Away(2001).
In more recent years, Hanks has taken on iconic real-life characters like Walt Disney in Saving Mr. Banks (2013) and Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood(2019). He’s even set to play Abraham Lincoln in the upcoming film Lincoln in the Bardo.
02 of 10
Buzz Lightyear voiced by Tim Allen
Buzz Lightyear in 'Toy Story 5' ; Tim Allen on May 28, 2026 in London, EnglandCredit: Disney/Pixar; Jeff Spicer/Getty
Tim Allen plays the brave, determined Buzz Lightyear, who goes from being Andy’s toy in the first three Toy Story films to Bonnie’s in the next two. Allen plays many iterations of Buzz, from believing he’s a spaceman in Toy Story to various Buzzes in Toy Story 2 to Spanish Buzz in Toy Story 3.
In Toy Story 5, Allen plays 50 Buzz Lightyears in the opening scene when they awaken from packaging on an island.
“There’s a lot of me. It was the biggest joke ever because the last one I was in, I loved that movie [but] we could use a little more Buzz,” Allen told Entertainment Tonight. “Tom [Hanks] goes ‘When you said a little more Buzz, we didn’t say Buzzes.’ ”
At the time of his 1995 Toy Story casting, Allen starred as Tim Taylor in the hit ‘90s sitcom Home Improvement(1991-1999) and revived his sitcom career with Last Man Standing (2011-2021). Allen also starred as Scott Calvin and Santa Claus in The Santa Clause franchise (1994-2023) and currently stars as Matt Parker on the sitcom Shifting Gears (2025-present).
03 of 10
Jesse voiced by Joan Cusack
Jesse in 'Toy Story 5' ; Joan Cusack on June 9, 2026 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Disney/Pixar; VALERIE MACON / AFP via Getty
Joan Cusack began voicing the rootin’ tootin’, spunky, resourceful cowgirl toy Jesse in Toy Story 2, playing a major role in each film since before becoming the lead in Toy Story 5 after a break from Hollywood. Jesse has one of the franchise’s most poignant stories, being abandoned by her owner Emily and learning to love having a kid play with her again, which is further explored in Toy Story 5.
“I was so glad they did a Jesse movie and they kind of really explored that,” Cusack told The Backstage Experience. “She was abandoned and she was traumatized by that and then they tease that story out because she has a new kid Bonnie and she loves her so much and she wants the best for her and through that kind of love and paying attention she kind of grows up herself and makes peace with things.”
Throughout her decades-long career, Cusack has earned two Academy Award nominations for her performances in the 1988 dramatic rom-com Working Girland the 1997 comedy In & Out. She’s also known for roles in Shameless(2011-2015)as Sheila Jackson — for which she earned one Emmy Award and five nominations —and Roz Mullins in School of Rock(2003).
04 of 10
Lilypad voiced by Greta Lee
Lilypad in 'Toy Story 5' ; Greta Lee on June 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Disney/Pixar; Emma McIntyre/Getty
Greta Lee plays the primary antagonist of Toy Story 5,Lilypad, an iPad parody which Bonnie’s parents think will help her make friends, but who tries to eradicate the toys. Lee personally relates to the dilemma her character exemplifies.
“Playing her was extremely cathartic," Lee told Entertainment Weekly. "She's this thing that has held so much power within my house and has been a very complicated source of consideration."
Lee played Maxine in the dramedy Russian Doll(2019-2022), received an Emmy nomination for her performance as Stella in The Morning Show(2021-2025) and a Golden Globe nomination for her role in 2023’s Oscar-nominated drama Past Lives. Lee voices Spider-Man 2099’s AI assistant Lyla in the Spider-Verse franchise (2018-present), reprising her role in 2027’s Beyond the Spider-Verse.
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05 of 10
Smarty Pants voiced by Conan O’Brien
Smarty Pants in 'Toy Story 5' ; Conon O'Brien on June 9, 2026 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Disney/Pixar; Jesse Grant/Getty for Disney
Legendary talk show host and comedian Conan O’Brien voices the potty-training toy Smarty Pants, who takes himself far too seriously while frequently stumbling over his words.
“My character is proud and, like all my favorite comedy characters, fighting for status," O’Brien told Entertainment Weekly. "He's essentially a toilet-training robot, and he wants to be taken seriously. If anyone's not valuing his artistry or his work, he's upset about it. And that's just inherently funny."
Although O’Brien is best known for hosting Late Night with Conan O’Brien (1993-2009) and Conan(2010-2021), he has a history with animation, writing for The Simpsons(1991-1993) and voicing The Riddler in The LEGO Batman Movie(2017).
06 of 10
Atlas voiced by Craig Robinson
Atlas in 'Toy Story 5' ; Craig Robinson on January 4, 2026 in Santa Monica, CaliforniaCredit: Disney/Pixar; Frazer Harrison/Getty
Craig Robinson plays the joyful hippo-head-shaped GPS tracker Atlas, who gets powered back to life on Blaze’s ranch.
“You thought you were forgotten about,” Robinson told Entertainment Weekly of his character.“Now, all of a sudden, you got a new lease on life."
Robinson is best known for portraying Darryl on The Office (2005-2013) and comedies like Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) and This is the End (2013). Lately, he’s had voice acting roles as Mr. Shark in The Bad Guys franchise (2022-present), Baloney Tony in Netflix’s In Your Dreams (2025) and is set to star in 2026’s The Ark and the Aardvark.
07 of 10
Forky voiced by Tony Hale
Forky in 'Toy Story 5' ; Tony Hale on June 9, 2026 in Hollywood, CaliforniaCredit: Pixar/YouTube; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Tony Hale portrays the chaotic, neurotic Forky, created by Bonnie in Toy Story 4, a film which saw him as a central focus while Woody tried to rescue him and help him see his purpose as a toy. Hale is best known for playing Buster Bluth on Arrested Development(2003-2019) and winning two Emmys for his role as Gary on Veep(2012-2019), both of whom he compared to Forky.
You have to find compassion for your characters,” Hale told PEOPLE. “I just wanted to give Gary and Buster a hug. With Forky, not only do I have compassion for him, I want to be him. He came into the universe having no idea of labels.”
Hale also voiced Fear in Inside Out 2(2024) and currently voices Ultron on Iron Man and His Awesome Friends(2025-present).
08 of 10
Mr. Potato Head voiced by Jeff Bergman
Mr. Potato Head in 'Toy Story 5' ; Jeff Bergman on February 7, 2026 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Buena Vista Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection; Amanda Edwards/Getty for SAG-AFTRA Foundation
Jeff Bergman has taken over the role of the comically ornery Mr. Potato Head from the late comedian Don Rickles, who voiced the character through three Toy Story films — and through archival footage in the fourth. Bergman has great reverence for Rickles and the Toy Story franchise.
“To step in to do an iconic role like Don Rickles… The fans know, it’s 31 years,” Bergman told Nostalgia Tonight. “It’s all about the childhood that people remember. I took my sons to see this movie 31 years ago. They’re in their 30s now.”
Bergman is a prolific voice actor, who’s voiced various Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes characters over the years including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Fred Flintstone and George Jetson, notably voicing Bugs in Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021).
09 of 10
Bonnie voiced by Scarlett Spears
Bonnie in 'Toy Story 5' ; Scarlett Spears on June 9, 2026 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaCredit: Pixar/YouTube; Jesse Grant/Getty for Disney
Bonnie was first introduced as the imaginative, shy girl Andy passed his toys onto in Toy Story 3, who used toys to help her adapt to kindergarten in Toy Story 4. In Toy Story 5, 8-year-old Bonnie struggles to make friends as the last kid on her block playing with toys so her parents get her a Lilypad to help her acclimate.
A different actress has voiced Bonnie in each film over a 16-year period with Scarlett Spears doing so in Toy Story 5.
“Bonnie is so kind and so sweet and in this new movie she’s figuring out how to balance her screen time, her friendship and her toys,” Spears told Disney Music.
Before her 9th birthday, Spears already acted on General Hospital(2022-2025) and played young Glinda in Wicked: For Good (2025).
10 of 10
Blaze voiced by Mykal-Michelle Harris
Blaze in 'Toy Story 5' ; Mykal-Michelle Harris on June 9, 2026 in Hollywood, CaliforniaCredit: Disney/Pixar; Amy Sussman/WireImage
While Toy Story films usually focus on one child, Toy Story 5 will introduce Blaze, a girl who inhabits Jesse’s old farm where Emily — Jesse’s original owner from Toy Story 2 — once lived, voiced by Myka-Michelle Harris.
"I would describe Blaze as a spunky, funky, equestrian horse girl," Harris told Entertainment Weekly. "She was raised on a ranch with her family, and she's never afraid to be herself. She's an older kid, but she's not afraid to play with toys or to have a whole bunch of horse figurines. That's kind of her thing.”
The child actress is best known for playing Santamonica Johnson in Mixed-ish(2019-2021), Alice Baxter in Raven’s Home(2017-2023) and her ongoing role voicing the titular mermaid in the animated Little Mermaid spinoff Ariel (2024-present).
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
