Disney is unboxing more of its Toy Story 5 cast.
The studio announced Monday that Conan O’Brien has been added to the film’s voice cast as Smarty Pants, a character that is new to the animation franchise. Andrew Stanton is directing Toy Story 5 alongside co-director McKenna Harris, while Jessica Choi produces the film.
Toy Story 5 is set to hit theaters June 19, 2026. Plot details have not yet been shared, but the movie will involve the toys dealing with modern-day kids’ fascination with electronics.
The Toy Story franchise launched with the original Pixar film in 1995 and features Tom Hanks as cowboy Woody and Tim Allen as space explorer Buzz Lightyear. The new film’s voice cast also includes Ernie Hudson taking over the role of Combat Carl, with the character previously voiced by the late Carl Weathers. Toy Story 4 hit theaters in 2019 and surpassed $1 billion at the global box office, in addition to winning the Oscar for best animated feature.
The casting was announced at Disney’s Licensing Expo presentation, and O’Brien confirmed the news via Instagram. “These films are amazing,” the star said in a video. “I can’t believe this.” The podcast host jokingly added this his role is far better than that of Woody or Buzz: “It’s the best character of them all.”
Disney CEO Bob Iger first announced Toy Story 5 in February 2023 on the heels of franchise spinoff Lightyear — which features the voice of Chris Evans as the human who inspired the toy — underperforming when it was released the summer prior.
In an interview late last year with Collider, Allen teased that the new movie has a “very, very, very clever story.” He added at the time, “Had they not come up with a brilliant script, they wouldn’t have done it, and they wouldn’t have called me and Tom [Hanks]. It’s really clever.”
Pixar is riding high following the massive success of Inside Out 2, which was the highest-grossing title of 2024. Next up for the company is Elio, which is also a story of space exploration and is set for theatrical release on June 20.
