Toy Story 5 has launched a significant new character into the fray, giving Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the remainder of the gang one thing fully completely different to consider. The film’s trailer reveals that Buzz and Jessie’s proprietor, Bonnie has simply been gifted a brand-new sensible pill toy known as Lilypad, whose arrival threatens their futures as soon as once more.
Whereas some Toy Story characters are returning with completely different voice actors for this fifth feature-length installment of the landmark animated franchise, Lilypad’s introduction marks the substitute of an authentic franchise character altogether. Now that there’s a brand new sensible display in Bonnie’s room, we gained’t be seeing Andy’s previous mechanical artwork canvas Etch make a comeback anytime quickly.
Lots extra real-life toys might seem in Toy Story 5, however this character based mostly on the drawing instrument first given to children again in 1960 is now historical historical past. When Woody famously reassured his pals that nobody was getting changed again within the authentic Toy Story, he couldn’t probably have imagined Etch’s substitute can be an AI-driven laptop pill.
Toy Story 5’s Most important New Character Is The Good Pill Lilypad
As Toy Story 5’s darkish film trailer alludes to, the franchise’s beloved band of toys are confronted with the identical existential disaster that retains hundreds of thousands of individuals in the true world up at night time. The risk posed to our well-being and livelihoods by automation, AI know-how, extreme screentime, and even laptop surveillance, are all embodied in Bonnie’s new toy, Lilypad.
A fictional sensible pill designed for younger youngsters to play with, Lilypad provides Bonnie extra artificially-generated enjoyable than her different toys might ever dream of competing with. She additionally will get her proprietor hooked on screentime, all whereas mining infinite quantities of information, telling Jessie ominously, “I’m at all times listening.”
Lilypad Is The First Display screen-Primarily based Toy In The Franchise Since Etch
Lilypad’s introduction to the franchise instantly brings to thoughts an actual product that when took delight of place in Andy’s bed room. Within the first two Toy Story motion pictures, one of many toys Woody and Buzz might depend on for assist essentially the most was Etch, an iteration of the real-world mechanical artwork canvas toy Etch-a-Sketch.
The Etch-a-Sketch was invented by the French toymaker André Cassagnes within the Nineteen Fifties, and was first launched in the marketplace in 1960 by the Ohio Artwork Firm. Its function within the authentic Toy Story film really led to a revival in its recognition, 35 years later.
In Toy Story and Toy Story 2, the truth that Etch’s major function is a display makes them an particularly helpful asset to Woody and Buzz every time they should visualize a plan or thought. Now, in Toy Story 5, Lilypad has come to take Etch’s place, turning into the primary screen-based toy for the reason that preliminary sequel movie to function within the franchise.
Etch Performed A Key Position In Toy Story & Toy Story 2
The truth that Toy Story 5 will repeat the identical fundamental plot as earlier installments of the franchise is already extensively identified, and is even acknowledged in a joke through the film’s trailer. It will not be any shock, then, to see Lilypad doing a number of the exact same issues that Etch did again within the first two motion pictures.
The mechanical display character was used to attract fast sketches of Woody’s preliminary antagonists in every film, Buzz Lightyear and Al from Al’s Toy Barn. What’s extra, Etch allowed Buzz and the others to rescue Woody in Toy Story 2, by drawing a map the place Al’s store was positioned.
Alas, these had been easier instances. What Etch might render on a mechanical canvas within the Nineteen Nineties, Lilypad can now create from scratch in Toy Story 5. One of many franchise’s oldest toys has been nicely and really changed.
- Launch Date
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June 19, 2026
- Director
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Andrew Stanton
- Writers
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Andrew Stanton
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Tim Allen
Buzz Lightyear (voice)
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Joan Cusack
Jessie (voice)
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