Toy Story 5 reveals new villains, first look at Smarty Pants and the Buzz Lightyear Army

Toy Story 5 recently used Destination D23 to show the audience real, on-stage proof of what the sequel is about. The showcase delivered a first look at Conan O’Brien’s character, Smarty Pants, plus opening-scene footage that set up the film’s core idea: toys colliding with kids’ electronics. The studio also locked in the theatrical plan. Toy Story 5 opens on June 19, 2026, with Andrew Stanton directing and McKenna (Kenna) Harris co-directing. The framing is clear for viewers: this is “Toy meets Tech,” with Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and the rest facing a new kind of rival for attention in Bonnie’s world.

The presentation positioned Smarty Pants as a comic pressure point inside that larger conflict and teased a striking visual of many Buzz Lightyears grouped together, hinting at obstacles that are not just human hands. The message to the audience was straightforward: Toy Story 5 will test how playtime survives in a screen-first era. The official logline for Toy Story 5, as per Pixar.com, reads.

"The toys are back in Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5,” and this time it’s Toy meets Tech. Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the gang's jobs are challenged when they're introduced to what kids are obsessed with today....electronics!"

Toy Story 5 new villains decoded: LilyPad (confirmed) and the “Buzz Lightyear army” (teased)

Toy Story 5 introduces LilyPad, a tablet that captures Bonnie’s focus and challenges the toys’ job. The device is positioned as the clearest face of the “Toy meets Tech” conflict, a rival whose influence comes through features kids use every day. As per an Entertainment Weekly report dated June 13, 2025,  Pixar Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter said:

“It’s a new tech tablet, which allows Bonnie to chat with their friends and play games and other things too”

That single function explains why LilyPad can pull attention from toys in the first place. The film frames LilyPad as assertive, not passive. As per the Entertainment Weekly report, Docter also stated,

“But Lily can also be a bit sneaky and prickly to be around. And because, in her mind, it's a lot better to be socialized, and Bonnie needs to move on from toys.”

In story terms, that attitude creates friction with the toys over what Bonnie needs. Viewers should expect LilyPad to speak and act with its own agenda, creating scenes where the toys must defend their purpose rather than simply react to a new gadget. Destination D23 also screened the opening minutes, which attendees connected to the headline-driving tease: a beach shot filled with many Buzz Lightyears, an image widely nicknamed the “Buzz Lightyear army.”

The sequence sets up a practical problem (coordination among identical Buzz units) and a thematic one (how identity works when mass-produced toys share the same directives). Reports describe multiple Buzz figures waking together and trying to orient, a setup that can produce set-piece chaos or even short-term antagonism if some units block or misread orders.

That read remains “attendee description,” while the studio’s takeaway is that the footage anchors the technology theme and underlines Buzz’s arc inside it. Together, LilyPad and the Buzz cluster explain the new pressure on playtime and answer why Toy Story 5 positions tech as an active force in the plot.

First look at Smarty Pants: Conan O’Brien’s role in the chaos

At Destination D23, the audience got a first look at Smarty Pants, the character voiced by Conan O’Brien. The presentation placed him as comic relief with utility in scenes where the toys navigate tech-shaped problems. The design and premise point toward gags built on instructions, routines, and kid-training prompts, useful friction inside fast sequences, not a throwaway cameo. In a film about electronics redefining play, a potty-training toy can nudge the plot by triggering alarms, interrupting stealth, or misreading context at the worst possible time.

Expect Smarty Pants to interact with LilyPad’s influence indirectly, through Bonnie’s behaviour, while still sparking toy-to-toy clashes that shift a scene’s direction. The first-look placement at the showcase signals that Smarty Pants will be part of the early rhythm rather than saved for a late reveal, keeping Toy Story 5’s tone balanced between problem-solving and clean, kid-readable comedy.

The setup and stakes: “Toy meets Tech,” returning cast, and where Jessie, Woody, and Buzz begin

The studio has fixed the baseline: Toy Story 5 is a “Toy meets Tech” story with a wide theatrical rollout on June 19, 2026. Andrew Stanton leads, McKenna (Kenna) Harris co-directs. That creative team sets the film within franchise continuity following Toy Story 4, with Jessie in charge of Bonnie’s room and Buzz operating as her deputy until Woody re-enters the picture. As per the People report dated June 13, 2025, Pete Docter remarked:

“In all of the Toy Story films, above anything else, the job of the toys has been to be there for their kids. But with Toy Story 5, that job gets exponentially harder when our toy crew gets replaced by what kids are obsessed [with] today: electronics.”

The line defines the film’s stakes for viewers: protect the bond, not the brand. Expect opening-scene consequences to ripple through Jessie’s leadership beats, Buzz’s judgment calls, and Woody’s return, with LilyPad pressing every weak point. That is the foundation the Destination D23 footage established, and it is the lens through which the full trailer will likely frame the conflict when marketing expands.

Stay tuned for more updates.