‘Toy Story 5’ Writer-Director Andrew Stanton Wants To Bring Nuance To The Conversation Between Kids & Technology

Toy Story 5 will focus on Jessie as technology changes how children play, with writer-director Andrew Stanton aiming to add nuance to the debate about devices and childhood. He says the story explores how toys and social connection evolve, while introducing new characters to reflect both the appeal of technology and the short lives of early tech toys.

Stanton created Lilypad, a frog-framed tablet, to bring technology into the toy world as a character, and Blaze, a confident young girl, joins the new cast. He said he was initially concerned the film might be late to a discussion that had been unfolding for 10 to 15 years, but wanted to follow the story rather than outside opinions at first. Jessie’s role and the technology theme shaped which new characters made the film.