‘Toy Story 5’s Mid-Credits Scene Sets up the Perfect Storyline for ‘Toy Story 6’

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Toy Story 5!Toy Story 5 continues the franchise trend of ending at a point where it would be completely fine if we never saw the characters again. Everyone is left in a satisfying place, making a sequel unnecessary, but possible. Although Toy Story 6 hasn’t been confirmed, there have already been rumblings about extending the saga, with various members of the cast and crew voicing their desire to return. Again, while another movie would be a luxury rather than an essential, Toy Story 5 provides a perfect opening for what another sequel could be about.

I remember going to see the first Toy Story in theaters in 1995. In fact, I made my dad take me multiple times, and we still quote the Pixar project today. I’ve kept up with the series since then, and I’ve loved watching it grow. While I was a little perturbed when 2019’s Toy Story 4 was announced in the wake of a perfect trilogy, I was relieved to enjoy the epilogue-style installment that saw Woody (Tom Hanks) wrestling with Andy’s (John Morris) absence. Toy Story 5 had to get a little more creative to justify its existence, but it works well. The movie also leaves a promising loose end for if and when Toy Story 6 gets the green light.

‘Toy Story 5’s Mid-Credits Scene Sets up the Perfect Sequel

A group of Buzz Lightyears in Toy Story 5

Toy Story 5 has three main storylines. The first follows Jessie (Joan Cusack) and her unexpected return to her old owner’s former house, Bonnie’s (Scarlett Spears) struggles as she adapts to life online, and a horde of high-tech Buzz Lightyears making their way to what they believe is Star Command. Yes, the last one definitely feels like the outlier. The new, upgraded Buzzes certainly fit the movie’s smart-device-centered themes, but they only really become directly relevant to the plot as Toy Story 5 approaches its final act. Until then, it’s just a matter of seeing them traverse various landscapes after washing up on shore. I have to say I’m a little disappointed. This was one of the first teased details about the movie, so I was hoping for more from this arc.

That being said, the big reveal of the Buzzes having a drone functionality is really cool. Seeing a version of Buzz finally designed to take to the skies felt like an awesome full-circle moment. They did still feel like a convenient plot device more than anything, though. Then the mid-credits scene came around, and their presence throughout Toy Story 5 started to seem like a soft launch for a more Buzz-centric project. Not only do all the unowned Buzzes fall into the hands of excited children, but the surprise twist of a new high-tech Zurg seems so logical that I’m annoyed I didn’t predict it ahead of time. The whole sequence feels rich with narrative possibilities, and it was probably the most excited I’d felt throughout Toy Story 5. So, could it be that this is the bedrock for Toy Story 6? I certainly hope so.

Zurg vs the Buzz Lightyears Solves ‘Toy Story’s Current Sequel Problem

Toy Story 5, as good as it is, immediately restricts itself by introducing smart devices like Lily Pad (Greta Lee). There’s no going back now, as tech has transformed how kids above a certain age play in the modern era. The most recent movie essentially establishes that kids who still play with traditional toys are few and far between – especially if their parents deem them old enough to have a smart device. As such, Toy Story 6 should logically continue the story about toys being forgotten and/or given away by their original owners. But that’s already been done. More than once. For another movie to not just feel like a soulless retread, it needs to try something else.

The scene in Toy Story 5 that sees all the Buzzes fall out of the sky and into the hands of new owners offers a lot of promise in this respect. These kids seem too young for smart devices, but the upgraded Buzzes have still been upgraded to appeal to modern demand. The toys seem to have the ability to share a wireless connection with one another and also enable other devices to connect to the internet. So, it stands to reason that the new Zurg(s) will have similar abilities. It would be fantastic to see them waging war in the moments where they aren’t being played with, while also avoiding the trap of making another “lost toy” movie.

Building ‘Toy Story 6’ Around the New Buzzes and Zurg Would Also Redeem ‘Lightyear’

I didn’t hate 2022’s Lightyear, but it’s definitely at the bottom of the pile when it comes to movies in the Toy Story franchise. Its overly complicated premise, and the space it occupies in the Toy Story universe, felt overengineered and just generally uncessary. For those who don’t know, Lightyear has been established as the movie that Andy saw, triggering his desire for a Buzz Lightyear action figure. It was an origin story of sorts for Buzz, but one that didn’t elicit a lot of interest from fans. Given how every movie before Lightyear had framed Woody as the main protagonist, it was about time Buzz got to take to the spotlight. It was just a shame it happened how it did.

Lightyear also came with the strange retcon that Zurg was just Buzz from the future. I wasn’t a fan of this, but Toy Story 5 restores the Star Wars-inspired reveal that Zurg is Buzz’s father.

Part of me expected Toy Story 5 to offer an in-universe nod to Lightyear‘s flop at the box office, but Pixar had other ideas. Rather than dwelling on past failures, the franchise pushes a more recognizable version of Buzz into the picture in Toy Story 5. However, at the same time, none of the Buzzes feel like they’re allowed to get too heavily in the way of the movie’s more central storylines. They’re window dressing more than anything, and that also goes for Bonnie’s Buzz. The character deserves a chance to shine, as was intended in Lightyear. Even if the franchise’s original Buzz doesn’t appear in Toy Story 6, bringing back Tim Allen as the main star after Toy Story 5 to voice his character’s high-tech successors would be a fitting way to apologize for sweeping him aside for Chris Evans in 2022.