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The Toy Story series is the well that Pixar and Disney always know they can return to. When news that a fifth movie was in the works, we were all wondering who would be voicing the new characters alongside Woody, Buzz, and Jesse. The latest name added to the Toy Story 5 cast list is none other than Conan O’Brien, who is voicing a character by Smarty Pants because there are officially no new ideas at Disney.

Look, we love Conan O’Brien (even if we would absolutely wreck his day in Diablo if he had epic loot) and we love Toy Story (even if the series should have ended at Toy Story 3), so we should be excited to see the late night host-turned-Oscar presenter voice a character alongside Woody and Buzz. However, there is a real sense of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks here.

Since Disney is determined to get Pixar to churn out reliable sequels rather than take the kind of risks that made them one of the most beloved American animation studios, this feels like another safe bit of casting designed to breathe life into a franchise that is well past its heyday but cannot manage to move on - despite the whole series being about doing just that.

“Isn’t that crazy?” O’Brien said in a video on Instagram celebrating the news that he had been cast as Smarty Pants in Toy Story 5. “Legendary franchise. These films are amazing. I can’t believe this!” After joking that he originally campaigned to play either Woody or Buzz, he added, “But anyway, then they showed me this new character, Smarty Pants. It’s the best character of them all. I far prefer this character. I don’t even wanna play Woody or Buzz anymore, even if they beg me. I’m Smarty Pants – I love this.”

Aside from the name, there are no other details about Conan O’Brien’s character in Toy Story 5. The general theme of the movie is expected to be Toys vs Tech as the Toy Story gang competes with tablets and other electronics for kids’ attention.

Toy Story 5, with Conan O’Brien inexplicably in the cast, is slated for a June 19, 2026 release date.

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