I recognize that time marches on for all of us. I recognize that it has been a very long time since the original Toy Story opened in theaters. I recognize it takes decades for a company like Pixar to grow into an industry titan, and to turn a movie like Toy Story into a franchise with three sequels and a fourth on the way.
But three decades? Toy Story is 30 years old? That should not be possible. It should not be possible for this movie (or me) to be that old.
Alas, it is true. Toy Story was first released on November 22, 1995 and celebrates its 30th anniversary this fall. To mark the occasion, Disney and Pixar are re-releasing the original movie in theaters later this month.
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The film, directed by John Lasseter, stars the voices of Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear. In the original movie, a boy named Andy gets a new Buzz Lightyear toy for his birthday, making his Woody doll, previously the proverbial sheriff amongst all Andy’s playthings, feel threatened. He tries to get rid of Buzz, but then the pair accidentally get lost and must learn together to find their way back to their owner. (I can’t imagine anyone on Earth needs the plot of Toy story explained, but you never know these days.)
Toy Story made history in 1995 as the first-ever computer-animated feature film. It grossed $363 million worldwide, and became the second highest film of 1995 behind only Die Hard With a Vengeance. The movie made Pixar’s reputation; the creative and financial success of Toy Story 2 in 1999 cemented it.
Toy Story returns to theaters for its 30th anniversary on September 12. Tickets are on sale now. Toy Story 5 is currently in production, and is scheduled to open in theaters on June 19, 2026.
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