Pixar expected fans to spend the final weeks before Toy Story 5 (2026) talking about Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the franchise’s emotional return to theaters.
Instead, the studio suddenly finds itself dealing with plagiarism accusations that have completely changed the online conversation surrounding the movie.
With the sequel set to release on June 19, Disney and Pixar are now facing backlash after fans noticed major similarities between one of the film’s newest characters and a well-known Cartoon Network favorite. While the controversy likely will not impact the film’s box office performance, it has definitely created an awkward moment for Pixar during one of the company’s biggest marketing pushes of the year.
And for longtime animation fans, the comparisons appeared almost immediately.
Pixar’s New Character Sparks Online Debate
The controversy started after Pixar released new footage and promotional material tied to Toy Story 5. Alongside the final trailer, Disney confirmed that music superstar Bad Bunny would voice a new character called “Pizza with Sunglasses.”
The reveal quickly went viral online, but not entirely for the reasons Pixar probably hoped.
Fans immediately began comparing the new toy character to Pizza Steve from Uncle Grandpa (2013), the cult-favorite Cartoon Network series that developed a strong internet following during the mid-2010s.
Even Pete Browngardt, creator of Uncle Grandpa, publicly addressed the situation online, accusing Pixar of copying the design.
And honestly, it is easy to understand why the internet reacted so quickly.
Both characters feature a slice of pepperoni pizza wearing dark sunglasses, and side-by-side screenshots spread rapidly across social media shortly after the reveal. While Pixar’s version looks more toy-like and lacks some of Pizza Steve’s detailed features, the overall visual concept feels strikingly familiar to many viewers.
That alone has fueled days of debate across fan communities.
Why Fans Are Taking This Seriously
Animation fans tend to be extremely protective of nostalgic or cult-classic characters, especially ones tied to specific eras of Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, or Disney Channel history.
Pizza Steve became one of the more recognizable meme-worthy animated characters of the 2010s thanks to his over-the-top personality and absurd humor. Even people who never regularly watched Uncle Grandpa often recognized the character online.
That is part of why this situation exploded so quickly.
For many viewers, the similarities between Pizza Steve and Pixar’s new character feel too obvious to ignore. Others argue the comparison is being blown out of proportion because anthropomorphic food characters have existed in animation for decades.
Still, the debate itself has become one of the biggest conversations surrounding Toy Story 5 online right now.
That is not exactly the kind of attention Pixar wanted heading into release week.
Pixar and Disney Have Faced Similar Claims Before
This also is not unfamiliar territory for Disney or Pixar.
Over the years, the studios have faced multiple accusations involving similarities between their films and previously existing projects. Disney dealt with long-running debates surrounding The Lion King (1994) and Kimba the White Lion, while Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) faced comparisons to anime series Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water.
Pixar has also been involved in various lawsuits and accusations tied to films like Finding Nemo (2003), Cars 2 (2011), Frozen (2013), Zootopia (2016), and Inside Out (2015).
Most of those situations either faded away or never resulted in major legal consequences. Entertainment law typically requires much stronger evidence than simply having similar-looking characters or overlapping concepts.
That likely is why most industry observers do not expect the current controversy to seriously threaten Toy Story 5.
But public opinion online works very differently from a courtroom.
Toy Story 5 Still Expected To Be Massive
Even with the backlash, Disney almost certainly is not worried about audiences abandoning the movie altogether.
The Toy Story franchise remains one of Pixar’s biggest properties ever, and nostalgia alone gives the sequel enormous box office potential. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen returning as Woody and Buzz continues to generate excitement, especially among fans who grew up with the original films.
The movie itself appears to focus heavily on technology and modern childhood habits, with toys competing against screens and devices for attention. Pixar also seems to be placing additional focus on Jessie this time around.
Still, some fans remain divided over whether the franchise should have continued after Toy Story 4 (2019), which many believed already served as a proper conclusion for Woody’s story.
Now, instead of spending the final weeks before release focused entirely on emotional storytelling and nostalgia, Pixar is also dealing with accusations of “blatant copying” spreading across social media.
Whether fans ultimately view the similarities as coincidence, inspiration, or outright imitation, the controversy has clearly become part of the movie’s rollout.
And with Toy Story 5 only weeks away, the internet probably is not done debating it anytime soon.
