Pixar released a new teaser for Toy Story 5 at Disney’s 2024 D23 conference. The film is set to hit theaters in 2026. If you noticed some similarities, then you have the same depth perception as another sharp-eyed person who figured out that the short clip is anything but new, because a little comparison shows that the teaser actually uses Apple Watch watch face assets from 2017. The animated film will bring back iconic characters like Woody, Buzz, and Jessie, but you should check out the comparison and see what we mean.
The animations have had their black backgrounds edited, but the original assets were created by Pixel for watchOS 4
The teaser begins with Woody running up and waving, followed by Jessie winking loudly and Buzz running to the left to salute. If any reader remembers these animations, they’re right, because according to X-user @DylanMcD8, who uploaded a comparison video, they were originally created by Pixar for watchOS 4.
The person posting the comparison points out that the black background was edited so that the characters could appear against a blue one, but that doesn’t change the fact that these animations are being reused for something that came out 7 years ago.
I stole the idea for this from a friend, but yes, these are literally just the animations from the watchOS 4 Toy Story Apple Watch watch face 💀
They even look like the background has been cut out https://t.co/aGlrI7YgV1 pic.twitter.com/cvk63GuJdS
— Dylan (@DylanMcD8) 10 August 2024
Aether, who goes by the X-handle @AetherAurelia, was the first to spot the similarities, which suggest that Toy Story 5 will launch in 2026 and so the animations aren’t yet diversified enough for Pixar to end up using new animations rather than the ones it developed for watchOS 4.
Shortly after the discovery, other X users also noticed the lack of differences, which really shouldn’t be the case for such a powerful animation studio. Hopefully Pixar will take note and come up with a better teaser in the future, but for now, recycled assets are all the company has to offer.
News source: @DylanMcD8
