ESPN will debut Toy Story 5.5 during Game 1 of the NBA Finals, adding Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and Pixar toy logic to the network's Super Bowl LXI campaign.
The new spot features animated versions of ESPN Super Bowl commentators Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Lisa Salters. Action-figure versions of Pat McAfee, Adam Schefter, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Randy Moss, and Jason Kelce also appear, along with ESPN mascot App-E.
Laura Rutledge and Marcus Spears open the ad from an ESPN office before the toys head from Bristol, Connecticut, toward Los Angeles. Super Bowl LXI is scheduled for February 2027, with ESPN and ABC carrying the game.
Toy Story 5.5 and Super Bowl LXI
Toy Story 5.5 is the third piece in ESPN's We’re Going campaign. The first ad followed Super Bowl LX, and a second spot ran during the NFL Draft.
The campaign plays off Disney's long-running Super Bowl travel line while shifting the destination to Super Bowl LXI in Los Angeles. ESPN's rollout has already included live shows from SoFi Stadium and Disneyland.
Toy Story 5 Opens June 19
Toy Story 5 opens only in theaters June 19, 2026. Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the toy group face Lilypad, a new tablet voiced by Greta Lee.
The ESPN spot lands in the same early-June push as Taylor Swift's Toy Story 5 digital song pre-order, D23 advance screenings, theater merchandise, and other Disney/Pixar tie-ins ahead of the film.
Sources: ESPN Press Room U.S., ESPN on YouTube, and Pixar's Toy Story 5 page.
Image credit: ESPN Press Room U.S..