Belvedere’s ‘Toy Story 5’ director reflects on career and what’s ahead

Belvedere resident Andrew Stanton’s released two feature-length films in 2026: ‘Toy Story 5’ and ‘In the Blink of an Eye,’ the latter of which he’s seen here directing. ‘In the Blink of an Eye’ follows three stories set in three eras: prehistory, the present and a future in space. (via Andrew Stanton)

For the first time this year, Belvedere resident Andrew Stanton can relax after a stretch that left him, in his own words, “super exhausted.”

He’s on the other side of the country, in New York, spending the summer recharging after two big projects overlapped, along with the extensive travel each demanded.

“Doing the global domination tour at 60 is not as easy as it was when you’re 50,” Stanton says.

The global domination, in this case, was directing a film that has grossed more than $900 million at the box office and counting.

Stanton, 60, is best known as an animator, filmmaker and occasional voice actor. He directed “Toy Story 5,” which reached theaters June 19. It’s his first time directing a film in the franchise, though he has written or contributed the story for every prior installment, beginning with the original “Toy Story” in 1995.

Now vice president of creative at Emeryville-based Pixar Animation Studios, Stanton co-directed “A Bug’s Life” and directed “Finding Nemo” and “WALL-E,” both of which won the Academy Award for best animated feature, in 2003 and 2008. He also directed “Finding Dory,” which grossed $1 billion after its 2016 release.

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