Pixar is famous for its recurring trends, Easter eggs, and references, and Toy Story 5 really needs to restore one that has been missing from six of the studio’s recent movies. Toy Story 5 is one of Pixar’s most significant upcoming movies, with it being expected to be a big win after the box office failures of several recent original movies from Pixar.

Toy Story 5 will be following up on two original movies, those being 2026’s Hoppers and 2025’s Elio, as well as the smash box office hit from 2024, Inside Out 2. If the previous Toy Story movies are anything to go by, Toy Story 5 is expected to be another major box office hit, with 2019’s Toy Story 4 making $1.074 billion against a budget of $200 million.

Toy Story 5 is already set to bring back many of the cast members from the previous films, such as Tom Hanks’ Woody and Tim Allen’s Buzz Lightyear. With more news about Toy Story 5 coming out as development continues, many fans are crossing their fingers that one Toy Story cast member will return, especially considering his significance to Pixar’s history.

John Ratzenberger Has Missed 6 Of Pixar’s Last 7 Movies

Inside Out 2 Is The Only Exception

John Ratzenberger is a staple of Pixar, with him working with the studio ever since their feature debut with Toy Story, in which he voiced Hamm. Ratzenberger continued appearing in Pixar films, with him reprising the role of Hamm in each Toy Story sequel. Ratzenberger also had a cameo role in every single Pixar movie for a long time, with him being considered Pixar’s good luck charm.

This trend stopped after 2020’s Onward, as 2020’s Soul was the first Pixar movie that John Ratzenberger did not appear in. Shockingly, the actor also didn’t appear in 2021’s Luca, 2022’s Turning Red, 2022’s Lightyear, or 2023’s Elemental. Ratzenberger also didn’t appear in 2025’s Elio, and there has been no word on whether he will appear in 2026’s Hoppers.

Out of the last seven Pixar movies that have been released, Ratzenberger didn’t appear in six of them. The lone exception to this is 2024’s Inside Out 2, which did feature Ratzenberger. It isn’t known why Ratzenberger has stopped appearing in every Pixar movie, as he has continued doing voice work in films like Luck and Spellbound.

Toy Story 5 Seems Very Likely To Bring Back John Ratzenberger

Since Hamm Is Likely To Appear

After several missed Pixar movies, it seems likely that Toy Story 5 will bring back John Ratzenberger. The first image of Toy Story 5 that was released featured Hamm, John Ratzenberger’s character. While this is just concept art, it makes it seem likely that the animated pig will appear in the film.

There is seemingly no reason to recast John Ratzenberger, and it would be odd to exclude Hamm after featuring him in the first Toy Story 5 image. Hamm is a beloved character, so it would be a shame for him not to appear at all. Thus, it seems likely that John Ratzenberger will return to Pixar when Toy Story 5 is released.