addition to Toy Story 5’s cast is Conan O’Brien, the American comedian best known for his late-night television appearances. Although details of his character haven’t been expanded upon yet, it has been confirmed that the name is Smarty Pants. Judging by O’Brien’s work in the comedy scene, it’s likely that Smarty Pants will be a great source of comic relief in the Toy Story sequel, maintaining the series’ uplifting atmosphere.

The ending of Toy Story 4 saw Woody finally say goodbye to his friends and start a new life with Little Bo Peep in a traveling carnival, so it’s unclear exactly where Toy Story 5 will go from here. Tim Allen has teased that the movie will be focused on Jessie, while Woody is expected to return in the fifth movie. Now, the news of Conan O’Brien’s casting proves that it will still be a funny, lighthearted adventure with plenty of recognizable voices.

Toy Story Continues Its Trend Of Casting Famous Comedians

Conan s Many Of His Comedy Contemporaries In The Series

While it’s easy to be cynical about Toy Story 5 because of the sheer number of endings that have already taken place in this series, news like this makes the sequel a little easier to digest. Casting famous comedians is something that Toy Story has always succeeded at, whether that’s Allen and Don Rickles as Buzz Lightyear and Mr. Potato Head in the first movie, or stars like Mel Brooks and Betty White in later installments.

Successful comedians are typically able to understand the lighthearted tone of Toy Story better than most, and this works even better with more “slapstick” comedians whose voices carry much of their sense of humor. O’Brien is a perfect example of this, as he’s got a very distinctive voice that’s able to make people laugh in isolation. He’s a very expressive talker, and this is something that’s generally valued in voice performances.

While it’s moments like Buzz and Woody’s inevitable reunion that audiences are most excited about Toy Story 5, the previous sequel proved that this franchise is also capable of making its new characters just as likable and compelling as the existing ones. Tony Hale’s performance as Forky in Toy Story 4 is a perfect example. He wasn’t a character that audiences knew much about before going into the movie, but Hale’s brilliant voice performance quickly made him a fan favorite. It’s easy to imagine that Smarty Pants could pull off a similar feat.

What Conan O’Brien's Toy Story 5 Role Should Be

The Character Needs To Bring Something Unique To The Story

Although it’s been confirmed that O’Brien will be playing a character named Smarty Pants, no details have been released about who this character actually is. There’s been no indication that he’s going to be a main character either, which means he could end up having just a few minutes of screen time (like Keanu Reeves’ “Duke Caboom” in Toy Story 4). Ultimately, there are few details about Toy Story 5’s story to speculate on what O’Brien’s role could be, but there’s no denying that the movie would benefit from giving him as much screen time as possible.

The phrase clearly has negative connotations, describing somebody who annoys others with their superior intelligence, and that could be a really fun idea for a new villain.

Judging by the name “Smarty Pants," it’s also possible that O'Brien will be playing some kind of villain or anti-hero. The phrase clearly has negative connotations, describing somebody who annoys others with their superior intelligence, and that could be a really fun idea for a new villain. It’s also been confirmed that Toy Story 5 will focus on the toys’ struggle to compete with new technology and more advanced toys, so there’s every possibility that “Smarty Pants” could be one of these toys — perhaps even riffing on the idea of “smart technology”.