TheaterEars, the theatrical audio platform that delivers synchronized supplemental audio directly to moviegoers’ phones while enjoying films in theaters, today announced the launch of its Director’s Experience for the record-breaking Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” — the first animated film to join the program — bringing Oscar-winning director Andrew Stanton’s commentary, synchronized to the film, directly to moviegoers’ phones in theaters. Stanton has been a major creative force at Pixar Animation Studios since 1990 when he became the second animator and ninth employee to join the company’s elite group of computer animation pioneers. Stanton co-wrote and directed the Academy Award–winning feature films “Finding Nemo” and “WALL•E,” as well as “Finding Dory.” More recently, Stanton co-wrote and was an executive producer on the Academy Award–winning “Toy Story 4.”

Starting the weekend of July 3, audiences seeing “Toy Story 5” in participating theaters can open the TheaterEars app, sync to the film, and hear director Andrew Stanton’s commentary play in perfect time with the movie on screen — turning a repeat viewing into a behind-the-scenes experience without interrupting the theatrical presentation for anyone else.

“Toy Story is the franchise that made millions of us fall in love with the movies, so there’s no better film to bring the Director’s Experience into animation for the first time. Sitting in a theater and hearing Andrew Stanton walk through how the film was made, synced right to the screen, is exactly the kind of experience we built this for,” said Dan Mangru, CEO, TheaterEars.

“Every frame of “Toy Story 5″ holds a decision the audience never sees. Getting to talk through those choices while people are watching the movie in a theater — that’s a way of sharing the work I’ve never had before, and I think fans are going to love hearing where these moments came from,” said Andrew Stanton, director of “Toy Story 5.”

The Director’s Experience is available exclusively through the free TheaterEars app, with the “Toy Story 5” commentary track accessible to users in participating theaters nationwide. TheaterEars previously launched its Director’s Experience with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller for “Project Hail Mary” and with “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.” “Toy Story 5” marks the program’s first animated title.
How it works: Moviegoers download the free TheaterEars app, select “Toy Story 5” along with their movie theater and showtime, and the app listens for the film’s audio to sync the commentary track to the exact moment on screen — delivered privately through the user’s own headphones.

About TheaterEars
TheaterEars is the leading mobile audio platform for the theatrical exhibition industry, providing synchronized multilingual audio, audio descriptions, and The Director’s Experience to moviegoers in thousands of theaters across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. TheaterEars serves millions of moviegoers and partners with major exhibition circuits as well as all major Hollywood studios. The TheaterEars app is available on both the App Store and Google Play. For more information, visit theaterears.com/directors-experience.

About Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5”
The toys are back in Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5”, and this time it’s Toy meets Tech. Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (voice of Tim Allen), Jessie (voice of Joan Cusack) and the rest of the gang’s jobs are challenged when they come face-to-face with Lilypad (voice of Greta Lee), a brand-new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie. Will playtime ever be the same? “Toy Story 5” is directed by Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton, co directed by Kenna Harris, produced by Lindsey Collins, p.g.a., and written by Stanton and Harris from a story by Stanton. The film features the original song “I Knew It, I Knew You” – performed by Taylor Swift and written and produced by Swift and Jack Antonoff – along with an original score by Oscar winner Randy Newman, who returns to score his fifth “Toy Story” feature. “Toy Story 5” is rated PG and is now playing in theaters.