John Lasseter won't direct 'Toy Story 4'

Toy Story 4 is making a big change behind the scenes.

John Lasseter -- head of Disney animation and Pixar who helmed the first two Toy Story films -- will not be steering the fourth. Instead, Toy Story 4 will be directed by Josh Cooley. (Not to be confused with Josh Dickey, who is an entertainment editor at Mashable. Hi, boss!)

Previously, it had been announced that Lasseter and Cooley would direct the film together. But as Lasseter announced at Disney's D23 expo on Friday, Cooley's been promoted to directing solo. It'll be Cooley's first feature, after he directed the short Riley's First Date for the studio.

Toy Story 4 will be produced by Jonas Rivera. As Cooley notes, Rivera was a Pixar intern with him back in the day. "We're the first former interns to produce and direct a Pixar movie!" noted Rivera in a video.

Which may not sound like a big deal, but it goes to show how Pixar nurtures their talent -- which, in turn, is one of the reasons they've remained at the top of their game for so long.

Toy Story 4 will be in theaters June 21, 2019.