Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the rest of the gang's jobs are challenged when they're introduced to electronics, a new threat to playtime. (from IMDb)

Here we are, 31 years since Pixar made their grand debut with Toy Story, welcoming in the addition of Toy Story 5. Seven years after the last installment, which received mixed feedback from many fans, the toys are back for another adventure. Many are wondering - what can a fifth movie possibly bring to the table?

Toy Story 5 brings the toys back in a way that seems to make the most sense in our day and age. In 2026, what threatens kids' play time more than anything else? Screen time. And the toys find themselves battling for the attention of their current kid, Bonnie. What's also interesting about Pixar's approach to tech taking over our lives (which may seem ironic since Pixar's original Toy Story caused hand-drawn animation to be largely replaced with its new computer animation technology), is it focuses on the isolation caused by humans' consumption of tech. Not only are the toys not getting played with, but kids aren't really playing with each other in the same room. Toy Story 5 may have the biggest social commentary of all the films (thus far - its huge box office success right out of the gate may promise more installments at this point). Pixar walks the fine line of not getting too preachy with their message against tech, and even has aged-out tech toys join the conversation when Jessie encounters new toys. There's a lot to unpack with this movie, and while it may yet again instill guilt in the viewer about shelving, donating or banishing to the attic our old toys, it poses some very good questions about screen time and the distance technology can cause between us.

Toy Story 4 left a bad taste in a lot of fans' mouths. Aside from the fact that it was visually the most gorgeous of the series -- Pixar really flexed with that film -- it largely sidelined many of our favorite characters to centralize the story on Woody and a new hand-made craft toy named Forky (voiced brilliantly by Tony Hale). Furthermore, the film ended with Woody leaving the toys we've all come to love so much to help rescue "lost toys" with the love of his life, Bo Peep. Everyone's biggest gripes were that Toy Story 3 had ended so beautifully with Andy going off to college and passing his toys down to a new kid, Bonnie (and reluctantly parting with Woody), that it seemed criminal to continue the story. Thankfully, Toy Story 5 reunites the toys once more -- even if it doesn't exactly undo the way Toy Story 4 left these characters.

I'd heard rumors that Toy Story 5 was largely Jessie the Cowgirl's story, and sure enough, it really is. Woody had handed down his sheriff's badge to Jessie at the end of Toy Story 4, putting her in charge of the toys and caring for Bonnie. And while Woody does return to help out - teaming him once again with Buzz like the old days - it's Jessie who takes on the biggest responsibilities to protect and help Bonnie. Bonnie - who was starting kindergarten in Toy Story 4 and is clearly a little older in 5 - is still having trouble making friends, being one of the few kids who is a late bloomer to adopting technology. Jessie's determined to get new kids in the neighborhood to play with Bonnie, but she soon learns that everyone just sits around looking at their phones and various "devices" anymore.

Enter Lilypad.

Bonnie's parents, in a loving effort to help her make friends with her peers, gift her with a handheld Kindle or iPad-like device called Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee) whose sole purpose is to connect Bonnie, electronically, with others. The toys immediately pushback on this intrusion, but it backfires, and Bonnie strugges to figure out where she really fits in. It's heartbreakingly relevant.

When Jessie meets a few discarded tech toys, we are introduced to an old potty-training assistant toy called Smarty Pants - amazingly voiced by former late night personality, Conan O'Brien - as well as a little smartphone-ish kind of toy (it seems a little too advanced to be like a real toy) called Atlas - voiced by Craig Robinson - and a little smart toy camera named Snappy - voiced by Shelby Rabara. It may be the first time in your life you'll empathize with an electronic toy, and they make fun additions to the cast.

The only problem these movies have each time they introduce yet another new character, is that it sidelines old favorites. Heck, even new favorites from 3 or 4. We have had many fun shorts and specials that came between Toy Story 3 and 4 that gave us more time with these characters (like Partysaurus Rex), but I think most fans still hope to see more from the original characters in each of these films. But that's also when the stories run the risk of shoehorning the beloved characters into them just for the sake of including them. I think, while there is disappointment about getting less screen time with the original characters, the stories are better for it because they're not just trying to completely retell the stories from the original films. (One could argue each movie is kind of the same gag all over again, but Pixar has been really good about telling new stories each time.)

I was really surprised to see Toy Story 5 earn the series first PG rating. The only thing I can possibly think of in it that may warrant that is Robinson's Atlas starts saying the "a" word before he's stopped. Because Smarty Pants is a potty-training toy, there are a lot of bathroom jokes, but most of them aren't especially crude or vulgar. (There is one questionable gag where, in a playtime fantasy, Smarty Pants says his name is "Agent Shet," or something like that.) Honestly? I think the original Toy Story and Toy Story 4 have much scarier elements to them, and pretty much all of them have really emotional themes. (That shot of the toys drifting toward the incinerator as they stop trying to escape and just accept their fate is still one of the most emotional and emotionally cruel - and chilling - visuals you'll see in an animated kids film.) Other than that, there may be some mild action violence, but Toy Story 5 just doesn't even feel as rough as the previous entries. Heck, I'd be tempted to say it feels more kid friendly in a lot of ways. Still, thematically, it doesn't pull any punches as we revisit Jessie's past trauma with her original kid owner, Emily, outgrowing her.

Guys, we didn't need Toy Story 5. No one did. But I'm glad it exists. It's great to see these characters once again, and the story is very relevant to our times. It just makes sense to tackle this idea. (What might the toys do if a device entered the mix?) It's a great discussion starter for parents and their kids, too, and I do like where the story lands on how technology, friendship and playtime can all coexist. If you're a fan of the films - even if Toy Story 4 left you kind of cold - be sure to check out Toy Story 5.

Side note: There are no real bonus scenes at the end of the credits, but right before the credits finish, there is a brief song sung with some of the film's characters over the credits.

- John DiBiase (reviewed: 6/20/26)