Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story is one of the truly great film franchises. Like Star Wars, The Godfather or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Toy Story films revolutionized filmmaking, inspiring countless creatives and stories.
Over 30 years after the first Toy Story film introduced the world to Woody, Buzz and the iconic idea, “To infinity, and beyond!” Pixar is set to release a fairly risky fifth entry in the franchise. Each of the four previous films have been massive successes, with the last two films each potentially serving as pitch perfect finales.
Yet, the series lives on, and with a shift in focus to Bonnie and Jessie, Toy Story 5 refreshes itself, giving fans a new perspective on one of the most challenging issues of our day – children and screens.
The result is a heart-warming and heart-wrenching film that tackles critical themes of friendship, purposes and belonging. Toy Story 5 proves that this franchise still has plenty of heart, humor and joy to share and will have fans as reluctant as ever to leave these beloved toys behind.
Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5 releases July 1 in theaters and must be watched with the whole family.
Official Toy Story 5 Synopsis
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 and features an original score by Oscar® winner Randy Newman, who returns to score his fifth “Toy Story” feature. The film releases exclusively in theaters June 19, 2026.
Review – Pixar’s Beloved Franchise Finds New Purpose
As iconic as the Toy Story franchise has been, much like the toy friends in-universe, the films have seemingly had to face an existential crisis every step of the way. Back in 2010, Toy Story 3 earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and seemed like the perfect end to the stories of Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen), Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack) and the rest of the crew. Fortunately for all of us, there was more to come, as the series perfectly managed the hand off of the toys from their original owner Andy to a new one in Bonnie.
Toy Story 4 in 2019 could have been yet another pitch perfect end to the franchise, deftly tying up the loose end of Bo Peep and her journey beyond Andy’s room. The 4th film somehow managed to build upon the nearly perfect 3rd entry, focusing more on the toys as a group than their relationship to their children owners. 7 years later, Pixar’s latest film attempts the daring task of adding a 5th entry into the beloved series and seeing once again if it can somehow capture the unparalleled emotional magic.
Jessie Finally Gets Her Moment
This time, Jessie takes center stage as Bonnie’s top toy and leader of the toy group that still has Buzz, Bullseye and much of the original and newer characters. Woody of course now lives in the wild with Bo Peep (voiced by Annie Potts) and her team of lovable misfits. As with most of the Toy Story films, things seem blissful at first, with Bonnie (voiced by Scarlett Spears), now age 8, playing with her toys regularly and joyfully. That peace is broken when Bonnie’s parents buy her a tablet in hopes of helping her make new friends. Much like the real world, screens have taken over the attention and minds of kids everywhere, and innocent Bonnie can’t relate. In a moment that would break every parent’s heart, Bonnie asks her parents why nobody will be her friend.
Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee) arrives and immediately dominates Bonnie’s attention, giving her stimulation and the false feeling of friendship that too many can relate to. Thanks to Lilypad, Bonnie quickly becomes virtual “friends” with girls from her dance class and is promptly invited to a sleepover. Sadly, the sleepover doesn’t go well as the kids have nothing more in common than the mutual obsession for screen.
A New Threat that Feels Familiar
While there are several genuinely laugh out loud moments, the first half of the film treads familiar territory. Lilypad represents another existential threat to the toy friends and they need to figure out how to maintain their status as Bonnie’s favored toys. While screen time definitely creates new problems for the toys, it doesn’t feel dramatically different from a fancy new Buzz Lightyear toy with all the sounds and features making the old drawstring Woody doll feel obsolete. Even as the film introduces a new kid, Blaze (voiced by Mykal-Michelle Harris), and a new group of tech toy characters in Smarty Pants (voiced by Conan O’Brien), Snappy (voiced by Shelby Rabara) and Atlas (voiced by Craig Robinson), the tread of past films looms.
To be sure, that formula is an excellent one. There’s a reason that the Toy Story films, and Pixar films in general, are so beloved. Pixar has a way of not just making fun and enjoyable stories, but punching you in the emotional gut while doing so. It’s that emotional weight that sets Pixar films apart from others, and Toy Story 5 is no exception. Thankfully, the film refuses to rely completely on the success of the past, and the story reaches a new level when the focus shifts away from whether the toys can once again stave off extinction, and a much more personal journey of Jessie’s relationship with her past and current owners. It’s at this point that Toy Story 5 changes from a story about survival and turns into a poignant one about purpose and belonging.
A Slight Shift that Changes the Focus
Bonnie, ridiculed by her new “friends” for playing with toys, faces her own internal conflict of getting rid of the toys she loves in order to fit in with her peers. Jessie repeatedly explains that Bonnie is different and not like other kids. And yet, like nearly every kid must face at some point in their lives, Bonnie must decide if she can embrace being different, even if it means acceptance remains elusive.
Ultimately, Jessie realizes that even if her time as Bonnie’s favorite is limited, her purpose is simply to do her best to make a positive impact on her life. It’s a The Giving Tree like realization, but the heartache is off-set by the community of toys that Jessie has around her.
A Missed Opportunity with the Buzz Army
One of the subplots that gets shoehorned into the film is one with an army of hi-tech Buzz Lightyear toys. They’re introduced as part of an unexplained beach wreckage and collectively go on their own journey of self-discovery. Disappointingly however, much of their part drags the film down, adding little to the overall story aside from a few amusing moments. The idea of several dozen Buzz Lightyears running around is an intriguing one, and writers/directors McKenna Harris and Andrew Stanton do an admirable job tying all of the various elements together in a satisfying way. However, this part of the film could have been cut down significantly and little would have been missed.
Even more odd is the dynamic between Buzz and Woody after they’re reunited to help Jessie. In a bizarre regression from the last 4 films, Buzz and Woody are back to bickering rivals trying to one-up each other. It’s not at all clear why that might be, aside from Buzz’s strange insecurity around Jessie’s feelings, much of which was clearly established in the past. What should have been a delightful and warm reconnecting between the two Toy Story pillars is instead depicted in an awkward manner that saps the oxygen from the moment and continues to linger throughout the rest of the film.
A Satisfying Conclusion with Potential for More
Thankfully, none of those aspects are enough to fully detract from an emotionally satisfying and pleasantly hilarious second half of the film. From Jessie’s journey to find purpose to Bonnie’s struggles with childhood friendship, Toy Story 5 is as relevant as ever. Children will likely feel seen and parents will resonate with the themes. When the credits roll and Taylor Swift’s new original song, “I knew it, I knew you” hits, the emotions will certainly be felt. Whether Toy Story 5 will be the last film in the franchise remains to be seen. But three decades after the first Toy Story film, it’s nice to see that the franchise still has more to give.
Rating – 4/5 Pocky
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
