2026 | PG | 102 mins. | Directed by McKenna Harris and Andrew Stanton
For over 30 years the Toy Story series has remained one of the most consistent franchises. The original movie was the first computer animated film and has gone on to be remembered as one of the greatest animated movies of all time. After spawning three sequels, the franchise has gone on to become a cultural phenomenon. Now with Toy Story 5, the toys are back once again and this time they are taking on a new foe that is putting their jobs in jeopardy.
Buzz, Jessie and the gang have their hands full when their owner, Bonnie, has a problem making friends. While Bonnie still loves playing with toys and likes to be imaginative and creative, the kids in her neighborhood and in her dance class only want to do one thing, play with their tablets. Bonnie and her parents are unsure of how to get other kids to want to play with her so the parents end up getting Bonnie her own tablet so she can hopefully interact with some kids her age. This causes friction with Bonnie's toys as they are not fans of her new tablet, Lilypad. The toys must do what they can to try and help Bonnie make friends outside of using technology, as that is the only way she will be able to express her true self.
The beautiful thing about the Toy Story franchise is that each movie has the right amount of heart in its storytelling and each entry discusses great themes when it comes to childhood and growing up. Toy Story 5 is no different as the movie continues this same trend. Bringing in technology as the focus is executed perfectly. Seeing Bonnie struggle with wanting to fit in with other kids and getting pressured into doing everything like them is just like what happens in today's society. The storytelling here is top notch and fits well with the rest of the franchise.
These movies have always looked great, and the animation continues to get better. With so much detail and care put into each character, these toys have never looked better. When Bonnie is actively playing with her toys and using her imagination, the animation changes and adds a new dynamic to show when the audience is now in Bonnie's creative world. This is something not seen in any of the other movies and is a welcome addition that makes this entry unique.
Most of the voice cast from the previous movie returns, with a few exceptions, as well as some new additions. Despite his ending in the last movie, Woody does return with Tom Hanks still doing a great job providing his voice. Tim Allen is great once again as Buzz and his character thankfully gets more to do this time around than he did in the previous movie. Conan O'Brien steals the show as a toilet training device named Smarty Pants. Most of the movie centers around Jessie the Cowgirl who is once again voiced by Joan Cusack. Cusack really gets her time to shine this time around since the story focuses heavily on her and she does a fantastic job once again in this role.
If there are any gripes here, they are few and far between. There are one too many storylines going on all at once. Between Bonnie, Jessie, the toys and a group of lost Buzz Lightyears, it feels like at least one storyline could have been cut down and cut out completely. After the ending to part four it felt like Woody's story was done. His character isn't exactly needed in this new adventure, but it doesn't take anything away from the story either.
Toy Story 5 is a worthy addition to the franchise. It keeps the same amount of heart at the core of the story and touches on some real-life topics that kids are currently experiencing. The animation is beautiful, the voice cast is top notch, and this is easily the funniest movie in the franchise. This is a huge win for Disney and Pixar.
Grade: A
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