By George & Josh Bate
Never afraid to share an opinion, Quentin Tarantino named the Toy Story trilogy as the rare example of a perfect movie trilogy and highlighted the third film in particular as “magnificent” and the second best film of the 21st century. Tarantino’s reverence for the original Pixar movies proves so strong that he has refused to watch Toy Story 4, branding it unnecessary and stating that he does not care if it’s any good because he is “done” with the franchise. Well, we wouldn’t go as far as Tarantino did in refusing to see Toy Story 4, but the film certainly marked a sharp decline in quality from Toy Story 1-3, which, like Tarantino, we consider to be among the greatest film trilogies of all time. Due to how underwhelming Toy Story 4 was and how Lightyear proved even more lackluster, our anticipation for Toy Story 5 has been restrained, despite being impressed with promotional materials and a special look at the film presented at CinemaCon 2026. Thankfully, Toy Story 5 finds Pixar return to form by delivering a sweet, clever, funny, and heartwarming movie that gives you everything you could possibly want from a Toy Story movie.
Toy Story 5 picks up after Woody (Tom Hanks) left Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) to stay with Bo Peep (Annie Potts) and help abandoned toys find their owners at the end of Toy Story 4. In the meantime, Jessie (Joan Cusack) has become the head toy of Bonnie’s room, while Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) serves as her right-hand man, or toy. But when Bonnie grows attached to a frog-like tablet named Lilypad (Greta Lee), the toys bring Woody back into the fold as they put up a fight to stay relevant in the face of a technology that threatens to take Bonnie’s attention away from them.
In the 31 years since the original Toy Story hit theaters, the world has changed quite a bit. Children now have access to technology at their fingertips that was previously inconceivable when Woody and Buzz first met. The children the toys once cared for and were played by are now grown up, while they don’t age and largely remain the same. It’s at this intersection of growing up, fearing abandonment, and finding meaning in a quickly changing world that Toy Story 5 arrives upon a truly clever premise.
The idea of ‘toys vs. tech’ for a Toy Story 5 movie seems like a no-brainer, but this conflict has not been explored, at least in this depth, in a Toy Story movie until now. Traditional toys increasingly play less of a role in the lives of children, whose rooms and playspaces are now dominated by all manner of electronic devices. This, of course, sets up a compelling conflict for Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the gang to tackle. Put aside how this shift from toys to tech affects the children, how do toys face a future in which they may no longer be of use or interest to kids?
Working from such a clever premise, Toy Story 5 pivots focus away from Woody and Buzz and positions Jessie as the lead character. While Jessie played a prominent role in Toy Story 2, she was closer to the periphery in Toy Story 3 and 4. Director and co-writer Andrew Stanton, alongside co-writer Kenna Harris, take full advantage of the gaps in Jessie’s story and subvert telling yet another story about Woody and Buzz by switching protagonists in this fifth installment.
Make no mistake about it – Toy Story 5 is firmly and unreservedly Jessie’s movie. While all the toys reckon with their futures in light of the emergence of technology and Buzz has somewhat of an arc involving his desire to propose to Jessie, the cowgirl rag doll voiced by the incomparable Joan Cusack is the character that is afforded the most substantial and interesting arc.
As Jessie clashes with Lilypad, her child Bonnie’s new favorite plaything, she is reminded of a difficult background she has never quite gotten over. Flashbacks throughout the film convey how Jessie was once loved by another child, before that child gave her away. This imbued Jessie with a fear of abandonment, hence why she so desperately wishes to stay relevant in Bonnie’s life amidst her fixation with Lilypad. Over the course of the film, the story beautifully taps into themes explored in Toy Story 3 about growing up and even elaborates on them, commenting on the impermanent yet nonetheless meaningful role toys have in the lives of children. It’s difficult to not get swept up in the emotions of these ideas as they parallel how parents reckon with children growing up and no longer needing them as much. It wouldn’t be a Toy Story movie without leaving you swimming in a puddle of tears, and Toy Story 5 does exactly that.
But Stanton’s film also does what Toy Story movies do best: entertain and tug at the heart strings in the equal measure. Toy Story 5 is an exceedingly witty movie and, potentially, the funniest installment in the franchise since the original. Stanton and Harris get so much mileage out of the toys vs. tech clash, especially when an older generation of tech is introduced into the story. It is here that Smarty Pants, voiced hilariously by Conan O’Brien, enters the film and steals the show as an old tech device that helps children potty train. You can only begin to imagine the array of jokes O’Brien and the writers extract from this character.
Conversely, a subplot involving an army of high-tech Buzz Lightyear units proves less successful. While affording solid humor throughout the film, the inclusion of this subplot gives the film somewhat of an unfocused narrative, especially as it takes until the final stretch of the movie for this subplot to fully connect to Jessie’s story. Coupled with cut backs to Woody and Buzz, this renders the film slightly scattered in its storytelling.
But the lack of focus in its narrative does little to impede upon enjoyment and appreciation of Toy Story 5. By the end, the story comes together in extraordinarily satisfying fashion and concludes on a hopeful note that tech is not necessarily the end of children making friends. Bonnie plays a sizable role in the film, more than the average human character in a Toy Story movie, which helps the audience understand Jessie’s desire to take care of her human as she struggles to make friends. For as touching as Jessie’s journey is, Bonnie’s journey is arguably just as moving and rounds out the film on a truly beautiful note.
VERDICT: 8.5/10
Toy Story 5 finds the beloved Pixar franchise overcome the lackluster Toy Story 4 and Lightyear with an installment that perfectly and beautifully captures the spirit of the original three movies, in particular Toy Story 3. Director and co-writer Andrew Stanton’s film is sweet, clever, funny, heartwarming, and delivers everything you could possibly want from a Toy Story movie. The clever ‘toys vs. tech’ premise affords tons of opportunities for great jokes in what amounts to arguably the funniest Toy Story movie in the original. The premise also lays the foundation for an emotionally stirring exploration of abandonment, growing up, and finding meaning in the time we spend with others. Firmly and unreservedly Jessie’s movie and anchored by a phenomenal voice performance from Joan Cusack, the film’s narrative becomes a bit wayward with the inclusion of a less interesting subplot involving an army of high-tech Buzz Lightyear units but thankfully finds its footing again in a touching conclusion that left us in a puddle of tears. Toy Story 5 tells a simultaneously timely and timeless story in exceedingly funny and heartfelt fashion, culminating in one of the best movies of the year so far.