Cowgirl Jessie, cowboy Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Rex the dinosaur, and Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head are back for another adventure, this time taking on tech in the latest installment of Disney/Pixar’s blockbuster animated franchise, Toy Story 5.
The fifth film of the series begins with eight-year-old Bonnie (voiced by Scarlett Spears) playing with her toys in her front yard. Bonnie wishes she could make friends with the kids across the street but is painfully shy and always freezes or runs away whenever they notice her. She asks her parents why she doesn’t have any friends, which upsets them. So, to help Bonnie, the parents decide to get her the new tech tablet Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee), something kids her age use to chat and schedule sleepovers.
Bonnie spends all day and parts of the night (even past her bedtime) using the device and completely ignores her toys. Nervous about being replaced by Lilypad, Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack) attempts to convince the tech tablet that she and her fellow toys have been trying all summer to help Bonnie make friends and that now she’s ruining it. Lilypad insists that she can help Bonnie and that Bonnie needs her, not her old toys. A physical scuffle ensues that ends when Bonnie retrieves her new favorite companion.
Jessie, Buzz (voiced by Tim Allen), and the entire ensemble of toys fear their time playing with Bonnie might be coming to an end. So late that night, Jessie reaches out to the one toy who might be able to do something about the situation. She uses an old toy walkie talkie to call Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), telling him that tech has invaded Bonnie’s home. Woody confirms it’s bad for toys all over the place; he’s finding more and more abandoned toys each day. Toys are for playing, but tech is for everything.
“I’m losing Bonnie to this device,” says a defeated-sounding Jessie. Hearing the sadness in her voice, Woody decides to head to Bonnie’s and reunite with Jessie, Buzz, Bullseye, and the rest of the gang to help them get Lilypad to realize that Bonnie still needs her toys and playtime with real friends – in person and not on a screen or chat room.
Cute, funny, and topical, Toy Story 5 is a heartfelt and entertaining return of the superb Pixar animated film series. The film ranks right up with the first three films and is a huge improvement over the fourth installment.
This time Jessie takes center stage as the leader of the group, struggling desperately not to lose Bonnie at such a young age to a new tech device while needing other old tech toys to help her in her struggle against Lilypad. The return of Woody, who is showing even more wear and tear as the oldest toy of the group, and his reunion with Buzz is both emotional and hilarious. It’s these two classic characters and their friendship that has always been the soul of the film franchise.
The voice work from the cast is excellent, as always, and the animation is mesmerizing. Especially stunning is the scene where the toys race on horseback down a road, dodging cars while the sun sets in the sky to get back to Bonnie. It’s truly breathtaking.
Directed by Andrew Stanton, Toy Story 5 also has wonderful messages for all ages about the importance of play, children using their imagination, and the strength of friendship, loyalty, and love. Full of heart, humor, and adventure, Toy Story 5 is a more than worthy addition to the animated film franchise and destined to become another Pixar classic.
GRADE: A
Rating: PG for some thematic elements and rude humor
Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes
Release Date: June 19, 2026