June 22, 2026 · Watch the official trailer
The gold standard in family animated films for decades has been the “Toy Story” franchise as tales of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and their friends trying their best to make the lives of the children who own them better have become a staple of modern cinema, earning multiple Academy Awards while warming the hearts of audiences young and old. The series remains one of the pinnacle achievements of Pixar animation.
The last two entries in the franchise were both immensely well received and, at various points, seemed poised to serve as a fitting conclusion to the series as a whole. Yet the continued proliferation of technology into nearly every aspect of daily life proved fertile ground for director Andrew Stanton and writers Stanton and McKenna Harris to revisit the world of “Toy Story” one more time.
Now under the care of a young girl named Bonnie, the classic characters audiences have come to know and love find themselves tasked with helping her make friends in an increasingly online world, where imaginative play is viewed as a stranger, lesser, and more isolated endeavor.
Franchise favorites Woody and Buzz are somewhat sidelined in favor of Jessie, who serves as the film's primary protagonist, though both Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return to their iconic roles.
Joan Cusack does an exceptional job taking the reins as the film's primary protagonist, Jessie, blending a slight Southern twang with layered warmth and humanity in her performance. Though Cusack is simply in a recording booth reading lines, her work feels almost completely synchronized with the animation to the point that it is more reminiscent of motion-capture performances that bring CGI characters to life.
Both Allen and Hanks settle comfortably into supporting roles, allowing Cusack to carry the bulk of the narrative and emotional through-lines in "Toy Story 5."
The almost generational passing of the torch feels cohesive between the characters despite a slightly staggered screenplay that takes broad brushstrokes to separate many of its primary players into different storylines. As always, the “Toy Story” films are littered with a terrific ensemble cast, most of whom return, and the inclusion of “Past Lives” star Greta Lee as the voice of Lilypad, an iPad-like device that becomes Bonnie's whole world, helps provide genuine dramatic tension in a relatively standard PG family film.
Pixar has always done an exceptional job bringing the world of "Toy Story" to life through vibrant animation, and the fifth installment is no exception. There is an ingenuity to the way the color palettes and visual design differ from prior installments, as Bonnie is a far more unique and playful child than Andy was in the original films.
This is especially effective during several striking animated sequences where the traditional visuals give way to backgrounds that look as though they have been drawn directly with Bonnie's crayons, reinforcing the imagination and creativity that Jessie and the other toys cherish but Bonnie's peers increasingly view as childish and outdated.
The film is further bolstered by yet another terrific score from Randy Newman, while Taylor Swift's original song, "I Knew It, I Knew You," is certain to become a major commercial success and a serious awards contender later this year. Without question, "Toy Story 5" appears destined for a Best Animated Feature nomination and enters awards season as one of the category's early frontrunners.
Much like "Toy Story 4," this is a film for audiences who grew up on the original "Toy Story" trilogy and are now looking to share similar experiences with their own children at the movie theater. Clearly, it is a Disney-Pixar film intended to keep younger audiences engaged and entertained both visually and narratively, but there is enough nostalgia and adult humor woven into the fabric of the story to make "Toy Story 5" a universal crowd-pleaser.
The film's existential commentary on the proliferation of technology and its potential impact on children's social development and imagination is effectively conveyed, though at times it can feel somewhat like a gimmick designed to justify the existence of yet another entry in the franchise.
Although it lacks the emotional weight of "Toy Story 4," it proves there are still worthwhile stories to tell within this world. While there may not be anything so groundbreaking that cinephiles need to rush out and experience immediately, "Toy Story 5" remains an ideal family trip to the cinema and one of the year's safest recommendations for parents looking to entertain younger children. Single adults and more casual viewers may find themselves perfectly content waiting for its inevitable arrival on Disney+ later this year.
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