Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Mae Abdulbaki | Film | June 19, 2026
Pixar’s most successful — and one of its more creative — franchises is back with a new installment, Toy Story 5. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t disappoint. After four great films, we were all probably wondering what the animation studio could do next with the Toy Story films that would actually hit emotionally, but Toy Story 5 manages to hit us in the feels while thoughtfully touching on the era of technology that has taken over almost every facet of our lives, disengaging kids (and adults) and making it harder to connect with others.
Bonnie (Scarlett Spears), now eight years old, is shy and struggles to make friends. While other children are playing games and chatting on their devices, Bonnie is still playing with her toys, including Jessie (Joan Cusack) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), which is something she is made fun of for doing at her age. To help her along, her well-meaning parents buy Bonnie a Lilypad (Greta Lee, who’s hilariously devious in the role) to play games and chat with friends, leading her to push Jessie et al away to be accepted. This triggers Jessie’s abandonment issues, which get worse when she’s accidentally taken to her old kid’s house and she’s forced to come face-to-face with other tech devices.
The film, directed by Andrew Stanton and co-directed by McKenna Harris from a screenplay by both, underscores our overreliance on technology and the zombified state that excessive screentime causes. Crucially, it understands the connection between device overuse and the fractures in human relationships. Bonnie’s imagination and creativity are stymied by obsessively scrolling and using Lilypad, who takes it upon herself to help Bonnie make friends through the screen. It works for a time, but it only makes it harder for Bonnie to be genuine around kids who’ve aged too quickly because they don’t really play — with each other, with toys, and even outside.
At the same time, Jessie’s time with Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien), an older tech toy that helped Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris), who now lives in Emily’s old home and is similar to Bonnie, with potty training, helps her understand that all tech-driven toys aren’t necessarily bad. They help in their own way, so long as they aren’t overutilized. It’s the excess that’s the problem.
Beyond these themes of tech takeover and its harms on children’s social development, Toy Story 5 touches on abandonment and feelings of inadequacy for not being what others want you to be. Jessie and Bonnie share a parallel journey with regards to not feeling like they’re enough and it’s handled beautifully and with so much grace. Woody (Tom Hanks) isn’t as central to the narrative as before, but there’s no emotional pangs that are felt in his semi-absence. Jessie, the hurt from being left behind, and her desire to help Bonnie are the narrative’s driving force and it’s a stronger movie because of it.
Everything, from the new toys we meet to the emotional beats and humor, is done well and with a good amount of consideration. If there’s one thing that doesn’t gel as seamlessly into the story, it’s the subplot involving the group of enhanced Buzz Lightyears, who have been dropped from a shipping container and make it their mission to find their way back to Star Command. It’s abrupt whenever the film cuts to them, but their presence pays off in the final act and makes up for some of the eyebrow-raising moments about their role in the story.
Every franchise faces difficulties when it comes to making good sequels, and there’s also the issue of potential audience fatigue, but that isn’t the case with the Toy Story franchise. Toy Story 5 still feels fresh and relevant; the psychology of its characters is wonderfully dissected, and the storyline is thoughtfully developed. The filmmakers weren’t willing to lean on the franchise’s nostalgia and it’s all the better for it.
