Toy Story 5 (dir. Andrew Stanton)

by Jack Martin | Jun 19, 2026

Certificate: PG

Running Time: 102 mins

UK Distributor: Disney

UK Release Date: 19 June 2026

WHO’S IN TOY STORY 5?

Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Greta Lee, Conan O’Brien, Tony Hale, Craig Robinson, Shelby Rabara, Scarlett Spears, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Matty Matheson, John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn, Blake Clark, Jeff Bergman, Anna Vocino, Annie Potts, Melissa Villaseñor, John Hopkins, Kristen Schaal, Ernie Hudson, Keanu Reeves, Lori Alan, Jay Hernandez, Krys Marshall

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Andrew Stanton (director, writer), McKenna Harris (writer), Jessica Choi and Lindsey Collins (producers), Randy Newman (composer), Matt Aspbury and Jean-Claude Kalache (cinematographers), Jennifer Neysa Jew (editor)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Woody (Hanks), Buzz (Allen), Jessie (Cusack) and the rest of the toys deal with a new threat to their existence…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON TOY STORY 5?

For over thirty years, children have grown up with their imaginations sparked by the Toy Story movies and its many lovable characters, all of whom have reminded us about the necessity of letting that sense of playful creation flow for as long as it can, no matter how old we are. But today’s children might not be so fortunate. We are living in an era where technology has become almost as important to us as air and water, with the eyes of our current youth glued to phones, tablets, computer screens and televisions that stimulate everything but their suppressed imagination. What use is a stuffed animal or action figure when video games and education apps can fill that void with no effort whatsoever?

Naturally, this little debate has willed Toy Story 5 into existence, but what’s interesting is that while it is certainly about those growing concerns of tech overtaking traditional playtime, it isn’t just focused on that primary issue, nor does it paint a clear picture of who’s right and who’s wrong. The film, directed by long-time series contributor Andrew Stanton, explores this brave new world with a keen and thoughtful observation, offering some wise thoughts that will resonate with viewers both young and old, while also providing plenty of the humour and fun that viewers want out of this franchise.

We pick up a few years after the events of Toy Story 4, in which – spoilers! – Woody (Tom Hanks) ditched his fellow toy brethren to follow a new life purpose with his old flame Bo Peep (Annie Potts), leaving his fellow cow-person Jessie (Joan Cusack) as their new leader, with Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) as the dutiful deputy. But Jessie, Buzz and their friends are left to watch in fear as their kid Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) is gifted a Lilypad tablet named Lily (Greta Lee) to play games and connect online with, which of course means the little girl starts spending more time with Lily than playing with her actual toys. Eventually, Woody is called back in to help out, and in typical Toy Story fashion things get out of hand fast, particularly as Woody and Buzz – and soon, a whole load of Buzzes that have formed a collective after being marooned on a remote island – become at odds over their different ideas of solving the situation.

But even though it’s Woody and Buzz most are coming to see, Toy Story 5 is truly Jessie’s movie. The beloved supporting character, who drove many to tears with her tragic backstory in Toy Story 2, is promoted to lead as Stanton and Kenna Harris’s script frame her as a protagonist who has, quite understandably, grown weary of facing the harsh reality that all kids eventually grow up and out of their playful habits. Her initial mistrust of technology and its growing interference in children’s lives almost equates to a kind of racism on her part, primarily crafted out of the fear of being rendered obsolete once more, and her arc largely revolves around her prejudices of technology being challenged, especially when she later meets and befriends other tech-driven toys such as potty-training device Smarty Pants (a scene-stealing Conan O’Brien), in addition to facing her own traumas that have long defined her inner soul.

Placing Jessie and her pre-conceived notions in such a central position within this narrative was an extremely smart move, as it allows the debate between toys and tech to become more nuanced rather than a simple black-and-white strawman argument. There are certainly moments when the film highlights how the lack of moderation with screentime is effectively turning children (and adults too) into unimaginative and sometimes quite cruel drones, but it never outright says that technology doesn’t have any place in our society. The likes of Smarty Pants, for instance, represent how modern tech can be used for a great many things in our lives, such as serving as a resource of information or capturing certain moments that will live forever, while there are times when even the toys’ old-fashioned ideas of what playtime can look like can seem outdated by sheer comparison.

It ultimately boils down to how the most important thing in this situation is the preservation of childhood imagination, something that no piece of sophisticated smart technology can fully replicate. Stanton steers the film toward a bunch of meaningful outcomes where characters are given that crucial extra dimension amid the realisation that their actions are causing more harm than good, while adding some eye-catching style to certain imagined sequences that once more emphasise how nothing is more precious than the mind of a child (something which, in a way, makes this an interesting companion piece to Pixar’s Inside Out movies). The result is a smart, funny and moving entry that addresses the key issues without landing directly on any one correct answer, while maintaining the series’ ongoing knack for clever characterisation and wise handling of themes that are growing more and more universal by the day.

There are, admittedly, some strands which cause the film to stop and start every so often, namely the section with multiple Buzz Lightyears that pop in and out randomly before eventually colliding with the main thread. But on the whole, Toy Story 5 is a more than worthy follow-up that warrants its existence with some thoughtful commentary on the present and possibly even future of playtime. Hopefully, though, as we move beyond infinity, these movies and all these playful characters will be there to ensure that no matter what, our imaginations will never truly go away.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Toy Story 5 is another worthy entry in the franchise as it takes a strong but careful look at the growing role of technology in children’s lives, to where the imagination that comes with playtime is in danger of extinction, all while filling itself out with plenty of the humour and heart that has long defined Pixar’s most playful series of films.