Toy Story 5: Jessie shines and classic Pixar emotion peaks in a relevant, funny sequel that reminds us to put down our phones and connect.
I won’t lie, when Toy Story 5 was announced, I thought to myself, Do we really need another installment in a franchise that has already given us two perfect endings? But as a parent navigating the modern world, the central conflict hits extremely close to home. The glows of our screens are captivating, and real play with actual toys is being pushed to the side.
My kids might be teens now, but they are still on opposite sides of the spectrum. My youngest pulls her dolls out weekly to play, which my oldest is all but addicted to her devices.
In Toy Story 5, Disney and Pixar pit our heroe toys against technology. Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Jessie (Joan Cusack) find their roles threatened when Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) receives Lilypad (Greta Lee), a sleek new tablet device packed with disruptive, algorithm-driven ideas about what entertainment and making friends should look like. An aging Woody (Tom Hanks) reunites with the gang to try to stop technology from taking over their house.
I have to admit, for the first two acts, I found myself wobbling a bit. The narrative feels somewhat disjointed as it juggles multiple storylines. There is a bizarre subplot featuring a massive legion of Buzz Lightyears that initially felt entirely out of place. While I was scratching my head during the first watch, knowing where it all leads makes me think a second viewing will be much more enjoyable. I also missed some of the classic, smaller background toys who get sidelined here.
My biggest gripe, however, lands squarely on a new character named Smarty Pants, voiced by Conan O’Brien. Now, I love Conan, but Smarty Pants is a smart potty-training device, and his entire comedic repertoire relies strictly on bathroom humor. I giggled at first, but after about thirty poop jokes, it grew incredibly tedious. He’s clearly there to keep the toddlers giggling, but even the teenager sitting next to me stopped laughing by joke four or five. It just felt a bit beneath the usual cleverness we expect from Pixar. I always say that kids need to be given more credit, and relying on bathroom jokes over and over undermines that.
Thankfully, the rest of the film’s humor completely lands, especially the jokes aimed squarely at the adults in the audience. Woody’s arc as an aging toy is absolutely hilarious and deeply relatable. Furthermore, getting to see Woody and Buzz back together on an adventure – even if it isn’t the primary focus of the movie – warmed my heart. Watching them bicker like an old married couple is pure nostalgia gold.
But the real triumph of Toy Story 5 is that it belongs to Jessie and Bonnie.
This is Jessie’s time to shine, and I adored getting to know her on a deeper level. Yes, Toy Story 2 gave us some of her background and a solid introduction, but I did not know I needed this part of her story. Without spoiling anything, she finally gets some beautiful, long-overdue closure regarding her past that had me reaching for the tissues.
Simultaneously, Bonnie’s story is incredibly grounded. She is struggling to make friends at school because she still prefers imaginative play over digital media. It’s a vulnerable, isolated position that many modern children will easily relate to.
Blaze is a new character that perfectly fits into the world of Toy Story. While I do not want to say too much about her role, I will say that I instantly fell in love with her. She is fun, quirky, and a kind soul. I truly hope that, should there be a sixth film (and who are we kidding, there will be), she will return.
As a parent, I thought the toys vs. technology debate was handled brilliantly. It is packed with genuine truth, managing to satirize our device-obsessed culture in a way that feels exaggerated for comedy but entirely accurate in spirit.
By the time the third act arrived, all my complaints about the disjointed pacing evaporated. Pixar pulls all the scattered threads together for a massive, emotional payoff. I practically cried through the entire final act. The tears only stopped flowing when I would laugh out loud – but they would quickly return. It has that vintage, bittersweet Pixar magic that punches you right in the gut while making you smile.
As the credits rolled, Taylor Swift’s song “I Knew It, I Knew You” began to play, and it proved to be the perfect musical choice for the story’s emotional resolution. Make sure you stay in your seat, too – there is a fantastic mid-credits scene that, while funny, provides some wonderful closure for a few key characters.
Ultimately, Toy Story 5 surprised me. While it falters a bit at the start, it pulls itself together brilliantly to deliver that classic Pixar charm. I might be in the minority when it comes to Smarty Pants, but he irked me every time I saw him on screen and with every bathroom joke he muttered.
In a world where both kids and adults are increasingly consumed by screens, this film acts as a gentle, necessary wake-up call. It reminds us to enjoy life, live in the present moment, and occasionally just put our phones down to truly enjoy time with one another. Our society would be a whole lot better off for it.
Ratling: 4 out of 5
About Toy Story 5
The toys are back in Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5,” and this time it’s Toy meets Tech. Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (voice of Tim Allen), Jessie (voice of Joan Cusack) and the rest of the gang’s jobs are challenged when they come face-to-face with Lilypad (voice of Greta Lee), a brand-new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie. Will playtime ever be the same?
Toy Story 5 comes to theaters everywhere on June 19th.
