Having been born in the late ’90s, the Toy Story films have been an important part of my life, and with the fifth film, the franchise will explore a new generation of childhood. Directed and written by Andrew Stanton (Find Nemo, WALL E), Toy Story 5 follows the other toys of Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) as their owner receives the creepy smart tablet Lilypad (Greta Lee). While Bonnie is engrossed in her new device, her old pal Woody (Tom Hanks) comes across returns to help his friends stop Lilypad from replacing them.
Some viewers, including myself, have argued that the franchise should have ended Toy Story 3as the film tied everything into a tight, emotional knot. Although Toy Story 4 Despite top-notch animation and a humorous, heartfelt story, this didn’t prove to be the best conclusion to Woody and company’s shared adventures. Toy Story 5whereas, it tells a much-needed story in our modern times, where children are more likely to play with phones and tablets than with dolls or action figures.
Now is the first trailer for Toy Story 5 has been released, it looks like the franchise is back on the right track. The video features old characters reuniting to face a new generation of high-tech toys. With its beloved brand of witty, sensitive storytelling, Pixar has given us a sequel that will appeal to audiences young and old alike.
Toy Story 5 goes back to basics
Although Woody, Buzz, and Jessie have always been at the forefront of the Toy Story franchise, their narratives have often been conflated with those of the supporting characters. We’ve seen toys like Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Rex (Wallace Shawn), Slinky (Blake Clark) and Hamm (John Ratzenberger) bring their own charm and energy to the films by supporting the main characters, making them beloved staples of Toy Story.
However, Toy Story 4 focused so heavily on Woody, Forky (Tony Hale), and Bo Peep (Annie Potts), with newer supporting characters taking up much of the film’s running time. As a result, all other returning characters seemed to fade into the background Toy Story 4making the film a lackluster conclusion to the entire franchise.
Fortunately, Toy Story 5 gives Pixar another chance to stick the landing. This sequel will of course feature some new toy characters, including Atlas (Craig Robinson), Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien), Snappy (Shelby Rabara) and Dr. Nutcase (Matty Matheson). However, instead of following Woody outside of Bonnie’s orbit, it seems like the upcoming sequel will focus more on him, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of Bonnie’s toys.
As in Toy Story 3All of Bonnie’s toys seem to share her struggle against Lilypad, who threatens to take everyone’s place in Bonnie’s life. However, we can see that the fight is particularly difficult for Jessie, who took Woody’s place as leader of Bonnie’s toys Toy Story 4.
With Lilypad in the picture, Jessie says she’s “losing Bonnie to this device.” We see Jessie feeling the same kind of rejection that the old Western Woody felt when the space-age Buzz won over Andy as his favorite toy in the first Toy Story movie. Both protagonists share the same pain of being replaced by someone new.
This makes Woody’s return possible Toy Story 5 natural and appropriate. Upon hearing Jessie’s request, he came back to help her through the struggle he faced at the beginning of the franchise, thus completing Toy Story’s emotional circle.
Toy Story 5 is a contemporary meta-story
The idea of Bonnie’s toys colliding with smart devices was an easy and natural way for Pixar writers to modernize the decades-old Toy Story franchise. This sequel tells a relevant story about how technology, social media and AI are consuming people’s time and attention, making toys like Woody, Buzz and Jessie seem old-fashioned and outdated. Lilypad sums this up best by calling the bald Woody an “old man’s toy.” Toy Story 5.
However, Toy Story 5 is not just a money grab. Pixar was already cautious about its handling of sequels, taking years or even decades of developing these stories until they felt they were ready for animation. Tim Allen said in an interview that they wouldn’t make it Toy Story 5 for the money and that the fifth film has a “very, very clever story”.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, director Andrew Stanton revealed the care and thought he put into exploring toys, technology and modern childhood Toy Story 5. He said: “(Toy Story 5) is less about a fight and more about the recognition of an existential problem: that no one really plays with toys anymore. Technology has changed everyone’s lives, but we wonder what that means for us – and for our children. We can’t just get away with making technology the villain.”
Toy Story 5 NarraThe film is particularly powerful because it reflects Pixar’s role in today’s Hollywood. Since the COVID-19 pandemic closed theaters, recent Pixar films like Luca, To redden, FurtherAnd Soul have not performed so well at the box office. After the film industry recovered, Pixar liked originals Elementary And Elio still had some problems in theaters. Even the Toy Story spinoff light year bombed in theaters, grossing around $218 million on a $200 million budget, according to The Numbers.
Just as the toys collide with Lilypad Toy Story 5Pixar struggled to compete with other big-budget films for audience attention in theaters. Like Woody and the gang, we feel a sense of nostalgia and longing for the younger days of Pixar’s golden years that spawned original classics like Find Nemo, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, WALL EAnd High. But when we see Woody’s bald spot, we’re reminded of the harsh reality that not all good things last forever, making us appreciate our Toy Story experiences even more.
In the end, Toy Story 5 is guaranteed to attract a big audience this summer. Toy Story has always been one of Pixar’s most successful IPs, with all of its major installments being huge critical and commercial hits. But with a fresh story and many beloved characters at the forefront, the fifth film in the series could revitalize Toy Story and Pixar.
Regard Toy Story 5 will be released in theaters on June 19, 2026.
