Toy Story 5 review: Woody & Buzz are back, but the magic isn’t

by

Toy Story 5 isn’t bad, but it doesn’t really break any new ground. While it tries out a few fresh ideas, it struggles to live up to the legacy of the first three movies.

The Toy Story trilogy is a truly enchanting series of films. The original movie amazed viewers with its unique story about toys that come to life, and it revolutionized the film world thanks to its groundbreaking computer animation.

The story captivated audiences with its heartwarming tale of loyalty, acceptance, and friendship. The two excellent sequels explored deeper themes like growing older, finding oneself, and facing mortality, ultimately concluding with touching scenes about letting go of childhood.

The third film in the series was a fantastic ending to a brilliant story. However, given how successful the franchise had been, another sequel eventually arrived – though it didn’t quite live up to the original trilogy. Now we have the fifth installment, which is better than the fourth, but often revisits ideas we’ve already seen.

A strange start to proceedings

Tim Allen joked that his character, Buzz Lightyear, is beginning to sound like an older man. He explained that achieving this slightly aged voice takes effort and time.

— ScreenTime (@screentime) June 12, 2026

The story begins surprisingly with a strange scene: a shipment of advanced Buzz Lightyear toys mysteriously appears on a small, deserted island.

Okay, so these Space Rangers – they’re totally convinced they’re real heroes, just like Buzz Lightyear was at the start of the first Toy Story. It’s hilarious! They immediately team up, build this makeshift raft, and head off to find Star Command. Talk about commitment to the bit!

Throughout the film, the Lightyears show up again and again, eventually meeting and teaming up with the main characters near the very end.

Honestly, their story doesn’t add a lot to the movie, except for a few funny visual jokes with the Buzz Lightyear clones.

What is Toy Story 5 about?

We quickly see a scene from the past showing Jessie’s previous owner, Emily. This establishes that this part of the story will focus on Jessie and acts like a follow-up to events in Toy Story 2.

The story really begins when we meet Bonnie, a timid girl who has trouble asking others to join her games and is finding it hard to make friends. This gives Jessie a straightforward mission: help Bonnie find a friend.

Just as she begins her new adventure, with help from some longtime friends, a big problem arises: a digital tablet named Lilypad.

Greta Lee voices Lily, a character who quickly fascinates Bonnie with her games and skills. However, Lily secretly uses her technological abilities to control both Bonnie and her family.

The latest Toy Story films are venturing into important and relevant themes, like cyber-bullying in the upcoming fifth installment. However, this also means the series occasionally covers similar ground it has before.

Retracing the steps of its predecessors

Toy Story 5 writer and director Andrew Stanton admits there is no connected Disney Pixar universe even though they LOVE reading the fan theories.

“Every time I read one I’m like… OH MY GOD!”

— ScreenTime (@screentime) June 13, 2026

In Toy Story 2, Jessie dealt with the heartbreak of being replaced by her former owner, Emily, which was highlighted in an emotional song. Toy Story 5 repeats this theme – Bonnie chooses a new toy, Lily, and unintentionally leaves Jessie behind.

The feeling of familiarity continues when Woody and Buzz return and immediately start vying for Jessie’s attention, both wanting to be her right-hand toy. Buzz, in particular, has a good reason to be interested in Jessie, something we won’t reveal just yet.

Okay, so while it’s cool seeing the original Buzz Lightyear get some new stuff going on, all these other super-advanced Buzzes and his team mostly think they’re amazing heroes throughout the movie. Honestly, it felt like watching a ton of toys suddenly become aware – way different than just seeing Woody and Buzz go through that in the first Toy Story. It’s like they took what worked with one toy and applied it to a whole army of them.

Scene-stealing Smarty Pants

The Toy Story films often divide the characters into separate storylines, sending them on different adventures filled with exciting action. Eventually, these storylines converge and the friends come back together.

Like the previous installments, Toy Story 5 jumps between two main storylines: Bonnie’s toys facing off against a new threat named Lilypad, and Jessie exploring the high-tech world of a new kid named Blaze.

The lineup features versatile Hippo Atlas, with Craig Robinson providing the voice, and Smarty Pants – a fun helper for potty training – brought to life by Conan O’Brien.

Honestly, Pants is hilarious! It’s so funny watching him freak out when his batteries are low – seriously, the dude needs juice. But then it gets kinda sweet; he starts getting bummed because Smarty doesn’t need help with the potty anymore and feels like he’s lost his job. He just wants to be useful, you know?

O’Brien delivers a particularly funny performance through voice acting, especially when his character, Smarty, gets upset. He also powerfully portrays the sadness felt as Smarty realizes he’s becoming outdated, which brings the movie – and the whole series – back to its central idea about change and relevance.

Is Toy Story 5 good?

It was always going to be difficult for Toy Story 5 to live up to the incredible standard set by the first three films. While it doesn’t quite reach that level, it’s noticeably better than Toy Story 4.

The show features stunningly animated dream sequences that explore Bonnie’s imagination, offering visuals unlike anything we’ve seen before in the series.

The latest Toy Story movie gives Jessie a bigger role, and Joan Cusack once again delivers a fantastic performance as the character. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are, as always, wonderful as Woody and Buzz, two truly beloved characters. However, this fifth installment explores many themes that go beyond their usual story.

The story mainly focuses on concerns about how much time young people spend looking at screens, and the problem of cyberbullying. While these issues aren’t the main focus, the film is likely to spark important discussions about them.

Honestly, what I loved about the new movie is that it really felt like a Toy Story film. It tackled those familiar, emotional themes – like dealing with being left behind – but in a way that felt new and relevant. There was also some seriously funny stuff, especially jokes about getting older, mostly poking fun at Woody. And the ending? It just perfectly captured what the series has always been about: the power of friendship and the importance of still letting yourself play, which is a message that will never get old.

Season 5 is a strong addition to the series, successfully blending humor and heartfelt moments while revisiting familiar themes. However, it doesn’t quite reach the same heights as the best installments.

Toy Story 5 hits cinemas worldwide on June 19, 2026.

Read More

2026-06-16 19:25