Film Review: TOY STORY 5 (2026): A Fun and Enjoyable Look at How Technology Affects Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the Gang

Toy Story 5 Review

Toy Story 5 (2026) Film Review, a movie written and directed by McKenna Harris and Andrew Stanton and starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Conan O’Brien, Scarlett Spears, Greta Lee, Shelby Rabara, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Craig Robinson, Lori Alan, Jay Hernandez, Bonnie Hunt, Kristen Schaal, Tony Hale, John Hopkins, Wallace Shawn, Ernie Hudson and Krys Marshall.

Filmmakers McKenna Harris and Andrew Stanton’s hilarious animated sequel, Toy Story 5, is a heartwarming movie that touches upon very important topics while sharing its beloved characters with audiences in some new and insightful ways. Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks) are present in the new film – in fact, there are many Buzz toys present in the picture, but the new film focuses more on Jessie (Joan Cusack) and her child owner, Bonnie (Scarlett Spears). This film employs the premise that technology is interfering with the way children play with old-fashioned toys and the movie examines both the pros and cons of how “devices” have ruled the world, so to speak. It’s a really smart movie with some excellent ideas alongside some more of what made the other movies in the series so successful.

Woody is balding this time out and the film has fun with the fact that our heroes, Woody and Buzz, are getting older. Forky (Tony Hale) is back in a small role, too, as the picture begins with Forky getting married in make-believe land. “I now pronounce you husband and knife,” Jessie proudly declares. The major threat to the toys and to Bonnie’s well-being is Lilypad (the great Greta Lee). The toys encounter this green iPad which makes Bonnie three friends from dance class in a matter of seconds. Jessie believes that Bonnie deserves true friends and those come from real-life, according to the cowgirl Cusack voices so enjoyably.

Conan O’Brien plays the old-school Smarty Pants, who is an aging potty training “device.” O’Brien gets a few good one-liners and has plenty of fun in the minor role while Lee definitely brings a character to life (Lilypad) that the toys must contend with as they figure out if the “device” is a friend or foe.

Toy Story 5 has an exceptionally well-conceived storyline at its core. This film shows that Lilypad isn’t necessarily all bad, and that technology can be an asset if it’s not being used as a substitute for human interactions. Children are meant to interact with other kids in order to have fuller Iives, and the toys in the movie discover that times are changing, but the toys can still be relevant to Bonnie and future generations of kids, regardless.

There are a number of scenes that tug at the heartstrings. Jessie and her horse, Bullseye, are put into their old owner’s mailbox, but they escape in the name of being with Bonnie who they believe needs them so very much. Buzz and Jessie also develop their relationship a bit in the movie as they grow closer, but this film doesn’t zero in too much on that special bond they have. Still, emotional scenes saturate the film.

There are scenes with Buzz toys that are in enormous quantities and the return of Woody in order to help the toys deal with Lilypad and the device’s impact on Bonnie. Woody encourages Jessie to know that the “device” can never truly replace her as a special toy for Bonnie and those owners Jessie had before.

Cusack is the best part of Toy Story 5 with her characterization of Jessie truly hitting the “bullseye” as Jessie rides around on her horse, Bullseye. If any voice can get nominated for an Oscar, it would be former Academy Award nominee Cusack who gives this role the kind of special love it needs. Cusack is humorous, heartfelt and extraordinary in terms of the way she brings Jessie to the screen Jessie is brave, endearing and fully committed to Bonnie and her friends. Audiences will truly enjoy Cusack’s work to the max.

If there are a few problems in Toy Story 5, chalk it up to too much familiarity with the central toy characters. Yes, Woody goes bald and Buzz gets closer to Jessie, but something feels like we’ve seen much of this material before in some shape or form, save for the way technology intervenes in the action. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. Audiences who love the previous films will enjoy the new picture, but may feel like the time has come to say goodbye to this particular gang of toys. On the other hand, people who haven’t seen all the other films will truly relish in the magic that happens on-screen which is much more emotional if you haven’t experienced it before in other Toy Story movies.

At the end of the movie, Toy Story 5 could leave a tear or two in viewers’ eyes. There’s so much to love about these characters and Jessie is so fun to be around that it’s almost unbearable if she’s not at the center of attention in the picture. Jessie is addictive as a character and is the very essence of Toy Story 5. Technology can never replace the comfort of having a toy/doll to sleep with at night, but it can make learning math a little easier. Toy Story 5 weighs the pros and cons of the abundance of “devices” in the world and decides that maybe there’s room for toys and computers/phones to all be a piece of this great thing called life, particularly that wonderful experience known as childhood. This is a really good movie.

Rating: 7.5/10

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