TL;DR – A perfectly adequate addition to the series with the odd tender moment, and a lot of coincidence, so much coincidence.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid- and post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Toy Story 5 Review Introduction

Look, I am just going to make it clear from the get-go that I walked into this film with the strong belief that it was not only unnecessary but profoundly detrimental to the franchise. Toy Story 3 is one of my Top 10 Animated Films of All Time and is the perfect ending to the series. I sort of worked my way through Toy Story 4, which, when you think of it, is more of an epilogue than a standalone film. I didn’t feel there was enough left in the tank to justify a fifth entry, and I think I was right.

So, to set the scene, Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) has been growing up fast, but still loves playing with her toys every day. But Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the gang have been trying to get her out of her shell so she can make some new friends. What Jessie does not know is that there is a storm brewing, and that storm is tech. Across the neighbourhood, toys are being abandoned as kids turn to tech to entertain themselves. But what was a neighbourhood problem is now in their house as a new Lilypad (Greta Lee) device has arrived, and it does not play fair.

What Worked

While I do have my frustrations with the film, I cannot deny that there are parts of it that did work. The first of which is simply making clear that this is a Pixar film, and no matter what, that does still mean that there is a base level to the proceedings that provides a solid foundation for what is about to come. The animation flows seamlessly, and that makes such a difference. They are also building upon one of the most successful animated franchises in the world, so you don’t have to do all that worldbuilding; you can jump in with the shenanigans and run with it, and that is quite refreshing. Then, even though they were reaching for things with a fifth iteration, the idea of traditional toys versus technology was a solid positioning for this story.

It also helps that every member of the cast nailed their performances. Given that Jessie is the lead this time around, it gave Joan Cusack a platform to hit some real emotional moments. She is the heart of the movie, and she absolutely rose to the occasion. More than any of the other previous films, this Toy Story focuses on the non-toy characters, which is good, as I liked the performances of Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) and Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris) as the focal points for the film. There is a point in the film where Scarlett Spears will break your heart. In a series that has fewer original cast members in each iteration, it also brings new voices in each time, and Conan O’Brien, Craig Robinson, & Shelby Rabara make a fun trio.

What Didn’t Work

While it did have all the potential to work here, unfortunately, some serious narrative decisions truly hampered the experience. The first is how much this story is based on coincidence, and yes, I know this is a film made for kids, but even then, come on. While the ending lands, the mechanisms used to get everyone there felt more forced than a coach having to do a press conference after their team got obliterated. They even reached for the Star of Bethlehem analogy at one point. Then the film positions us with a central conflict: toys vs tech, and while it does do a good job in showing the dangers it presents, it also wants to have its cake and eat it too by the end. There was no fortitude shown on what might be the most defining issue of our current age.

Unfortunately for Toy Story 5, the more I think about its narrative, the more wanting it becomes. A good example of this is that if you removed Woody (Tom Hanks) from the film, nothing would have changed, other than it would have streamlined the story more. At every stage, it felt like a forced addition to the film and made the resolution of Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 feel like a waste of time. The story was already struggling under the weight of all the different characters already, and that is even before we shoehorned in a bunch of films that should have, and frankly already did, sunset. At every corner, the narrative felt contrived, padded, and forced, and that is just not an enjoyable or emotive experience.

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Toy Story 5? Look, if you have young kids, then I think there’s enough here for a decent family watch, but it’s hard to justify a cinema trip when a Disney+ release will do just fine. Have you watched Toy Story 5? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Toy Story 5, we would recommend The Wild Robot to you because it is a stunningly beautiful film that understands the power of family to shape the lives of those around you.  

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Toy Story 5
Directed by – Andrew Stanton & McKenna Harris
Screenplay by – Andrew Stanton & McKenna Harris  
Based on – Toy Story by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, & Joe Ranft
Music by – Randy Newman
Cinematography by – Matt Aspbury & JC Kalache
Edited by – Jennifer Jew
Production/Distribution Companies – Pixar Animation Studios, & Walt Disney Pictures
Starring – Joan Cusack, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, 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, Krys Marshall, Jeff Bergman, Blake Clark, Anna Vocino, Bad Bunny, Jerome Ranft, Annie Potts, Matty Matheson, John Ratzenberger, Keanu Reeves, Melissa Villaseñor, & Alan Cumming
Rating – Australia: G; Canada: G; Germany: 0; New Zealand: na; United Kingdom: PG; United States: PG