Toy Story 5 Review: Pixar’s Oldest Franchise Delivers Its Funniest & Most Emotional Adventure Yet

As the years go by, Pixar’s strongest franchise continues to find a nuanced, emotional, light, and timely story for each new generation of kids. Even though certain conflicts are familiar from previous entries, Toy Story 5 reinvigorates and modernizes them with deft writing, powerful vocal performances, and bold story decisions.

Seven years after the fourth outing, Toy Story 5 arrives with a meaningful story to tell, and does so with precision, humor, and pathos on par with the original trilogy’s heyday. Not only are the animation, of-the-moment storytelling, voice performances, and character development strong enough to warrant returning to this Pixar franchise again, but this film pulls off the impressive feat of being the funniest and most emotional Toy Story yet.

Toy Story 5's Heartfelt Story Keeps The Franchise Fresh & Relevant

One of the greatest strengths of the original Toy Story trilogy was that each installment had an important (and well-written) story to tell around different aspects of growing up, with each core conflict resonating more strongly with different generations of kids. The 1995 film contended with community, jealousy, and embracing change as kids grow; the 1999 sequel focuses more on the fears of getting older and what gets left behind as one ages; and 2010’s Toy Story 3 came full circle with themes of learning to let go of the past with love and care.

Though 2019’s Toy Story 4 is still a strong follow-up with incredible feats of animation, it fell short in comparison to the heart and necessity of its predecessors. The fourth film largely dealt with finding purpose and fulfillment when entering a new chapter in life, and while Woody’s (Tom Hanks) arc was well-executed, it struggled more to balance the vast ensemble of toys, create a deeper emotional attachment with Bonnie as Andy’s replacement, and avoid retreading familiar conflicts for Toy Story’s main characters and villains.

Toy Story 5 is a more complete return to form, with its refreshing narrative bolstered by the decision to put Jessie (Joan Cusack) in the lead over Woody and Buzz (Tim Allen). Woody’s story has already been masterfully told, but there was plenty more to explore with Jessie and her struggles with abandonment after losing both Emily and Andy. With the franchise having also maintained a romantic subplot between Jessie and Buzz since Toy Story 2, the Space Ranger gets ample opportunities to continue growing and developing without feeling like he’s taking the backseat.

By switching up the prominence of the characters in Toy Story 5, Disney’s latest entry also explores a completely different perspective on how to help the child and fellow toys. After four Toy Story movies, we know how Buzz and Woody would approach Bonnie’s struggles and the arrival of Lilypad (Greta Lee) – the core conflict of the original movie was Woody feeling overshadowed by the more technologically advanced Buzz. Jessie hasn’t faced a problem of that caliber before. Her history with Emily adds a more nuanced take to further invigorate the series.

With Jessie front-and-center to help both Bonnie, herself, and the returning toys that audiences have come to love over 30 years, Toy Story 5 sticks the landing with its themes of connection, friendship, technology, and embracing new phases without the pressure to abandon your past. Just as Buzz was never the villain in the original movie, neither is Lilypad in Toy Story 5; the film takes an evenhanded approach to coming to terms with the dangers and benefits of tech for young kids.

While Toy Story 5 adds some humor to parents’ real struggles with too much screen time for kids and fears of disconnection from reality, the franchise reaches some of its most heartbreaking, emotionally compelling depths yet when addressing hurtful issues young children are facing on the internet. Highlighting how Toy Story is at its best when it grows with its audience, the movie tackles an issue that didn’t exist back when the series began with great care, in order to make millions of children feel less alone or unseen.

That said, the film is far from a one-sided condemnation of technology shaming parents for giving kids tablets. Toy Story 5 also celebrates the benefits of tech for kids, striving to find a balance between the importance of physical toys and creative play in young children while using tech as another tool for connection with friends and independence.

This story ultimately provides a much deeper understanding of and connection to the central kids than any previous movie. Even when Toy Story 3 beautifully showcased a more nuanced version of Andy saying goodbye to his childhood, there was plenty left unknown about who he was outside the toys’ perception of him. Toy Story 5 goes much deeper with Bonnie, extending far beyond just being Andy's new stand-in.

While the pacing of the first act drags a bit as it reintroduces the characters and evokes déjà vu with similarities to the 1995 original, once Toy Story 5 finds its groove, it rides like the wind for the remainder of the runtime. Part of the early slow tempo is due to a bold subplot that finally comes together satisfyingly in the final act, as well as the film taking significant time to introduce and develop a new group of toys Jessie contends with.

Toy Story 5 Goes Back To Basics & Packs A Big Punch

Overall, Toy Story 5 finds a satisfying balance for its multigenerational audience, with varying degrees of nostalgia to target. Pixar crafts a timely story for today’s kids, uses Woody and Buzz as vehicles for the struggles of aging and adult-life milestones for the original audience, and strikes a tone with its humor that appeals to each demographic.

After Toy Story 4’s huge ensemble and increased scale, Toy Story 5 returns to basics with a simpler setting, focused conflict, and balanced cast of toys, giving it more time to spend with new and familiar faces rather than spreading itself too thin. The lived-in, more relatable atmosphere of the original trilogy returns after departing for the carnival and antique shops, giving a greater sense of the toys’ new daily lives and Bonnie’s safe environment.

There’s one key Buzz subplot that frequently takes Toy Story 5 away from this setting and the main children, though it ultimately becomes one of the most hilariously bizarre yet enjoyable stories of the franchise. While it could have easily just become a comedic Pixar short released on Disney+, the storyline consistently yields the biggest laughs of the movie. Its inventive twists and turns are so much more compelling to enjoy on the big screen and within the context of Toy Story 5’s overall arc.

Meanwhile, in emphasizing the simple importance of children creating imagined worlds and characters with their toys, Toy Story 5 adds in some incredible new tricks for these moments. The animation style shifts into a more childlike format when Bonnie is playing, allowing audiences to peer into another creative layer in her mind while she crafts a stage for the cast of toys as actors in her play.

From beginning to end, Toy Story 5 is filled with whimsy, humor, and heart that make it easy for older audiences to connect with their inner child on both playful and emotional levels. The tone is kept light enough with quick gags throughout each storyline, but still carries a sensitive and poignant weight, with the deep empathy expressed for Jessie, Bonnie, Blaze, and Lilypad's hardships. Though Disney has faced some flack for a reliance on sequels, Toy Story 5 brings everything that could be wanted out of a classic Pixar story to the table.

Though the movie leaves off on a beautiful note of closure for some key character arcs, it doesn’t feel like the final note on this world. Rather, there’s plenty of opportunity for a potential Toy Story 6 to tackle unknown hardships that kids will face with toys and connection a decade from now. As long as there’s a meaningful story to tell, the franchise can continue to adapt with its audience, just as Toy Story 5 expertly does.

Toy Story 5 releases in theaters nationwide on Friday, June 19.