Toy Story 5
★★★
It's hard to believe the Toy Story franchise is now more than 30 years old and still capable of dominating the box office. I grew up with these movies, and it's surreal to think I was in middle school when Woody and Buzz first appeared on the big screen. Now, those same characters have become favorites of my two daughters, making Toy Story 5 a perfect Father's Day trip to the theater for our family.
The good news is that Toy Story 5 is still an enjoyable movie. At this point, most audiences have such a deep relationship with these characters that simply spending more time with them is comforting. Pixar still knows how to balance humor, heart and adventure better than almost anyone.
That said, this is also the first Toy Story film that left me a little disappointed.
I may need to revisit Toy Story 4 to be sure, but this installment just felt flatter than its predecessors. I found myself laughing less than I expected and occasionally questioning some of the creative decisions. It even made me wonder whether this film will receive a little extra grace simply because it's attached to one of the most beloved franchises ever made.
Much to my surprise, Toy Story 5 centers primarily on Jessie and Bullseye as they navigate Bonnie's growing attachment to a new tech companion named Lilypad (Greta Lee). The marketing has emphasized "toys versus technology," and I actually thought the film handled that theme in a fairly thoughtful way. Rather than making technology itself the villain, it explores the challenge families face in balancing screen time with real-world relationships.
I appreciated that approach, but I also felt like the movie stopped just short of saying something truly meaningful with it.
Instead, much of the story becomes a familiar "find your way back home" adventure as Jessie is separated from Bonnie. In many ways, it reminded me of The Force Awakens—a movie that intentionally echoed the structure of the original Star Wars. Toy Story 5 follows a similarly familiar blueprint, almost feeling like a remix of the original film rather than charting new territory.
I also missed having Woody and Buzz as the emotional center of the story.
This isn't really a criticism of Jessie. I've always liked her as a character, and Joan Cusack is wonderful in the role. But there's a reason Woody and Buzz became two of animation's greatest protagonists. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen bring a chemistry and emotional weight that's difficult to replace. Buzz still has some memorable moments here, but Woody often feels like an afterthought.
I also wonder if younger girls may naturally connect with Jessie more than I do, and perhaps that influenced the filmmakers' decision to make her the focal point. But more than anything, I missed the ensemble dynamic that has always made these movies special. The Toy Story films have always worked best when the entire gang is bouncing off one another and working together.
Rather than leaning into those relationships, Toy Story 5 introduces another batch of new characters, and unfortunately most of them never quite click.
There are a few fun ideas. I especially laughed at the outdated tech toys, particularly an old digital camera that's hilariously proud of technology that's now completely obsolete. Those jokes landed.
But Conan O'Brien's new character, Smarty Pants, a potty-training toy, never really worked for me. I'm a huge Conan fan, but the movie leans far too heavily into bathroom humor, and the joke wears out its welcome long before the story moves on. It also becomes harder to shake the cynical thought that each sequel needs another wave of new toys simply because they might also become real toys on store shelves.
There's also a subplot involving an army of Buzz Lightyear figures. The payoff is genuinely funny, but getting there felt surprisingly slow, and I couldn't help thinking that time could have been better spent with Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the rest of the gang.
Despite those criticisms, Pixar still knows exactly where the emotional buttons are.
As a father of two daughters, Bonnie's struggle to connect with other kids while balancing the pull of technology hit especially close to home. The film's quieter moments about friendship, growing up and the importance of genuine human connection ultimately landed, and yes, it still got me a little misty-eyed by the end.
I walked out having enjoyed myself, but I also couldn't shake the feeling that I was never completely enthralled by this story. It never quite captured my imagination the way the previous films have. That's not to say it's a bad movie—far from it. Even a "good but not great" Toy Story is still better than most animated films released today.
Maybe I'm simply not ready for these characters to evolve beyond the ensemble that made me fall in love with them in the first place. And maybe that's my own baggage coming into the theater. But I also couldn't help wondering if this is the moment we'll eventually look back on as the beginning of franchise fatigue. We've already watched audiences slowly lose interest in sprawling cinematic universes like Star Wars and Marvel. I sincerely hope Toy Story doesn't head down that same path.
Still, if you love Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the rest of the gang, you're almost certainly going to have a great time. There's enough humor, heart and nostalgia here to make it a worthwhile family outing, especially on the big screen.
So please don't be too mad at me for not falling head over heels for this one. I still enjoyed the ride. I just don't think it reaches the imaginative heights that made the first four films feel truly timeless.
