#REVIEW: “TOY STORY 5”

Review by Justin Waldman for Mr. Will Wong

As someone with three separate Toy Story tattoos and Pixar one as well, the brand and franchise hold a very special place in my heart. I was too young to be Andy in Toy Story, but by the time Toy Story 3 came out, and we witnessed those final moments where we thought we were saying goodbye to Woody, Buzz and everyone else for the first real time, I was devastated! I still am destroyed emotionally. I approached Toy Story 5 with hesitations because I felt it was impossible to top the great heights the series has reached.

Toy Story 5 does what I feared most and that is bring in another new toy as the villain that is not an actual toy. We had the same issue in 4 with Forky (Tony Hale). However, in 5 we have a new dynamic, as Woody (Tom Hanks) has gone to be with Bo Peep (Annie Potts) to live in the woods with the characters from 4, and Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) has left to save abandoned toys and ensure their safety. As a result, this gives the audience a proper look at Jessie on her own, beyond her introduction in 2. She gets the spotlight here as she is trying to be the best toy ever for Bonnie (Scarlett Spears), who is really struggling to fit in and make friends in this new technological world. This is where Bonnie’s parents decide to get Bonnie a Lilypad (Greta Lee) an interactive child-friendly tablet, essentially. Similar to the original story, Bonnie is excited by the new shiny toy, and is starting to choose Lilypad over Jesse, Buzz, and anyone else, which is starting to worry the toys that they’ll soon be disposed of and forgotten. Something that Jesse cannot fathom since her former owner Emily did the same to her, all those years ago – something that is a pivotal point throughout the story of Toy Story 5.

While all of this is going on, there is a side story converges into the main story by the Film’s finish, focusing on Buzz but not the Buzz audiences have come to love, but a new army of Buzz Lightyears. They’re running on factory settings, and are now high-tech (the reveal made me giddy with joy) and need to get to Star Command and protect themselves from evil emperor Zurg (who unfortunately is not in this movie). Allowing Jessie to have her own story, fleshes-out the one main character we’ve never truly gotten a chance to know yet. At once, the audience is reunited with beloved Buzz and Woody, entering the fray with some miscommunication.

It’s hard to believe the very children who grew-up with the franchise, seeing the evolution of the internet, are now well into their adulthoods, many with children even.  Hence, the theme of evolving technology explored here, surely is a relatable sticking point. Toy Story 5 is a triumphant return to form for the franchise, ranking among its best yet.

When it comes to the voicework from the Cast, it’s important to focus on Joan Cusack. While she’s been a part of it all since 2, we feel like we don’t know much about her. There is a moment where she is on the back of RC trying to catch-up to a moving truck, where her sheer brilliance is put on full display. The audience connects to and loves Jessie – there is no doubt about that. Where Cusack truly excels though is tapping into Jessie‘s loneliness and fear. Other newcomers to the Toy Story universe, namely Greta Lee whose omnipresence is both terrifying and captivating, and a trio of Conan O’Brien as Smarty Pants, Craig Robinson as Atlas and Shelby Rabara as Snappy are very effective conveying that over-arching theme of worry. Change may be scary, but sometimes it’s how we embrace it that makes the difference.

Toy Story 5 was never going to dethrone the original as the best in the franchise, but it came with the caveat of bringing back its glory. In my honest opinion, Toy Story ended for me as a franchise in 3. The toys went to Bonnie, Andy grew up, It was perfect. I was left wanting nothing more.

Toy Story 5 proves that there are indeed things we didn’t know we needed. This is arguably the best movie of the year, all around. It is so emotionally-connected, told articulately, animated beautifully, and grounded within itself. It gives us something fresh, something old, and something unimaginable. Seeing how satisfied we left this Film, it is hard to imagine where a possible Toy Story 6 might go. New characters, maybe? This time around particularly, it is even harder to part ways with the toys that have brought us 31 years of happiness, sorrow, and thrills.

Walt Disney Studios Canada release TOY STORY 5 in theaters Friday, June 19, 2026.