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Toy Story 5 (2026)

Directed by Andrew Stanton · 102 min

A snappy, funny rebound after Toy Story 4 that tackles kids and screens head on, though it doesn't reach the first three.

Jeff Ward

3.5/5

Matt Ward

4/5

Discussed on Episode 3: Toy Story 5, Paths of Glory, and our Spielberg Top 5 · Jump to 12:21

Matt

Matt watched it twice to prepare. He's in the camp that thought Toy Story 3 was the perfect ending, and Toy Story 4 didn't work for him at all, so this one felt like a rebound. Bonnie is getting older and trying to make friends, and the movie leans into how much phones and tablets shape that now, with Jessie trying to keep her playing with toys. Andrew Stanton co-wrote the story, and you can feel it: the dialogue is snappier and funnier than recent Pixar. The subplot with a big group of Buzz Lightyears didn't do much for him. He did appreciate that the parents feel authentic, and some of their conversations about devices are ones he's had at home. It's a fun, entertaining movie, but not up to the luster of the original three.

Jeff

Jeff liked the premise, since the toy world has changed a lot since the first film, but wasn't sold on how it handled technology. It seems to walk a line between vilifying screens and accepting them. The ending lands on technology as a tool for play and in-person friendship, which he agrees with. The sleepover scene hit home. His biggest gripe is the voice work: he thinks Joan Cusack's Jessie was distracting in a movie that makes Jessie the lead, and the voice cast is aging to the point that a Toy Story 6 would be hard.

He was surprised by the near-universal critical praise. We both rank it fourth of the five, ahead of Toy Story 4.

Family movie night

A natural conversation starter about devices. Bonnie comes home from a sleepover where every kid was on a screen, and that scene rang true for both of us as parents.