The toys have come a long way since 1995. In the latest installment of the beloved Toy Story franchise, Jessie (Joan Cusack), Woody (Tom Hanks), and Buzz (Tim Allen) face off against their biggest threat yet: technology.
Toy Story 5 opens with a cargo of high-tech Buzz Lightyear toys washed ashore on a sandy beach. Unaware that they are indeed toys, the Buzzes come together to form an army and set out on a mission to find their “star command.” Meanwhile, the film transitions to the main cast, picking up where they last left off. Jessie, Buzz, and the rest of the gang are still with their kid Bonnie, while Woody’s out in the world as a “lost toy” alongside his love, Bo Peep.
Outside in the front yard, Bonnie and the toys enjoy their sunny days of imaginative play. The only problem is: Bonnie can’t seem to find someone to play with. On a mission to help Bonnie make friends, Jessie springs into action, but is met with the harsh reality that Bonnie is struggling to find a playmate because children her age are no longer playing with toys. Instead, they are glued to electronic devices.
It’s not long before Bonnie’s parents order their daughter an electronic device of her own, a frog-themed tablet named LilyPad (voiced by Greta Lee), in hopes it’ll help her socialize. However, posing as a threat to the toys’ playtime with Bonnie, LilyPad quickly becomes the film’s main antagonist and Jessie’s rival.
From there, the plot unfolds into a buddy comedy adventure. Separated from the rest of the toys, Jessie, accompanied by Bullseye, finds herself back at the home where her first owner, Emily, once lived, though a new family now inhabits it. While trying to return to Bonnie, the cowgirl rag doll encounters other toys, some first-generation tech, and many forgotten. Snappy (Shelby Rabara), Atlas (Craig Robinson), and Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien) are clear standouts, each character adding moments of humor strong enough to get the whole family laughing. The film, however, not only hits the mark on comedy but also in its handling of the disappearance of play in the digital age, largely developed through Jessie’s character arc and culminating in her doing what’s best for Bonnie.
In the end, as the credits roll, Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” encapsulates the film’s core themes of friendship and reunion with its layered vocal harmonies and country songwriting style. Taking the nostalgia up a notch is the film’s mid-credits scene, where the army of high-tech Buzz Lightyears flies down into the hands of kids on a playground. What happens next is a callback to the iconic twist from Toy Story 2, as one kid pulls out an Emperor Zurg action figure from his backpack, revealing to the Buzzes that he is their father. This scene is followed by a final post-credits scene, where the toys sing LilyPad’s song, making for a heartwarming moment that could perhaps be the franchise’s final goodbye.
Overall, Toy Story 5 meets the moment while retaining the same humor and emotional weight that made audiences fall in love with the film series from the beginning.
Featured Photo Credit: Disney/Pixar
Taylor Graham is a student at Columbia University, majoring in Film and Media Studies with a minor in Political Science. She has reported for numerous publications, including the Valencia Voice, Glitter Magazine, and Heritage Radio Network, and is currently the 150th Arts and Culture Editor for the Columbia Daily Spectator, one of the oldest college newspapers in the nation. With a passion for storytelling in the digital age, Taylor covers all things entertainment, from film and television to media and pop culture, interviewing professional actors, musicians, and content creators alike. When she’s not writing her next film review or feature story on an emerging artist, Taylor can be found playing tennis, reading literary fiction, or thrift shopping in NYC.