'Toy Story 5' Review: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen return for timely installment as Pixar gang battles rise of tech

Woody, Buzz and the remainder of the beloved Pixar pack are backmost and look their biggest adversary yet successful "Toy Story 5": technology.

Eight-year-old Bonnie is 1 of the lone kids successful the vicinity who inactive plays with toys and isn't glued to immoderate device, which unluckily is preventing her from making friends. So her parents acquisition her a kid-friendly tablet, Lilypad (clearly inspired by the fashionable LeapFrog artifact brand).

It's a rude awakening for Bonnie's toys, learning rapidly from abandoned toys from different children that "the property of toys is over."

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Woody and Buzz Lightyear successful Disney and Pixar's "Toy Story 5." (Photo courtesy of Pixar. © 2026 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.)

Tom Hanks and Tim Allen reprise the roles that person made them kid movie stars for implicit 30 years, but they instrumentality a backmost spot arsenic Joan Cusack returns arsenic cowgirl Jessie, Bonnie's astir treasured toy, who takes the pb successful the tense turf warfare against Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee).

Part of maine is bitter astir the information that Disney decided to beverage the "Toy Story" franchise aft creating 1 of the top movie trilogies of each time. 2019's "Toy Story 4" was a good movie, but it surely falls abbreviated compared to its 3 predecessors.

The timely premise of "Toy Story 5" astatine slightest gives it intent too being a reliable currency cattle for the House of Mouse. And what's astonishing is the nuance the movie lays retired alternatively of blindly declaring that each tech is evil arsenic Lilypad insists she has Bonnie's champion interests astatine heart. 

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Bonnie successful Disney and Pixar's "Toy Story 5." (Photo courtesy of Pixar. © 2026 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.)

Jessie, who hasn't gotten this overmuch spotlight since her debut successful 1999's "Toy Story 2," takes halfway signifier successful "Toy Story 5" arsenic she indispensable grapple with her ain intent arsenic tech becomes ascendant successful children's lives. And the talents of Cusack genuinely radiance adjacent arsenic we lone perceive her voice, which unsocial carries a batch of affectional weight.

Would it assistance to person watched the archetypal 4 "Toy Stories"? Sure. But it's a kids' movie, truthful it doesn't instrumentality rocket subject to recognize the plot.

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Bullseye, Jessie, and Lilypad successful Disney and Pixar's "Toy Story 5." (Photo courtesy of Pixar. © 2026 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.)

Familiar faces from the erstwhile 4 installments instrumentality similar Rex (Wallace Shawn), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Bo Peep (Annie Potts) and Forky (Tony Hale) portion besides being introduced to a caller slate of amusive characters similar the scene-stealing potty-training artifact Smarty Pants (voiced by Conan O'Brien). Other notable additions to the formed see Keanu Reeves, Bonnie Hunt, Craig Robinson, Kristen Schaal, Ernie Hudson, Alan Cumming and Bad Bunny.

Two-time Oscar victor Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E) and McKenna Harris co-wrote/directed this film. Oscar-winning "Toy Story" seasoned Randy Newman returns to supply the philharmonic people portion Taylor Swift contributed the archetypal opus "I Knew It, I Knew You" successful the extremity credits.

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Jessie, Smarty Pants, Atlas, and Snappy successful Disney and Pixar's "Toy Story 5." (Photo courtesy of Pixar. © 2026 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.)

The Verdict

While it doesn't scope the caliber of the archetypal trilogy, "Toy Story 5" is simply a immense betterment implicit its 2019 predecessor and leverages the tech sermon we find ourselves successful to its vantage portion offering grade-A amusement Pixar is known for.

★★★ ½ — SEE IT NOW

"Toy Story 5" is rated PG for immoderate thematic elements and rude humor. Running time: 1 hour, 42 minutes. In theaters now.

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