Big Screen Views: “Toy Story 5”

Once there was a boy named Andy. This 20th-century child witnessed the transformation of animation, the start of a revolution in cinema. 

Andy was the first “Toy Story” kid. He appeared in Pixar’s film about a bunch of toys who come alive when he’s not watching—the first movie made with 100 percent computer-generated imagery. That “Toy Story” was released Nov. 22, 1995. 

Fast-forward—and I do mean fast—to June 19, 2026. 

“Toy Story 5” holds up a mirror to itself and to us, awash as we are in technology. At the same time, it upholds its promise of good old-fashioned storytelling. There’s even a fire around which the toys gather at the beginning of the movie. 

The child at the center of “TS 5” is Bonnie, a sweet girl who is friendless. We get to know and love her, torn as she is between two worlds. Alone in her bedroom with a cadre of analog toys, she wonders why no other girls want to play with her. 

Bonnie’s well-meaning parents get her Lilypad, a tablet computer who is all too much like an AI companion. It’s a green monster of a sort, who connects our girl with kids from her dance class—who start out acting like friends. That doesn’t last. They’re this tale’s version of mean girls who trash Bonnie's budding confidence. 

But do not despair! Jessie, the cowgirl doll with red hair, long legs and emerald-green eyes, is here to take us on this hero’s journey! 

Hold on tight because there are horses involved! 

“TS 5” tumbles forth into a romp with Bonnie, Jessie, their beloved toy steed Bullseye, a primitive tech toy named Smarty Pants, and a too-brief appearance by the toy known as Pizza with Sunglasses. 

Pizza is voiced by none other than Bad Bunny, aka Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. Our Super Bowl halftime hero joins the fabulous voices of Joan Cusack as Jessie, Conan O’Brien as Smarty Pants and of course Tom Hanks as Woody. 

The famous actors aren’t the point, though. The drama is. “TS 5” is a yarn with all of the fiber: exquisitely clever writing by McKenna Harris and Andrew Stanton, spot-on scenes of families together and apart with their devices, and the score by longtime “Toy Story” composer Randy Newman. 

We can’t help but root for Jessie, who goes toe to toe with Lilypad.

“You’re not listening!,” the doll tells the screen. 

“I’m always listening,” the device retorts.

We also meet Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris), the Black girl whom Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) meets through a twist of fate. We see how Woody, who must be a senior citizen at this point, is still a romantic hero. We are dazzled by the flamboyant horse with the pink mane who leads their herd to the climax. And those of us elderly enough to remember them will smile at the 1970s-vintage lunch pail, cassette tape and clacker balls. 

“TS 5” is a tale of isolation, courage, generations of technology, and human connection. It’s about how despite all of our gadgets, we can still recognize each other. 

As Taylor Swift sings in the final song: “I saw you / Standing there in the light of the window wearing that same smile/ Man, it’s been a while /But I knew it, I knew you.”