Toy Story first came out in 1995. It was followed by Toy Story 2 in 1999, Toy Story 3 in 2010 and Toy Story 4 in 2019. Oftentimes a series will keep going if it’s a moneymaker, regardless of critical reception, but the Toy Story series is an outlier in that respect. To date, the series has grossed well over $3 billion, and each film has been praised by critics and viewers alike. It is as successful a film series as they come, and it also comes as no surprise that now, in 2026, we have a fifth instalment. Does it live up to the legacy that Disney and Pixar have built over the last 31 years, or is time the toys hung up their pull-strings?

Director: Andrew Stanton
Writers: Andrew Stanton, Kenna Harris
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Conan O’Brien, Scarlett Spears, Greta Lee, Shelby Rabara, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Craig Robinson, Annie Potts, Keanu Reeves, Bonnie Hunt, Kristen Schaal, Wallace Shawn, Blake Clark, John Ratzenberger

Warning: there will be spoilers for previous Toy Story films.

Bonnie (Spears), now eight-years-old, still enjoys playing with Jessie (Cusack) and the gang of toys she was given by Andy. However, her parents are worried that she is struggling to make friends. The girls from Bonnie’s dance class all own a ‘Lilypad’, a screen device where they can chat and play games together. To the utter horror of Jessie and the toys, Bonnie’s parents decide to get Bonnie her own Lilypad (Lee) to help her socialise. Jessie, deciding that the mean girls from the dance class are not the right friends for Bonnie, sets out on a mission to find Bonnie a real friend, one that will share her love of playing with her toys before she truly grows out of them, and she will need the help of Buzz (Allen) and Woody (Hanks) to do it.

If I may get a little personal for a moment, I was six years old when the first Toy Story was released, and not only do I remember what a phenomenon it was (everyone had a Woody and/or Buzz toy), but also the impact it had on us children. It was perhaps especially poignant as it arrived just a few years before computers became integral to family homes and about a decade before mobile phones and game consoles became more targeted at younger people. Having Toy Story remind us about play time right before devices became the norm felt like the last hurrah that no one actually realised it would be, and yet Toy Story has stayed with those of us who grew up with Woody and Buzz and continue to watch the films as they are periodically released, still reminding us of how it felt to play with toys and with our friends. Although none of the sequels have quite lived up to the first film entirely, they have all been incredibly strong performers and have lit up our lives every 7-10 years. To thatend, I’m happy to say that Toy Story 5 continues that trend.

I think the reason the films have been so successful are threefold: first, they appeal to our inner child, the one that remembers when Toy Story came out and what it felt like to use our imaginations and just play. The second is that the characters are so well written and performed and have been around long enough that we have formed an emotional connection to them, especially Woody and Buzz. The third is that the films are spaced out enough to allow for the cultural zeitgeist to move on and provide fresh fodder for a Toy Story plot. This time, it’s the overwhelming use of devices that is taking children away from toys. TS5 does a great job of showcasing some of the issues regarding the relationship between devices and the social development of children, even if it has to be biased toward the toys by the end, and it has become more ethnically diverse with its characters in a very natural way, which will hopefully make many minority children especially happy. It retains much of what we love about a Toy Story film, including the adventurous nature, the introduction of some funny new characters, dialogue and action that appeals to both children and adults, and the growth of the main characters. It’s also a testament to Disney and Pixar that the characters are still recognisable in their personalities yet have been allowed to ‘grow’, much like their original audience has done (Woody’s bald spot in a place where a toy would likely start to lose its paint job was particularly inspired). It’s also nice to see Woody and Buzz still at loggerheads sometimes, in spite of their close friendship.

If there’s one thing that would stop the series from having a sixth, or maybe seventh, film, it’s that the voice actors are getting on in age. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen have given over 30 years of their careers to Woody and Buzz, respectively, and have given us two of the most recognisable character voices in film history. They are irreplaceable. Although there are actors (including Hanks’s own brother Jim) who have lent their voices to the characters in other projects, it just would not be the same when it comes to the film series. The same could be said of Joan Cusack as Jessie. These actors are as much a part of these characters as their recognisable outfits. It’s also nice to have Jessie as the lead in TS5, as the story pertains to her history and she has a different bond with Bonnie than that of Buzz or Woody previously. Hanks, Allen and Cusack have continued to give the characters the emotional depth that keeps bringing us back to these films and heling to make them the success they are.

On the whole, Toy Story 5 continues the emotional ride that began in 1995, in which toys fight to stay relevant to those for whom they were made and remind us that they have helped shape us into the adults we are, particularly those who continue to use their imagination in whatever form. It’s a delightful continuation that is relatable and has moved with the times well enough to stay completely relevant. Whether or not there will be another film (if Hanks, Allen, Cusack and Andrew Stanton aren’t involved, I truly believe it will not work, no matter what they do), TS5 is a good place to end and keep the legacy in tact. It almost scares me to think about a world where toys go completely un-played with, and it could be a struggle to keep the themes going. This series is a comfort blanket, and it would be nice if it could continue to hold its head up high and stay that way.