A One Mann’s Movies review of “Toy Story 5”. (2026, 4*, PG).
The toys are back in town. I must admit that in going into “Toy Story 5”, my opinion was the same as my daughter Jenn on their Movie Bread Club podcast review of the film: after making a brilliant Andy-trilogy, did we really need any more? And now after seeing this film, I still think that way to some extent.
But, that being said, Andrew Stanton and McKenna Harris have done a good job with this outing… it is entertaining, sufficiently moving to generate a tear in places and takes a more feminine-centric posture compared to the previous outings.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
Bonnie (voiced by Scarlett Spears) is having a difficult time with her social life. She has no friends to play with and this is exacerbated by them all being obsessed with technology while all Bonnie wants to do is enjoy make-believe games with Jessie (v/by Joan Cusack) and the rest of her toys. Her parents think that buying her a Lilypad console (v/by Greta Lee) will help her integrate. But the game turns Bonnie into a near zombie, much to the distress of her toys.
Certification:
UK: PG; US: PG. (From the BBFC website: “Mild bad language, rude humour.”)
Talent:
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Conan O’Brien, Greta Lee, Scarlett Spears, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Shelby Rabara, Craig Robinson, Lori Alan, Jay Hernandez, Bonnie Hunt.
Directed by: Andrew Stanton & McKenna Harris.
Written by: Andrew Stanton & McKenna Harris.
Running Time: 1h 42m.
Review:
Positives:
- As always with Pixar, and especially Toy Story, the photo-realistic visuals are astonishing at times. Some of the use of light and reflection are extraordinary. In a final credit scene, showing arrivals at a school, I actually thought we had dropped out of animation for a minute into real-life footage, the scene was so convincing.
- The script manages to deliver more than its fair share of laughs, with some memorable jokes: Woody gets it in the neck for his bald patch as a running gag. An army of toys arriving on horseback – with Buzz Lightyear of course riding the most magnificent purple-maned unicorn, is a comedy highlight!
- The script also delivers on the feels. This story is particularly female-centric with Jessie being the lead toy and most of the story focused on Bonnie’s very human problems. I found this different and refreshing. It covers not only the difficulties of a child trying and failing to fit into society, but also the very topical theme of bullying on social media and the enormous difficulty of parents in having to negotiate this very different adolescent landscape. (I would hate to have the responsibility for navigating the tricky 10 to 14 yo puberty-journey as a parent today. So many bear-traps to fall into.)
- We also get cast-back to one of the most emotional moments of the original trilogy: the tree with the tyre and Jessie being abandoned by her original owner, Emily. It just takes the briefest of notes of Randy Newman’s “When Somebody Loves Me” to set the lump right back in my throat! This leads to the most emotional part of the story for me, unearthing a secret underneath that tree, that I’m afraid released the dam behind my eyes!
- The story also delivers a wild-swing from its opening, with a container load of Tech-Buzzes washing up on the beach. They of course do not know they are toys and are desperate to return to ‘Star Command’. This stream of the film appears to run in total parallel with the main story. It does, of course, eventually join up with main narrative, but I suspect this might be a bit confusing for younger kids. Randy Newman’s music for the Buzz army has an almost Russian-male-choir aspect to it that I found insanely funny every time it played.
Negatives:
- As above, I’ve already praised the film for its female-centric storyline (although I am sure there will be a barrage of MAGats calling it “woke”!). But much of the love for Toy Story is in the familiarity with its familiar, original cast and they almost all get side-lined in this. Woody (Tom Hanks) is hardly in the film at all and really contributes nothing to the story; Buzz (as in, the original Buzz), Slinky, Rex, etc also have very little screen-time. Instead, we have a new set of tech-toys that are owned by a slightly older girl Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris). This includes a potty-training toy called Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien), a camera-toy Snappy (Shelby Rabara) and a GPS device, Atlas (Craig Robinson). The comedy value of this is variable: Smarty Pants is funny for a while, but the number “1” and “2” jokes get tiresome after repetition.
- Who is this film for? A correspondent to the “Kermode and Mayo Take” podcast described how his younger child said during the film “Can we go home and watch the real Toy Story?”. And I can see how that might be reflected with other kids. My friend and podcast colleague Scott Forbes argued on our most recent Flickering Dreams show that Toy Story 5 is not really aimed at kids at all, but on that army of adults who grew up with the original trilogy…. and I think he’s right about that.
Monkeys
Yes there are ‘monkeys‘ in mid-credits and after the credits, both of which are good and worth waiting for.
Summary Thoughts:
The illustrious Mrs Movie Man REALLY enjoyed this Toy Story outing: she wouldn’t give it five stars… but she would give it four-and-a-half. I was cooler about it than she was, but it demonstrates Pixar still on very good form and I certainly enjoyed it. I notice I gave “Toy Story 4” five stars…. but I think I was in a very generous mood! I’d put “Toy Story 5” on a par – if slightly ahead – of that last film, (but I’m getting stingier with handing out my highest ratings!)
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c51ND9Hdbw0.
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