“Our movie-going culture may not have needed another Toy Story film, but it could certainly use more films like Toy Story — and if we aren’t getting more films like Toy Story, even a recycled Toy Story film might be better than nothing.” This is what I had to say about Toy Story 4 at the beginning of a two-part essay on the series that I wrote in 2019. It works just as well, if not better, for summing up my take on Toy Story 5 in 2026. Toy Story 5 often feels recycled and redundant in ways that Toy Story 4 did not, but watching it also reassured me that Toy Story remains the best animated franchise out there. The film is well-made, funny, and thoughtful, and I was glad to see it expand the Toy Story universe and explore its key themes in fresh new ways.

Going into the film, I expected this expansion and exploration to move in two directions. The trailers for Toy Story 5 advertised it as a film about Sheriff Woody’s return and about the advent of digital tablets for kids, represented by a new character, Lilypad. As it turns out, these two subjects do not significantly intersect with each other and do not receive equal attention. Both, however, revisit the classic Toy Story question, “What are toys made for?”

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