Toy Story 5

Scott Hardie: “It was ok.”

This movie is perhaps better than one might have expected, given that it was announced with a flood of other sequels on Disney's 2023 Q1 earnings call at a time of anxiety around the company's finances and future. Pointless cash-in sequels rushed into production can mollify shareholders, but they don't have a lot of creative promise. That's especially true because of its very simple logline, which feels like a regression back to a child's bedroom after the previous sequels set out to expand and explore the world.

But it turns out that there's a lot to like here: The clever potty humor around Conan O'Brien's sarcastic toilet-training toy. An insightful (if under-explored) take on the dangers that today's information technology poses to children. An unexpected but warmly realized conclusion to the character arc begun decades ago by Jessie, who takes on the lead protagonist role here and finds it fitting like a glove.

On the other hand, there's a time-wasting subplot about a squad of lost Buzz toys that feels like a rehash of material already explored in this series, and Woody's presence feels superfluous to an almost annoying degree, since he was so boldly and thoughtfully written out in the last film and adds nothing to this one. (How far is the range on those walkie-talkies?) And overall, this movie never quite escapes the feeling that it has no reason to exist beyond a corporate mandate, as with most Disney-Pixar sequels. But hey, have any films in this series felt truly essential since the first?This review contains spoilers. Reveal it.

− September 27, 2026 • more by Scott • log in or register to reply