Review: TOY STORY 5 Is Another Heartfelt Triumph That Reminded Me Why I Love This Franchise

It's kind of wild to think that I'm sitting here writing a reveiw for a fifth Toy Story movie. The original Toy Story was released back in 1995 when I was still in high school.

I remember seeing it at the El Capitan Theatre when it first opened and being completely blown away by what Pixar accomplished. Nobody had ever seen anything like it before.

It wasn't just the groundbreaking animation that made an impression. It was the characters. Woody, Buzz, and the rest of Andy's toys immediately became part of pop culture, but more importantly, they became characters we genuinely cared about.

Fast forward more than three decades, and I recently found myself back at the El Capitan Theatre watching Toy Story 5. Sitting there before the movie started, I couldn't help but think about that first experience all those years ago.

Suddenly all those memories came rushing back. It reminded me just how much this franchise has been a constant presence throughout different stages of my life.

That's probably why I walked into Toy Story 5 carrying a healthy amount of skepticism. I love this franchise. I genuinely do. The first three films are about as close to perfect as animated movies get. When Toy Story 3 ended, I was convinced Pixar had delivered one of the greatest conclusions ever put on screen.

Then Toy Story 4 came along, and while I never thought we needed it, Pixar somehow found another meaningful story worth telling. So when Toy Story 5 was announced, I had the same reaction many fans probably had.

How many times can they keep doing this? How many more emotional journeys can these characters go on before the magic starts wearing thin?

Well, after watching Toy Story 5, I'm officially done doubting Pixar’s work on this franchise. They've earned my trust…. Again.

What amazed me most about this movie is that it doesn't feel like a franchise desperately trying to justify its own existence. Instead, it feels like a creative team that genuinely found another story worth telling. Not only that, but they found a story that feels relevant to the world we're living in right now while still delivering everything that has always made Toy Story special.

The film centers primarily on Jessie, and I thought that was one of the smartest creative decisions Pixar could have made. After nearly thirty years of Woody and Buzz carrying the franchise, shifting the spotlight to Jessie injects new life into the story while allowing the filmmakers to explore themes that feel fresh.

Jessie has always been one of the franchise's most emotionally layered characters, dating all the way back to her unforgettable introduction in Toy Story 2. That movie delivered one of Pixar's most heartbreaking sequences, and Toy Story 5 builds upon those emotional scars in ways that feel surprisingly natural.

Jessie is now leading Bonnie's room, but she's carrying the weight of everything she's experienced. The fear of abandonment still lingers. The fear of being forgotten still lingers. The fear that everything she gives emotionally to a child might someday end with her sitting alone on a shelf once again still lingers.

Those feelings become the emotional backbone of the film, and they're explored with far more depth than I expected. What really caught me off guard is how effectively the movie taps into those emotions throughout the entire runtime.

Usually with a Toy Story movie you expect the big emotional breakdown to arrive during the final act. That's the formula. Pixar spends ninety minutes entertaining you and then emotionally dropkicks you during the finale.

This movie plays things differently. The emotional moments are woven throughout the entire story. There were multiple points where I felt myself getting choked up because these characters have been part of our lives for so long that their struggles still resonate.

Every time I think Pixar has exhausted these themes of friendship, purpose, belonging, and growing older, they somehow find a new angle that feels authentic.

There are essentially several major storylines unfolding simultaneously. Jessie is dealing with Bonnie becoming increasingly attached to technology. Bonnie herself is navigating friendships and social pressures.

Woody eventually finds his way back into the larger narrative. Then there's the absolutely bizarre but surprisingly entertaining subplot involving dozens of Buzz Lightyears stranded together and pursuing a mission that initially feels completely disconnected from everything else.

Early on, the movie can feel a little scattered because of all these moving parts. There were moments where I wondered if Pixar might have overloaded the narrative. Some storylines are simply more compelling than others, and the constant shifting between them occasionally affects the pacing. This isn't the cleanest or most streamlined Toy Story film Pixar has ever made.

But, the filmmakers knew exactly where they're going. As the story progresses, all of these seemingly separate threads begin weaving together in ways that become increasingly satisfying.

You can feel the movie locking into place piece by piece. Once everything clicks, the entire experience elevates. Character arcs start paying off. Emotional themes begin overlapping. The various storylines suddenly reveal how interconnected they've always been.

And when the film reaches its third act, Pixar absolutely delivers. I don't want to spoil anything, but this is an incredible strong finale for the franchise. The emotional payoff lands beautifully. The action is exciting. The character moments hit hard. Most importantly, everything feels earned.

One of the things I appreciated most is how thoughtfully the movie handles its central theme involving technology. It would have been very easy for Pixar to make technology the villain.

That approach would have felt simplistic and honestly pretty outdated. Instead, the film takes a much more nuanced view. Technology isn't presented as the enemy. It's simply another tool competing for a child's attention.

The movie explores questions about connection, loneliness, social development, online interaction, and the ways technology can both help and hinder relationships. These ideas are woven naturally into the narrative rather than feeling like lessons the audience is supposed to learn.

The best Pixar films have always trusted viewers to engage with deeper themes without hammering them over the head, and Toy Story 5 continues that tradition.

The introduction of several new characters also helps expand these themes. There’s a character named Blaze who provides an entirely new perspective that becomes incredibly important to Jessie's journey.

There’s also a collection of outdated technology-based toy character that end up being surprisingly effective as well. What initially feels like comic relief gradually evolves into one of the film's smartest ideas.

These characters understand obsolescence better than anyone because they've already lived through it. They know what it feels like to be replaced by something newer and shinier. That idea connects beautifully to what Jessie, Woody, and Buzz are experiencing.

At its core, Toy Story 5 is asking whether our value comes from our usefulness or from the impact we've had on the people around us. That's a powerful question, and it's one that resonates whether you're eight years old or eighty.

As much as I enjoyed the film, I will admit that some longtime fans may be disappointed by how little screentime certain characters receive. Rex, Slinky, Forky, and several others spend large portions of the movie sidelined. Even Woody's role is significantly smaller than what audiences may expect.

Personally, I found myself wishing for a little more Woody because Tom Hanks still brings so much warmth and heart to the character. At the same time, I understand why the filmmakers made that choice. This is Jessie's story, and the movie remains committed to that focus from beginning to end.

What ultimately stayed with me wasn't any specific plot point or action sequence. It was the realization that Pixar is still finding meaningful stories to tell with these characters after all these years. That's incredibly difficult to do. Yet somehow Toy Story continues finding new emotional territory to explore.

Walking into this movie, I was wondering whether Pixar could pull it off again. Walking out, I found myself laughing at the fact that I ever doubted them in the first place. At this point they've done it five times.

Five times they've taken characters I thought had reached the end of their journey and found another meaningful chapter worth telling. Five times they've managed to make me laugh, make me care, and make me unexpectedly emotional. Five times they've reminded me why this franchise remains one of the greatest achievements in animation.

No, Toy Story 5 doesn't surpass the first three films. Very few movies ever could. But, it comes remarkably close, and more importantly, it earns its place alongside them. It's funny, adventurous, thoughtful, emotional, and packed with the kind of heart that has defined this franchise from the very beginning.

Most importantly, it reminded me why I fell in love with Toy Story all those years ago, and honestly, that's all I could have hoped for.