Toy Story 5

Should you watch Toy Story 5?

Watch Toy Story 5 if you love the franchise, want to share a Pixar theatrical experience with your family, or are simply curious whether the studio still has something meaningful to say about childhood, play, and growing up. With Andrew Stanton directing and the original voice cast returning, the creative foundation is as strong as it has ever been. Toy Story 5 is one of the most anticipated animated family movies of 2026, and it opens in theaters on June 19, 2026.

Why watch this movie?

Toy Story 5 is a Pixar animated sequel that brings Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and the full gang back to theaters for the first time since Toy Story 4. Directed by Andrew Stanton—the Academy Award-winning filmmaker behind Finding Nemo and WALL-E—the film centers a new kind of threat: not a new owner or an antique store, but technology itself. When Bonnie receives a smart tablet called Lilypad as a gift and becomes increasingly obsessed with it, the toys find themselves competing with a device that has its own disruptive ideas about what is best for a child. Toy Story 5 arrives at a moment when the tension between screens and play is genuinely on families' minds, which gives the story an immediacy the franchise has always known how to earn. With a runtime of 1 hour and 42 minutes and a PG rating, it is designed for the widest possible audience—and backed by a cast and creative team that represent thirty years of Pixar storytelling at its most assured.

Who should watch it?

This film is ideal for families with children, longtime Pixar fans who grew up with the original Toy Story trilogy, and adults who want a heartfelt animated adventure with something genuine to say. Parents watching alongside their kids will find plenty to connect with in a story about attention, play, and what it means to be truly present. It is also a strong theatrical choice for viewers who appreciate animation at the highest level—Pixar's fifth Toy Story film arrives with the full weight of the franchise's history behind it, and with Andrew Stanton directing, the craft and emotional intelligence that made the series great are firmly in place.

Pros

• Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return as Woody and Buzz in the roles most associated with them
• Director Andrew Stanton brings his Finding Nemo and WALL-E creative sensibility to the franchise
• A modern, relevant premise that makes technology vs. play feel personal for families today
• Randy Newman returns for his fifth Toy Story score, ensuring tonal and emotional continuity
• Original song by Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff adds a contemporary cultural moment to the soundtrack
• Strong new voice additions including Greta Lee as Lilypad and Conan O'Brien, Craig Robinson, and others

Cons

• Audiences who felt Toy Story 4 was a definitive ending may need time to recalibrate expectations
• The tablet-as-antagonist premise is a departure from the toy-to-toy dynamics of the earlier films
• A large ensemble cast means not every returning character gets substantial screen time
• Those seeking the emotional finality of Toy Story 3 will find this chapter more open in tone

If you liked this movie

The most essential companions to Toy Story 5 are the four films that came before it: Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010), and Toy Story 4 (2019), which form one of the most consistently praised animated franchises ever made. Lightyear (2022) offers a different perspective on the Buzz Lightyear mythology within the same Pixar universe. Within Pixar's broader catalog, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, WALL-E, Up, Inside Out, Coco, and Inside Out 2 all share the studio's signature combination of family warmth and genuine emotional depth. The Incredibles 2 is a particularly strong pick for viewers who enjoy watching Pixar revisit beloved characters years later and find something new worth saying.