Toy Story 5 opens with a cargo ship full of high-tech Buzz Lightyear toys crashing on a desert island, stuck in demo mode. They escape, follow the North Star and try to get back to “Star Command.” The human story belongs to Bonnie, who gets a frog-themed tablet called Lilypad “Lily” from her parents. Bonnie becomes addicted to Lily and starts neglecting her toys. Jessie, now Bonnie’s favorite and the new leader of the toy gang, tries to explain to Lily that Bonnie needs a real friend. Lily solves the problem by sending a friend request to Chelsea, one of Bonnie’s classmates, on social media.
The film’s tagline is “It’s on.” That sums up the stakes: playtime is under threat from a device that wants to replace it. Jessie fears losing Bonnie’s affection entirely. She contacts Woody via walkie-talkie for advice. Woody has left to help Bo Peep find homes for abandoned toys, but he decides to return to Bonnie because he believes Jessie needs help.
When Chelsea invites Bonnie over for a sleepover, Jessie and Bullseye stow away in Bonnie’s suitcase. Bonnie takes Lily with her. Chelsea, alongside her friends Heidi and Kara, question Bonnie for still playing with toys, and Bonnie has her father take Jessie and Bullseye home. Jessie and Bullseye escape but are found by an elderly couple. Seeing an old address under Jessie’s chaps, the couple takes the two back to the farmhouse of her original owner, Emily. There, Jessie lands in a shed of forgotten toys, including a potty-training device named Smarty Pants.
Trailer, via Pixar.
Jessie’s Return to the Farmhouse
Jessie meets Atlas, a GPS receiver, and Snappy, a camera, as they enter the house searching for Bullseye. They learn a new family, the Manoukians, now lives there. The family includes a young girl named Blaze and her parents. The toys experience a joyful playtime with an imaginary friend before the story cuts back to Bonnie and Lily.
The setup is familiar Toy Story territory. A child loses interest in their toys, and the toys themselves have to fix it. What changes here is the enemy: not a baby, not a moving van, but a tablet that offers endless entertainment. The film spends real time establishing why Bonnie loves Lily — it’s meant to help her socialize — before showing how that love becomes an addiction.
The Voices Behind the Toys
Tom Hanks returns as Woody, and Tim Allen returns as Buzz Lightyear. Joan Cusack returns as Jessie. Conan O’Brien joins the cast as Smarty Pants. Scarlett Spears voices Bonnie, Greta Lee voices Lilypad, Shelby Rabara voices Snappy, Mykal-Michelle Harris voices Blaze, Craig Robinson voices Atlas, Jay Hernandez voices Bonnie’s Dad and Lori Alan voices Bonnie’s Mom. Bonnie Hunt voices Dolly.
The casting news followed a familiar pattern. Allen confirmed his return shortly after the film’s announcement in February 2023. Jim Hanks, Tom Hanks’ brother, confirmed Woody’s return in September. Allen said in mid-December 2024 that he had begun recording dialogue and that the story was “really good.” In January 2025, Anna Faris was cast in an undisclosed role. Ernie Hudson took over Combat Carl from the late Carl Weathers in April. Hanks revealed in May that he had begun recording his lines.
Conan O’Brien joined the cast as Smarty Pants in May, with Joan Cusack returning to voice Jessie. She was verified the following month. Tony Hale confirmed his return as Forky from Toy Story 4, having recorded dialogue in July. Later that month, it was reported Faris was voicing Lilypad. That changed on November 11, 2025, when it was revealed Lilypad was instead voiced by Greta Lee. Faris later denied her involvement. Allen finished recording his lines on November 21, 2025.
The New Threat to Playtime
The tablet is the film’s central villain. It is not a physical menace. It is a device that offers constant stimulation, and it wins because Bonnie genuinely believes it will help her make friends. The film does not lecture. It shows the problem, then watches the toys try to fix it.
Woody’s arc is quieter than usual. He leaves to help Bo Peep but comes home because he worries about Jessie. That worry feels earned, and it gives Woody a moment of genuine concern for his friend. The film also leans on the Manoukian family, whose daughter Blaze appears to be a new friend for Bonnie, though the story cuts away before the resolution.
The Score and Its Soundtrack
Randy Newman returned to compose the music, marking his tenth collaboration with Pixar. Taylor Swift contributed the single “I Knew It, I Knew You” to the soundtrack. The film was produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, with a budget of $250 million, making it one of the most expensive animated films ever made and one of the most expensive films of all time.
The film is the first mainline Toy Story installment without involvement from John Lasseter, who departed Pixar in 2018. Stanton directs and writes, sharing writing duties with Kenna Harris. The film runs 102 minutes.
Where It Falls Short
The film’s premise is strong, but the execution sometimes rushes. The island sequence with the Buzz Lightyear toys is a promising idea that feels underdeveloped. The film moves quickly from crash landing to escape to the North Star, and viewers are left wanting more of that adventure.
The addiction storyline is handled with care, though the film does not linger on the aftermath. Bonnie’s father takes Jessie and Bullseye home after a single scene with Chelsea and her friends. The film could have spent more time on the fallout, on Bonnie realizing what she has lost. As it stands, the lesson is delivered rather than felt.
The film also leans heavily on voice acting, and some of the newer additions — notably Greta Lee as Lilypad — feel less integrated than the returning cast members. The returning trio of Woody, Jessie and Buzz remains the film’s strongest asset, but the new characters do not always land.
A Solid Addition to a Long Line
Toy Story 5 is a solid entry in a long-running series. It does not reinvent the wheel, but it does not need to. The film understands what makes these toys special: their loyalty, their worry, their willingness to fight for the child they love. The tablet threat is a modern update to an old problem, and the film handles it with care.
It is not the best Toy Story film, but it is a worthy one. The island adventure is a missed opportunity, and the addiction storyline resolves without much lingering. Still, the performances carry it, especially from Hanks, Allen and Cusack. The film earns its place in the canon.
Key Facts Box
– Runtime: 102 minutes
– Budget: $250 million
– Director: Andrew Stanton
– Writers: Andrew Stanton, Kenna Harris
– Voice cast: Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusack (Jessie), Conan O’Brien (Smarty Pants)
Cast Highlights
– Tom Hanks returns as Woody
– Tim Allen returns as Buzz Lightyear
– Joan Cusack returns as Jessie
– Conan O’Brien joins as Smarty Pants
– Greta Lee voices Lilypad
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