I’ll be the first to admit I groaned when TOY STORY 5 was announced. What on earth could possibly justify another entry into Pixar‘s original franchise? 31 years after the first film changed cinema forever, directors Andrew Stanton (Finding Dory) and McKenna Harris prove there’s more to explore with an all-new thrilling and emotional journey.

Jessie, voiced again by the incomparable Joan Cusack, takes center stage as she tries to help Bonnie, now voiced by Scarlett Spears (Wicked: For Good), make friends in the isolating age of iPads. She and the other toys are totally sidelined when Bonnie’s parents give her LilyPad, voiced by Greta Lee (Tron: Ares), a shiny new tablet that connects her to a group chat with friends from dance class, and dozens of “developmental learning” games. When Jessie ends up in her original home, she learns the truth about her first kid, Emily, and creates a master plan to get back to Bonnie and connect her to a new friend.

The film shines a light on the disturbing modern state of “screen time” – kids and adults who spend all their time glued to a screen. Bonnie, now 8, forsakes all her toys when her LilyPad arrives, becoming a groggy, listless kid addicted to its simple games. She attends her first sleepover with “friends,” and all of them spend the night on their tablets instead of playing with each other. They mock her for bringing Jessie along in the first place, which sets Jessie’s odyssey in motion.

Like all Toy Story sequels, this one introduces a host of instantly lovable new characters. Smarty Pants, a toilet training device voiced by Conan O’Brien, Snappy, a low-tech digital camera voiced by Shelby Rabara (17 Again), and Atlas, a portable GPS voiced by Craig Robinson (The Office), become Jessie’s reluctant accomplices. Bullseye speaks for the first time (though I won’t spoil how) courtesy of Alan Cumming (The Traitors). A new kid, Blaze, lives on a farm with her adorable pet pig (I’d tell you his name, but it’s a pretty funny reveal). Forky even has a new knife-wife, Karen Beverly, voiced by Melissa Villaseñor (SNL).

As always, the animation is stunning, with Pixar showing that when it comes to animation technology, they’re never outdone. This is the first Toy Story film without a new Randy Newman tune, and while Taylor Swift‘s new song is perfectly fine over the credits, it’s hard to separate Toy Story from Newman’s distinct sound.

The movie is poised to have a huge opening weekend, and audiences will be laughing and cheering around the world. For millennials, a well-told new Toy Story adventure is like a warm hug, and in 2026, we can use all the warm hugs we can get.

See it for Yourself

TOY STORY 5 boots up in theaters on June 19, 2026.

Don’t miss our in-depth guides and coverage with everything you need to know!

MORE INFO: See all MouseInfo coverage for TOY STORY 5