While I’ve been entertained by the “Toy Story” series, and the first four films spoke to my toy-loving heart, this latest installment really has my profile: misfit girl who loves toys and murder mysteries. Then it added a new horse-loving girl in purple boots with wild hair and basically the two kids this is about is different versions of me. How could I not like it? But, you don’t have to be a horse-crazy girl in purple boots to enjoy this film because the story is really about making the best world for kids and friends and cowgirl Jessie is joined by Woody and Buzz plus some wonderful new characters.
If you haven’t seen the series or don’t remember that first four movies, here’s a refresher.
Toy Story (1995)
Directed by John Lasseter; Written by Joss Whedon.
This is the story of how Woody (Tom Hanks) meets Buzz. Sheriff Woody is an old-fashioned cowboy doll; he’s not even an action figure. But, he’s the favorite toy of Andy Davis (John Morris) a six-year-old boy, who has many toys including Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Slinky Dog (Jim Varney), Rex (Wallace Shawn), Hamm (John Ratzenberger) and Bo Peep (Annie Potts). When humans are not around, the toys come to life. They are concerned when Andy gets a new toy: Buzz Lightyear.
Woody becomes jealous of Buzz who has become Andy’s favorite toy and Buzz believes he really is a space ranger. They fight with Buzz being knocked off the open window ledge and falling outside. The other toys believe that Woody has killed Buzz and turn against him. Buzz comes into the possession of Andy’s sadistic neighbor, Sid Phillips (Erik von Detten), who takes apart or destroys his toys. While at Sid’s house, Buzz sees a commercial about the Buzz Lightyear toys and finally realizes he’s a toy, but then doesn’t understand his purpose. Woody teaches him that toys are meant to make kids happy. Before Sid can destroy Buzz, Sid’s mutant toys come to live to frighten Sid and Woody and Buzz escape.
Yet Andy’s parents have loaded up the moving truck and are leaving. Buzz and Woody, with the help of the other toys, are able to reunite with Andy.
The film received three Oscar nominations (Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Song (“You’ve Got a Friend in Me”) and Best Original Score. The film was given a non-competitive Special Achievement Award.
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Directed by John Lasseter; Written by Andrew Stanton, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, and Chris Webb.
Woody and Buzz are now best friends and co-leaders of Andy’s toys. Woody is stolen by a toy store owner, Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight), who plans to sell him along with the other dolls from a 1950s popular children’s Western series, “Woody’s Roundup.” McWiggins already had Jessie the Cowgirl (Joan Cusack), Bullseye the Horse, and Stinky Pete the Prospector (Kelsey Grammer), but with a complete set he can make a lucrative deal with a museum in Japan.
As Woody attempts to escape after being repaired with a little help from a Tour Guide Barbie (Jodi Benson) , Buzz is mounting a rescue, but mets the toy version of his arch-nemesis, Emperor Zurg (Andrew Stanton). Things get complicated and Buzz learns his enemy is his father, but Woody and Buzz make it home with the addition of Jessie and Bullseye.
The film won a Best Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Directed by Lee Unkrich; Written by Michael Arndt.
Andy is now a young man, going to college. While he intends to take Woody with him, he packs up his other toys in a box that is supposed to go to the attic. Instead, his mother mistakenly throws them away. The toys escape and end up in a donation box with a Barbie (Jodi Benson) that is taken to Sunnyside Daycare. Although initially welcomed by the other toys there, they soon learn that the teddy bear Lotso (Ned Beatty), is not so cuddly. Lotso runs a police state where top toys are in the older kids’ room and the others are in the toddlers’ room where they are roughly played with. When Andy’s toys attempt to leave, they are captured and held prisoner by Lotso.
Woody has been taken home by Bonnie (Lori Alan) . When he returns to Sunnyside, he must convince a brainwashed Buzz to escape but Andy’s toys and Lotso almost end up in a garbage incinerator. An adult Sid Phillips (Erik von Detten) makes an appearance, as the toys return to Andy’s house. Andy decides to give all his toys, including Woody to Bonnie. At Sunnyside, Barbie has found her Ken (Michael Keaton) and made the Sunnyside toy world a better place.
This made me feel very sad for Andy. I can’t imagine giving up all my toys, particularly my favorite.
Directed by Josh Cooley; Written by Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom.
The film begins with a flashback to the past. Nine years ago, Bo Peep (Annie Potts) and her lamp were donated to a new owner. Woody wanted to rescue her, but she said it was “time for the next kid.” Although she asked Woody to join her, Woody heard Andy calling him and chose to stay.
In the present, Andy’s toys now belong to Bonnie, but she has no interest in him. Jessie is her favorite toy and that makes sense, but it also made me sad that Andy gave Woody up. Woody attempts to join Bonnie on her first day at kindergarten, but during her orientation, Bonnie creates a toy from a spork, Forky (Tony Hale). Unfortunately, Forky believes he is trash and Woody has to save him from throwing himself away, even when Bonnie’s family goes on a road trip. During the road trip, they pass an antique store where Woody sees Bo Peep’s lamp.
Bo Peep and her sheep are “lost toys” who live a wild life, free from owners. They help Woody rescue Forky who has been taken prisoner by the toys in the antique shop. Buzz tries to find Woody and eventually rejoins Bo and Woody. The three work with stunt bike toy Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) to rescue Forky. Buzz leaves Bonnie’s toys to be with Bo and be a “lost toy” who helps carnival prize toys find owners. At the end, Bonnie creates a friend for Forky from a plastic knife.
Toy Story 5 (2026)
Directed by Andrew Stanton: Written by Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris.
At the beginning of this film, I thought of Garfield. That orange cartoon cat doesn’t appear in this Pixar film, but his legacy is in the opening scenes. You might think the scenes are stolen directly from another animated feature, the 2024 “The Wild Robot.” The 2016 original novel “The Wild Robot” precedes the discovery behind the French Garfield mystery: A shipping container was lost in the 1980s off the Iroise coast of France and parts of the Garfield phone had been washing ashore for decades until the mystery was solved in 2019.
In “The Wild Robot,” it was only one robot lost and eventually found, but in “Toy Story 5,” a container full of 50 high tech Buzz Lightyears is lost and, as a result, a squad of Buzz Lightyears in demo mode go in search of Star Command. Where is this going?
From there we’re back with Bonnie. Jessie has things under control, but the deputized Buzz is still trying to express his feelings for Jessie. Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) still loves playing with Forky which involves weddings where Forky is pronounced “husband and knife” but the weddings evolve into murder mysteries. Unfortunately, Bonnie finds other kids aren’t interested in playing with toys and getting intwined with her wild imagination. The young children in her neighborhood aren’t playing with toys; they are making friends through the Internet and social media and playing video games. Bonnie’s concerned parents buy her a frog-themed tablet, Lilypad. Using Lilypad (Greta Lee), Bonnie “friends” girls from her dance class. She gets invited to a sleepover but soon learns that people on social media can be cruel and that they don’t want to play games that aren’t installed on their tablets.
When Jessie and her horse try to help Bonnie at her sleepover, they are found by a helpful couple who return Jessie and Bullseye to the address written on the flip side of Jessie’s chaps. But that little girl, Emily, no longer lives there. In “Toy Story 2,” Jessie recalls Emily growing up and Jessie was left under the bed as Emily no longer played with dolls. Soon after, Jessie was left in a donation box. Since then Jessie has always feared abandonment. Now in “Toy Story 5,” Jessie has returned to the house of her first child and remembers playing with Emily at the tree with the tire swing that still stands on the property.
A horse-crazy girl, eight-year-old Blaze Manoukian (Mykal-Michelle Harris), now lives in Emily’s old house. Blaze has a bookcase filled with horse models, but she also has some high tech toys that she no longer uses: her GPS hippo toy Atlas (Craig Robinson), her potty-training toy Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien) and her toy camera Snappy (Shelby Rabara).
Bo Peep and Woody reunite with Buzz to help him find Jessie and Bullseye, but Lilypad initially thwarts efforts to reunite Bonnie with Jessie and Bullseye. Once the toys have worked things out, Bonnie’s own self-doubt caused by social media peer pressure may prevent a happy reunion.
You might wonder now: Where will the 50-strong squad of high tech Buzz come in? Of course, there will be a rescue mission and more kids will discover great new toy friends, but I don’t want to spoil the delightful surprises along the way to a happy ending.
As a person who is active on social media, but still has her first teddy bear and her first (and only) Breyer horse and now has a bed full of plushies, I really felt seen. I was touched by this story of an oddball girl finding a friend with the help of social media. Nothing in the Toy Story 5 world is entirely bad and that includes high tech and social media. The animation includes different levels of reality wonderfully expressed in different styles of animation. There is a “real” horse, belonging to Blaze, as well as model horses that come to life in the Toy Story tradition –during the absence of humans. As always, Toy Story is about finding friends and working through difficult misunderstandings between friends in order to deepen friendships.
“Toy Story 5” isn’t just a film for girls. My husband who didn’t grow up horse-crazy and until this last weekend had never heard of Misty of Chincoteague, also found the story engaging. This film is for kids and for adults who are still in touch with their inner child (as we all should be). Definitely stay for the mid-credits and post credit scenes.
“Toy Story 5” had its world premiere in Los Angeles on 9 June 2026 and will be released in the US on 19 June.