Toy Story 5 Review – Is Pixar’s Toys vs Tech Adventure Worth Watching With the Kids?

Toy Story has always been unusually good at making adults emotional about things children take completely for granted. In Toy Story 5, Pixar turns its attention to one of the biggest battles in modern family life: toys versus screens.

Bonnie is now eight and her attention is captured by Lilypad, a frog-shaped smart tablet. For Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the gang, that raises a fairly uncomfortable question: what happens to toys when a child would rather be on a device?

Is Toy Story 5 actually good?

Yes — although parents who grew up with the first three films may find themselves comparing it with an almost impossible standard. The animation is superb, the familiar characters still work beautifully together and there is plenty here for younger viewers. The technology storyline also gives the film a subject that feels immediately relevant rather than simply inventing another excuse to bring Woody and Buzz back.

Jessie gets particularly important material this time, while Lilypad is much more interesting than a simple “screens are bad” villain. The film understands that technology can be exciting and useful while still asking what gets lost when it begins replacing imaginative play and real-world connection.

What should parents know?

The UK classification is PG. There is some very mild slapstick violence, characters being chased or falling from heights, rude toilet humour and occasional mild language. There is also an emotionally upsetting storyline involving a lonely child being excluded by other children online.

For most children who already cope happily with previous Toy Story adventures, the action should be manageable. Sensitive younger children may need reassurance during some of the peril and the social-exclusion material may prompt questions.

Will adults enjoy it?

This is arguably where Toy Story 5 works best. Parents who remember watching the originals as children are now watching a story about their own children growing up surrounded by technology. That gives the film an extra layer that younger viewers simply will not experience in the same way.

It is not as devastatingly emotional as the franchise at its absolute best, and the fifth instalment inevitably feels less essential than the earlier films. But it still has something worthwhile to say about childhood, attention, friendship and the difficult process of letting go.

Cinema or sofa?

Toy Story 5 is now streaming on Disney+ in the UK, which makes this an easy recommendation for a family movie night. At 102 minutes it is also a sensible length for younger children.

If you skipped it at the cinema, this is exactly the kind of film worth putting on at home with the whole family — especially if arguments about tablets, phones or screen time are already familiar territory in your house.