Toy Story 5 Parent Guide

“The age of toys is over!” declares a distraught toy. As children are drawn to digital devices, more and more toys are being abandoned – and rescued by Woody (Tom Hanks) and Bo Peep (Annie Potts) who are enjoying a nomadic existence in their skunk-mobile. When Jessie (Joan Cusack) radios Woody for advice, he learns that the problem has reached into Bonnie’s (Scarlett Spears) bedroom too.

Normally devoted to imaginative play, Bonnie feels isolated from other kids who connect with each other through their online devices. Convinced that she’ll make more friends if she can be on the same group chats, Bonnie begs for a Lilypad. When her parents finally give in to her pleas, Bonnie spends all her time with Lily (Greta Lee), abandoning her much-loved toys.

Staring obsolescence in the face, the toys debate the best way to keep Bonnie from falling into the orbit of tech – but it might be too late. Soon her toys are in the garage, Jessie and Bullseye are in a house on the edge of town, and Bonnie is dealing with mean girls online. Can the toys save Bonnie from Lily and the lure of the digital world? Can they help her find a friend who also loves to play with toys? And what role will be played by 50 shipwrecked Buzz Lightyears?

There’s no denying that Toy Story 5 is a topical film. Anyone who has parented Gen Z or Gen Alpha kids knows that negotiating (and enforcing) screen time is one of the toughest jobs out there. We’ve heard the warnings about how tech affects social skills, focus, learning readiness, imagination, and even sleep. Most of us would love to wave a magic wand and return to the days when our kids played tag, did puzzles, or read books to amuse themselves. But, as we know, and as Jessie and her fellow toys learn, you can’t turn back the clock…

Unsurprisingly given its plotline, Toy Story 5 is drenched in nostalgia. Not only for a pre-tech world, but for friends gone, moments lost, opportunities squandered. Jessie isn’t only panicking over Bonnie, she’s grieving Emily, the first girl she loved and lost. Her struggle to find the courage to keep trying, to keep caring, to keep loving sends a great message of emotional resilience to young audiences. Add in other themes of loyalty, perseverance, and careful use of technology, and this movie has plenty to teach moviegoers.

Parents can be assured that this PG film comes with the usual kid-safe levels of negative content. Sex is limited to brief kissing, mostly in make-believe weddings, and profanity is virtually non-existent. (There is one anatomical term that is begun but cut off and there are a few mean online comments.) One digital toy is a potty-training aid, so there are several bathroom-related jokes, but none reach “gross-out” levels. As for violence, while there is some pushing and shoving, mixed with threats and moments of peril (particularly a hair-raising chase scene), this movie is on the light side for scary moments. If your child has watched the other films in the Toy Story franchise, they can make it through this one. 

I will admit that Toy Story 5 isn’t my favorite film in the franchise, but it’s not the worst either. (To put it in context, my ranking for the series is: Toy Story 2, Toy Story, Toy Story 4, Toy Story 5, Toy Story 3.) This movie has a lot to say about children’s need for free play and congenial friends and to that end offers both heartbreaking and heartwarming scenes. It also provides numerous laugh-out-loud moments. The show might not achieve the brilliance of the best Toy Story movies, but it is by no means a bad film. A film can still be good without being great – and Toy Story 5 fits in that category. If you’re really lucky, maybe the movie will make your kids think about how they use tech. Then it will be worth every penny of the ticket price.