Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeCultureCelebrityMoviesFilm review: Toy Story 5 is good, but it's more-of-the-same goodSentient toys get separated from the group or deal with the existential threat of new, better toys, or with their owner not wanting to play with them any moreLast updated Jun 19, 2026 You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.From left, Woody and Buzz meet Lilypad in Toy Story 5. Photo by Disney/PixarWe independently select everything we recommend. Buying through us may earn us a commission, which supports our work.You know what you don’t hear very often? “Fifth time’s the charm.” Franchises that are lucky enough to make it to number five are more likely to be running in place or running on empty than they are running like the wind.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorBack in the distant past, Planet of the Apes V (Battle for the Planet of the Apes) was a terrible monkey’s paw of a conclusion to the original series. Police Academy 5 was the worst of the bunch, with the possible exception of every single one that came after it. And don’t get me started on A Good Day to Die Hard.Toy Story 5 is, alas, no exception. It’s still good by animated-movie standards — I chuckled a few times, and once or twice I “oohed” like one of the little green alien toys — but it’s also a bit too pleased with itself, relying on cameos and catchphrases to pull viewers and its various plot threads along.There are several parallel threads at play, each falling into one of two basic camps, and both variations on things we’ve seen in every Toy Story movie to date.Camp A: One or more of the sentient toys, famously voiced by Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusack (Jessie) and others, is separated from the group and must find their way home. Camp B: The toys must deal with the existential threat of new, better toys, or with their owner not wanting to play with them any more. From left, Bullseye, Jessie, Atlas, Smarty Pants and Snappy in Toy Story 5. Photo by Disney/PixarBoth those tropes collide in the main storyline, which involves Bonnie. She was just 4 years old at the end of Toy Story 3, 16 long years ago, but now she’s 8 (they grow up so slowly these days!) and thinking it’s time to stop playing with toys so she can be one of the cool kids.Bonnie’s parents give her Lilypad, voiced by Greta Lee and loosely based on the LeapPad series of kiddie tablets. It functions as the villain of the movie, even though it’s more misunderstood and enthusiastic than openly evil. But for Jessie and the rest of Bonnie’s toys (Woody is off on his own adventures for a while) it spells doom, and exile to the garage — or worse.Jessie’s attempts to solve this problem end with her accidentally transported to a vaguely familiar address many miles away. There, she is forced to rely on a trio of Web 1.0-era electronic toys to find her way home.They are a camera named Snappy, a GPS device called Atlas, and Smarty Pants, a potty-training gadget that raises toilet humour to new highs — or should that be lows? Whichever, it’s highly creative, very funny and voiced by Conan O’Brien.Jessie is admittedly not very trusting of such “new” technology. Indeed, most of the older toys spend much of their time chanting “beware the machines!” and shuddering at the coming apocalypse like extras in a Terminator movie. (Perhaps Terminator Genisys, which as the fifth was not well received by most critics, though I personally liked it.) There’s a whole island of Buzz Lightyears in one plot line of Toy Story 5 . Photo by Disney/PixarSpeaking of throwbacks, Toy Story 5 opens with an intriguing mix of WALL-E and Cast Away, as a shipping container full of new-and-improved Buzz Lightyears beaches on a deserted islet, and all the Buzzes band together to find their way back to civilization.It’s a weird, watchable adjunct to the main story, and it allows longtime composer Randy Newman to try out a few new riffs. But it’s ultimately sidelined in favour of the main plot, which is all about making sure Bonnie has a friend and the audience is suitably moved.Nothing wrong with that, but nothing new either. In fact, if you’ve seen the trailers, you may recall a scene of Woody and Buzz trading mild insults while one of their companions coos:” It’s good to see them fighting again.” That’s Toy Story 5 in a nutshell.On the subject of trailers, if you catch this new movie you may find yourself watching one for the further adventures of a couple of ogres and a donkey to a land further, further away, “off on another world wind, big-city adventure.” Yes, it’s yet another Shrek movie. You can guess the number.Toy Story 5 opens June 19 in theatres.3 stars out of 5 Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.