"Toy Story 5" opens June 19th. It's one of the most highly anticipated films of 2026, for movie fans and movie theaters. But it's also one of the most risky. How do you dare continue a franchise that is often considered pretty close to perfect? Wait — why does feel like deja vu? That's right. We all went through this just seven years ago, on the cusp of the release of "Toy Story 4", in June 2019. Why did Pixar want to add another chapter to a saga that had an outstanding conclusion in "Toy Story 3"? Was it all just a money grab? Turns out it wasn't. "Toy Story 4" was quite good, and won the Best Animated Feature Oscar, though many consider it the weakest or most pointless of the series, especially since there's now a "Toy Story 5". But let's start at the beginning.
1995's "Toy Story" was the first-ever CG animated feature film. Pixar was a well-respected, groundbreaking studio for its CG shorts for about a decade. But would an 80-minute movie in this style work for audiences? The answer was a resounding Yes. Rave reviews, the highest grossing movie of 1995 at the North American box office, and a special Academy Award to director John Lasseter for his incredible achievements.
"Toy Story 2" arrived four years after the original, in November 1999. There were rumblings it was going to be a Direct to Video release, but thank goodness it went to theaters. As much as I love the emotion and power of "Toy Story 3" — and we'll get to that in a minute — "Toy Story 2" is my favorite of the franchise, because of the humor, nostalgia, energy, layers to the story and pure sense of fun. It was an even bigger hit than the first "Toy Story" and won the Golden Globe for Best Picture: Comedy or Musical. After seeing them on video and on TV during childhood, I went to the "Toy Story" / "Toy Story 2" 3D theatrical double feature in 2009, and there's no question, after watching them back to back, that "Toy Story 2" is the superior movie of the duo. It's much more ambitious and entertaining. "Toy Story" needed to establish the world and the technology. "Toy Story 2" took all of that to the next level.
Which brings us to 2010's "Toy Story 3". The best, and highest grossing, movie of that year. One of only three animated films ever to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. There's a lot to like, especially in the final act. Spoiler Alert: If you're one of the few who have yet to experience this chapter... Woody, Buzz and the gang getting rescued by the aliens with the claw is brilliant, and Andy giving his toys to young Bonnie, and then driving off to college, is an emotional gut-punch.
2019's "Toy Story 4" served as a return to the series for Woody's love, Bo Peep, and — another spoiler here — another parting of ways, between Woody and Buzz. And it all worked well. But times change, and desperate times call for desperate measures. In the upcoming "Toy Story 5", new technology, specifically a tablet called Lilypad, is capturing Bonnie's attention much more than her toys. Jessie recruits Woody to re-join her, Buzz & Co. in an effort to keep toys relevant. It's a crusade for Pixar, a studio that wouldn't be where it is today without Woody and Buzz connecting with audiences in such deep, immediate ways 31 years ago.
I predict "Toy Story 5" is going to have a significantly greater impact on parents and grandparents than kids, maybe more so than any film in Pixar's entire catalogue — because kids may not want to say goodbye to their phones and iPads, but adults will feel the heft of the theme of holding onto your toys — the cornerstone of this franchise. I'm rooting for it to work and have faith in the filmmakers. Like so many, the "Toy Story" brand still has a friend in me.
