REEL | Still Making Friends – Pixar and 'Toy Story 5' Play Together

"The age of toys is over!"

Walt Disney Pictures / Pixar Animation Studios

Longtime Pixar Animation writer/director Andrew Stanton, with co-director Kenna Harris, reunites the whole gang back together for Toy Story 5. Both Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return as Woody and Buzz, but it's actually Joan Cusack's cowgirl sheriff Jessie who emotionally anchors the animated film's topical but touching story about the nature of childhood and friendship.

Ingeniously, the main conflict arises through the contemporary ubiquity of technology as young Bonnie becomes addicted to using an iPad-like tablet device ("Lilypad"), voiced perfectly by Greta Lee, and loses her sense of play. Also new to the franchise, scene-stealer Conan O'Brien hilariously voices a delightful potty-training toy ("Smarty Pants") as Jessie's sidekick on her quest to cheer Bonnie up and help her make new friends in real life.

Cusack's Jessie gets to shine in the young female-focused story of childhood anxiety, while warning parents of the dangers of unsupervised tech use and elements of online cyberbullying. More than anything, it reminds us to encourage kids to be kids, the power of play, and the lasting importance of making human connections. While Toy Story 4 felt like a minor, transitional sidequest, Toy Story 5 establishes a new world of adventure centred on different toys and new characters beyond just Woody and Buzz.

Three decades after the first groundbreaking computer-animated film, Toy Story 5 justifies its existence with a more relevant premise revolving around children and technology. It also reminds us about the power of a child's imagination while showing us how toys and play help develop young minds.


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