Toy Story 5 Is Here — And It's Everything

Reading Cinemas Newmarket was buzzing on Tuesday night as families packed into the Titan Luxe for an exclusive Brisbane preview of Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5 — and the film absolutely delivered.

Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Jessie (Joan Cusack) are back, but this time the gang faces their most relatable challenge yet: a world where kids would rather stare at a screen than pick up a toy. Enter Lilypad (Greta Lee), a frog-shaped smart tablet with her own very firm ideas about what's best for Bonnie — and the battle for playtime begins.

What makes Toy Story 5 so special is how effortlessly it speaks to everyone in the room. For kids, it's a colourful, funny, action-packed adventure. For the adults sitting beside them, it's something quietly deeper — a reflection on parenthood, growing up, and what gets lost when imagination gives way to technology. Director Andrew Stanton (WALL•E, Finding Nemo) and co-director Kenna Harris have woven those themes together with real warmth, never once feeling preachy about it.

The new characters are a highlight. Conan O'Brien voices Smarty Pants, a gloriously useless toilet-training tech toy who steals every scene he's in. Bad Bunny turns up as Pizza with Sunglasses — effortlessly cool, mysterious, and exactly as absurd as that sounds. And Alan Cumming delivers a wonderfully unhinged cameo as Evil Bullseye during a playtime imagination sequence that's among the film's funniest moments.

The animation is stunning. Pixar's team created a unique handmade, pastel chalk aesthetic for Bonnie's imagination sequences that looks like a child's arts and crafts project brought to life — tactile, melodramatic, and completely gorgeous. It's the kind of visual detail that rewards a big screen.

Then there's the music. Taylor Swift contributes the original song "I Knew It, I Knew You" — inspired by Jessie's journey and co-written with Jack Antonoff — which marks a beautiful return to her country roots. And Randy Newman, scoring his fifth Toy Story film, remains as essential to this world as Woody's pull-string.

One of the film's most thoughtful themes addresses a challenge familiar to many modern families: children spending increasing amounts of time in front of screens. With creativity and charm, Pixar illustrates that some of life's greatest joys are found not through devices, but through shared experiences, imagination, friendship, and genuine human connection. It's a message delivered with warmth rather than judgment — accessible and meaningful for audiences young and old.

At 102 minutes, Toy Story 5 is funny, heartfelt, visually spectacular and genuinely moving. It's a film that trusts its audience — young and old alike — to feel something real. Pixar has done it again.

★★★★★

Toy Story 5 is in Australian cinemas now. Rated G | 102 minutes. Directed by Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Kenna Harris.