Review: Toy Story 5 miraculously returns the series to Pixar's golden age

When I left the theater after seeing Toy Story 4 in 2019, I felt more than disappointed — I felt betrayed by Bonnie, by Woody and by Pixar for shortchanging nearly all of the longstanding Toy Story characters. Leaving the theater after Toy Story 5, I felt the opposite.

The film doesn’t quite reach the heights of the first three entries, but it is thoughtful, funny and emotional, improving on Toy Story 4 in nearly every way and easing my resistance to further sequels. Toy Story 5 finds Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) at eight years old, lonely and quick to embrace a “Lilypad” her parents give her.

The device, voiced by Greta Lee, quickly becomes a source of addiction and resentment among her toys. Jessie (Joan Cusack) takes the lead here, seeking out Woody (Tom Hanks), who has spent recent years as an adventuring “lost toy” with Bo Peep.

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