TOY STORY 5 is, in some ways, more of the same. But there is just no way to not not love this movie. Pixar keeps finding new angles into these characters and this world, and this time the story leans into something very real: the toys are getting older, technology is advancing, and kids today are dealing with a very different world than the one my generation grew up in. That gives the film a fresh emotional hook without betraying what has always made this franchise work.

The setup finds Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of Bonnie’s toys trying to stay relevant as her attention shifts toward a tablet-like interactive device, with the film exploring how screens, digital life, and modern childhood are reshaping play itself. It picks up several years after TOY STORY 4, with Woody drawn back into the fold and the gang wrestling with what it means to matter in a world that keeps changing. Andrew Stanton directs, with Kenna Harris co-writing, and the main voice cast includes Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, and Conan O’Brien among the returning and new players.

What I love most about this franchise is its willingness to evolve. These movies have never just been about toys; they have always been about change, time, and learning how to love through transition. When my eyes well up with both happy tears and that lump-in-the-throat kind of emotion, I know the filmmakers have done their job. Andrew Stanton absolutely does that here. This movie understands that getting older is bittersweet, that childhood changes shape, and that letting go is part of love.

Bottom line: yes, it is more TOY STORY. But when the formula is this emotionally precise, this warm, and this smart, that is not a complaint. This one got me. Grade: A.

Check out the trailer for TOY STORY 5 below. You can also listen to past KVNU For The People Movie Show podcasts, or you can listen live every Friday at 5PM.