Toy Story 5 premieres with Jessie vs. tech takeover

Jessie fights – “Toy Story 5” brings Jessie to the front in a PG-rated Pixar adventure now in theaters June 19, as an 8-year-old’s tablet named Lilypad pulls attention away from classic toys—until Jessie and Woody race to stop the emotional slide. The film also features Conan

When the first smile fades and the toybox starts to feel lonely, “Toy Story 5” wastes no time making its stakes personal. The setup lands in the hands of Jessie—Joan Cusack’s down-home cowgirl—who’s pushed into the spotlight as a new kind of “must-have” tech begins to take over the playroom.

The movie follows Woody and Buzz Lightyear—voiced again by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen—at first as supporting figures. but the emotional engine belongs to Jessie in Pixar’s animated adventure “Toy Story 5” (★★★ out of four; rated PG; in theaters June 19). It’s directed by Andrew Stanton. and it largely sticks to the franchise’s proven rhythm: toy chaos. clever comedy. and at least one moment designed to catch audiences right where it hurts.

At the center is Bonnie. an 8-year-old whose toybox doesn’t just hold her belongings—it holds her sense of belonging. Bonnie (voiced by Scarlett Spears) is sad that other kids would rather spend time on their devices than play. Her parents bring home a tablet named Lilypad (Greta Lee). a calculating. demanding presence that pulls Bonnie’s attention away from the toys she loves—Jessie. Buzz. and the rest of the crew.

That shift triggers something like a full-blown crisis inside the toy world. Jessie calls in old pal Woody for help, and when he finally arrives, the situation has already turned critical. Bonnie is invited by her dance-class group chat friends for a sleepover. and the social pressure hits hard: they make her feel bad for bringing toys. In the confusion. Jessie and her horse Bullseye are left behind and accidentally taken to a farm outside of town where Jessie once lived with her first owner. Emily.

Jessie’s journey is the point, and “Toy Story 5” makes sure audiences feel it. Cusack gives Jessie an emotional role that the film frames as more engaging than the tussles Woody and Buzz are dealing with back home—particularly their back-and-forth efforts connected to Lilypad. A running thread also tugs at the franchise’s nostalgia nerve: everyone seems to think Woody’s getting old. complete with his paunch and poncho. while Buzz pines for Jessie. There’s even a subplot involving dozens of toy Buzzes that goes nowhere for much of the movie before landing a satisfying payoff.

But the standout injection of fresh personality arrives through tech—just not the kind Lilypad represents. “Toy Story” has always banked on scene-stealing supporting players. and Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) and Forky (Tony Hale) return in the fifth installment. Still, the movie saves something special for Smarty Pants, voiced by Conan O’Brien.

Smarty Pants is a toilet-training gadget. one of the outdated tech toys owned by Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris). the farmgirl who quickly takes to Jessie and Bullseye once they end up in her barn. O’Brien’s performance builds laughs out of the toy’s literal potty humor. yet the character also carries a kind of depth that fits the franchise’s recurring theme: finding unlikely pals when you need them most.

In the middle of that humor, “Toy Story 5” lands a major tonal detail. The movie’s joke density is so effective that its one-liners are likely the reason it’s the first PG movie of the series. There’s also a sense that Smarty Pants isn’t just comedy bait—he’s part of what makes the tech question feel human rather than abstract.

Even so, the film’s emotional turn for Lilypad doesn’t always land with the same weight as Jessie’s. Lilypad’s “inevitable enlightenment” arrives a little too suddenly and feels unearned at first, especially when the story has spent so much time showing how carefully Lilypad controls attention.

That tension sits inside a broader theme the franchise keeps returning to: the way technology competes with childhood. The film contrasts Bonnie’s growing device pull with the feelings of the toys left behind. In an era when more adults collect toys than kids. the movie leans on nostalgia too—original “Toy Story” fans may recognize that old feeling in Woody’s balding plastic noggin—but it doesn’t stop there. It couples nostalgia with an examination of evolving technology and its effects on children, aiming at both youngsters and parents.

Pixar has recently focused on different kinds of originality in films like “Turning Red” and “Hoppers. ” and “Toy Story” still finds relevance by leaning into what’s familiar while changing what it emphasizes. More than 30 years later. Buzz and Woody have not worn out their welcome—and Jessie. in particular. lassos audiences’ feelings like never before.

The result is a “Toy Story” sequel that keeps the action-figure antics in motion, while letting Jessie drive the emotional stakes: the fight isn’t just about who gets attention in the toybox. It’s about who gets to feel wanted when technology starts calling the shots.

Toy Story 5 Jessie Joan Cusack Tom Hanks Tim Allen Conan O'Brien Pixar Disney Lilypad Smarty Pants Andrew Stanton Scarlett Spears Greta Lee Mykal-Michelle Harris Bullseye review