Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 18
Toy Story 5 Revisits Woody at 1h 42m, Critic Calls Pixar Sequel Far From Greatest
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 18

Toy Story 5 Revisits Woody at 1h 42m, Critic Calls Pixar Sequel Far From Greatest

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 18

Summary

  • Pixar’s 1-hour-42-minute “Toy Story 5” gets a sharply mixed review, with the sequel described as bringing back the full gang without recapturing the series’ earlier emotional force.
  • Woody returns to Bonnie’s bedroom for a reunion with Buzz and the other toys, but the film’s renewed focus on time, aging and purpose is judged unsatisfying despite visible wear on its longtime cowboy hero.
  • Andrew Stanton, joined by co-director McKenna Harris, frames the story around Bonnie’s shyness and the toys’ struggle with belonging, obsolescence and consumerism.
  • The review argues the movie’s most current idea is its clash between children’s play and technocapitalism, casting machines and data-driven commerce as the latest existential threat to the toys’ humanity.

Insights

With the series' lowest critic scores, can this sequel justify its existence beyond nostalgia and record-breaking box office predictions?
Is the new AI villain a simple screen time warning, or a deeper critique of how algorithms now manipulate children?