If you’ve been looking for a reason to get the kids off screens and into a theater, Toy Story 5 just handed you the perfect excuse. And here’s the kicker: the movie itself is practically doing your argument for you.
The fifth installment of Pixar’s beloved franchise brought Charlee and Nova to the Oakmont 8 movie theater in Bradenton recently, and what unfolded was exactly what the film is designed to celebrate—genuine family time in a darkened theater, reclining seats, popcorn in hand, and two little eyes watching Woody and Buzz navigate a world that’s strikingly similar to the one their parents are struggling to manage in 2026. This time around, the toys aren’t just competing with other toys. They’re up against screens, tablets, and all the glowing rectangles that have quietly colonized childhood.
The new character Lilypad, a smart tablet voiced by Greta Lee, becomes the physical embodiment of that tension. For anyone raising kids in the age of constant connectivity, it’s a mirror held up at exactly the right angle. The film doesn’t lecture. It doesn’t wag a finger. Instead, Pixar does what it’s always done best: it wraps a genuine question—Do toys and imagination still matter?—in humor, color, and nostalgia that lands with both kids and adults. The animation is as gorgeous as ever, and the familiar voices of Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the gang bring that comfortable, lived-in warmth that’s made this series endure for over three decades.
What makes Toy Story 5 worth the trip to Bradenton isn’t just the movie itself. It’s what happens after. It’s the conversation on the drive home. It’s the chance to ask your kids what they thought about the whole “toys versus technology” thing, and actually hear their answer. Because somewhere between the laughs and the popcorn, a genuine bit of storytelling sneaks in about growing up, letting go, friendship, loyalty, and how quickly childhood can slip away if we’re not paying attention.
For Charlee and Nova, the best part was probably the experience itself—the big screen, the treats, the magic of seeing characters they love larger than life. For parents in Suncoast watching their own kids sink into those reclining seats, the real gift might be realizing what this movie is actually saying: that the best moments aren’t on a screen. They’re in a room full of people you love, breathing the same air, sharing something together that can’t be paused or swiped away.
Toy Story 5 is a warm, family-friendly film with heart and a timely message. In a world full of tablets and phones, it gently reminds us that childhood is still better with imagination, popcorn, and someone you love sitting beside you.
