To the tablet and beyond: does Toy Story 5 go hard enough on technology?

The fifth installment in Pixar's Toy Story series examines the role of tablets and smartphones in children's lives, presenting a nuanced view that avoids a clear anti-technology stance, according to a review of the film. The film, set in 2026, arrives more than 30 years after the original Toy Story debuted as the first fully computer-animated feature film [7][1]. It explores the impact of technology on children, particularly the use of devices by those under 12, a demographic that Pew Research indicates is largely using tablets and smartphones [1]. The story centers on Jessie, a toy belonging to eight-year-old Bonnie, who feels threatened when Bonnie becomes engrossed with a child-friendly tablet nicknamed Lily [1]. The film depicts the tablet as a medium that can facilitate bullying, even within a limited group chat of children from a dance class [1]. At the same time, the narrative shows technology playing a role in helping Bonnie make friends, a positive impact that complicates any simple moral judgment [1]. This reflects the broader context of Generation Alpha, the first cohort born entirely in the 21st century and into a world where smartphones and social media are ubiquitous [2]. The film's setting in 2026 is notable because the human characters have not visibly aged seven years since 2019's Toy Story 4 [1]. Pixar, a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, was originally funded by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who became its majority shareholder after purchasing the computer graphics division from Lucasfilm in 1986 [3][7]. The studio has since produced 32 feature films, with Toy Story 5 being its most recent release on June 19, 2026 [8][7]. The film's narrative does not position a traditional plastic toy as morally superior to a tablet, and Jessie eventually befriends outdated devices that share her fear of being discarded [1]. The movie acknowledges the haplessness of many parenting decisions, with Bonnie's parents admitting that getting a tablet may be a bad idea but expressing uncertainty about alternatives [1]. A gag in the film also highlights that screen fixations are not limited to children, showing an adult fussing with virtual-meeting backgrounds [1]. The Walt Disney Company, which has owned Pixar since 2006, will distribute the film on its Disney+ streaming service after its theatrical run, making the movie itself content available on the very tablets it scrutinizes [5][1].