Toy Story 5 Heads to Theaters June 19 With First Reactions Calling It Pixar's Best in Years
Thirty years after Tom Hanks took a French fry off Tim Allen's plate and nearly ended their partnership before it began, the two men stood together on the red carpet of the Toy Story 5 world premiere at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre on Monday evening — and Allen, 72, admitted he still cannot fully describe what that passage of time has done to either of them. "I can't describe what 30 years have done," Allen told reporters. Toy Story 5 opens in theaters on Friday, June 19.
The film, directed by Andrew Stanton — whose credits include Finding Nemo and WALL-E — arrives as Pixar's first Toy Story feature to carry a PG rating and as the franchise's most self-aware entry yet: its central conflict pits Woody, Buzz, and Jessie against Lilypad, a tablet device character whose appeal to children threatens to render physical toys obsolete. First reactions from critics who attended Monday's premiere in Los Angeles were overwhelmingly positive, with multiple reviewers calling it a return to form and ranking it alongside the first three films in the series.
Toy Story 5 Pits Woody and Buzz Against a Tablet Named Lilypad
The fifth installment centers on Bonnie, the child who inherited the toys at the end of Toy Story 3, and gives significant screen time to Jessie, voiced by Joan Cusack, who described the film in an interview at the premiere as "really deep," "profound," and "a girl's story" that she felt was handled with the right balance. Lilypad — voiced by Greta Lee — is a frog-shaped smart tablet whose appeal to children upends the toys' sense of purpose. The film's premise is the franchise's most direct engagement with contemporary childhood yet: a story about what it means to compete with a screen for a child's imagination. Full official synopsis at Disney Movies.
Named critics used terms including "generation-defining," "magical and pure perfection," and "absolute home run" to describe the film in social media reactions posted immediately after Monday's screening. Variety's Jazz Tangcay praised it as a fantastic franchise entry in which, as she put it, Jessie finally gets the story she deserves. Critic Clayton Davis wrote that the film is "timely and surprisingly sharp" in its take on the relationship between children and technology, adding a fair warning that viewers may want to break their child's tablet after watching. Full critical reviews remain under embargo until June 16.
Tim Allen and Tom Hanks: A Friendship Built on Stolen French Fries and Peculiar Lunches
In an exclusive interview with Extra at the premiere, Allen traced the precise moment he decided he actually liked his co-star.
Allen grew up in a large family where sharing food was simply not done. When Hanks, during the Toy Story press tour in the mid-1990s, casually took a fry off Allen's plate at lunch, Allen was genuinely offended. He told Hanks to take the whole plate. But when Hanks laughed at the reaction, something shifted. Allen realized that although he did not like this man, he thought he might love him. "He's such a smart-ass," Allen said.
The two have since been having lunch together a few times a year for three decades. At the premiere, Allen described their in-person dynamic as anything but businesslike — exchanging small gifts like special pens and staplers, with Hanks partial to typewriters and Allen drawn to technology. Their text exchanges, by contrast, are startlingly matter-of-fact: "Lunch?" followed by "Yes, Friday."
"We're like two older women, but I like that," Allen told E! News on the red carpet. "I can't describe what 30 years have done."
Hanks described their shared awareness that what began as a voice acting job had grown into something larger. "We started to realize we were in the midst of something that was quite grandiose, and perhaps we needed a check on our hubris," Hanks said. "So we started getting together. It's good for the soul when Tim and I get together. And we cause some really good triple-takes when we're out."
Explaining his decision to return for a fifth film, Hanks described a phone call with Allen in which neither was immediately convinced. He recalled the exchange: "Both Tim and I immediately get on the phone. 'You hear this?' 'Yes, I heard that.' 'What do you make of it?' 'I'm not so sure it's going to live up to the other four.'" In the end, the deciding factor was learning the film centered on Bonnie and gave her significant screen time. "We felt like, 'Okay, let us shoulder our responsibilities and get there,'" Hanks said.
Taylor Swift and Randy Newman Perform "You've Got a Friend in Me" at Dolby Theatre
The premiere's most unexpected moment came after the screening ended. A curtain rose to reveal Taylor Swift in a floor-length yellow gown, seated at a grand piano, performing the live debut of "I Knew It, I Knew You" — the original song she co-wrote with Jack Antonoff for the film's end credits, released June 5.
Swift, who said she has been a longtime fan of the franchise, then introduced Randy Newman, 82 — who has composed the music for all five Toy Story films — calling him "the architect of the Toy Story musical universe." Newman responded in characteristic fashion: "Very kind of you. Thank you for the kind words. I deserve them." The two then performed an unannounced duet of "You've Got a Friend in Me" at the piano, with Newman adding an improvised aside — "No one is smarter than you" — that drew laughter from the more than 3,000 attendees. Earlier on the red carpet, Swift had asked Hanks to sign her original Toy Story VHS tape. Hanks obliged, and joked that she should have brought the VHS machine itself so it could go to the Smithsonian.
Swift had not been publicly connected to the film until June 1, when her involvement was announced after weeks of speculation. Even the film's cast was among the last to know. The Hollywood Reporter's awards analyst Scott Feinberg noted that Swift's original song is firmly in the Oscar conversation alongside the film itself.
Four Generations, One Red Carpet, Thirty Years of Memories
Allen offered one more detail that landed at the premiere: after four generations of a single family approached him in the crowd at a prior promotional event in London, he found himself describing the emotion as something he did not anticipate when he first took the role. "It never started this way," Allen said. "Tom and I did this because it was a really fun script."
The five-film arc has taken both men from their 30s to their 70s. Allen shared a then-and-now photo on social media before the premiere showing himself and Hanks at the 1995 Toy Story premiere and at the Toy Story 5 London event in May — a comparison that prompted a wide response from fans across generations.
Toy Story 5 opens nationwide on Friday, June 19.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Toy Story 5 come out?
Toy Story 5 opens in US theaters on Friday, June 19, 2026. The film had its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on June 9, 2026.
Is Tim Allen in Toy Story 5?
Yes. Tim Allen reprises his role as the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 5, returning alongside Tom Hanks as Woody and Joan Cusack as Jessie. The film also adds new voice cast members including Greta Lee as tablet character Lilypad, Conan O'Brien as Smarty Pants, Keanu Reeves, and Bad Bunny.
Did Taylor Swift write a song for Toy Story 5?
Taylor Swift co-wrote the original song "I Knew It, I Knew You" with Jack Antonoff for Toy Story 5. The song was released on June 5, 2026, and plays over the film's end credits. Swift performed it live for the first time at the June 9 world premiere, where she also joined franchise composer Randy Newman for an unannounced duet of "You've Got a Friend in Me."
What is Toy Story 5 about?
Toy Story 5 follows Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of Bonnie's toys as they face competition from Lilypad, a tablet device character whose appeal to children threatens to upend playtime as the toys have always known it. Director Andrew Stanton — who previously made Finding Nemo and WALL-E for Pixar — centers the story on Bonnie and gives Jessie, voiced by Joan Cusack, a lead role. The film is the first in the main Toy Story franchise to carry a PG rating.
ⓒ 2026 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
