Toy Story 5 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Toy Story 5 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 20, 2026

They say that nostalgia ain't what it used to be, but damn if Pixar doesn't make it seem like it is. Of all the heartstring tugging (yanking?) material the studio has offered through the years, it's at least arguable that the Toy Story franchise is the most, well, nostalgic of them all. The first Toy Story was made when, as co-director Andrew Stanton (with Kenna Harris) kind of alludes to in a supplement, Baby Boomers were young parents themselves, seeing that film through the lens of a generation who grew up with both toys and a certain amount of media savvy. Stanton mentions he's a grandparent now, and that very acknowledgement of the ineluctable passage of time is part and parcel of this fifth and very nostalgic (despite an emphasis on tech) entry in the series. That may redound to both the benefit and detriment of the film, since it can't help but revisit already well worn tropes (as even some of the supplements seem to suggest, albeit more self consciously positively) even as it introduces that aforementioned "new fangled" technology element that threatens the more character oriented playthings in a somewhat different way than earlier entries. With regard to those now well loved character oriented playthings, co-writer (with Stanton) Harris is on hand in interviews mentioning a personal obsession for Jessie from her own young childhood, and her emphasis on Jessie (voiced once again by Joan Cusack) for this story is one of the film's best considered decisions, tipping things at least slightly away from the perhaps expected skirmishes between Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), though those certainly are still on hand.

This fifth outing continues with the foundational narrative elements in Toy Story 4, offering shy tot Bonnie (Scarlett Spears), though it takes a moment for her to be introduced. Instead, the film begins with a daffy (sorry, Looney Tunes) vignette showing a bunch of still packaged "high tech" Buzz Lightyears washed up on a small island where some kind of shipping calamity has occurred. They seem to join together in an almost Borg like mind link aggregation and manage to escape the island on a self made raft, on a hunt for "Star Command" (the fact that they're following a star in the sky may have unavoidable quasi-religious underpinnings). The main story then kicks off with Bonnie escaping into her own fantasy worlds creating her own narratives involving her playthings (these vignettes are offered in a charmingly "childlike" variant animation style). Her inability to really socialize very well leads her parents to gift her with a tablet named Lilypad (Greta Lee), who quickly becomes Bonnie's newest obsession, to the point that the toys are either largely forgotten or actually put into storage (sound familiar?).

Jessie as the appointed Sheriff of the group assumes command to wrest at least some attention back to the already introduced characters, but rather interestingly she has to involve an earlier generation of tech playthings to achieve her goal. And it's here that Toy Story 5 probably offers some of its most guffaw inducing material with the introduction of Smarty Pants (Conan O'Brien), a quaint (?) toy designed to help toilet train tots. There is actually a trio of this earlier generation of tech, a toy camera named Snappy (Shelby Rabara) and a GPS Hippo named Atlas (Craig Robinson), who, along with Lily her(?)self, perhaps subliminally allude to the fact that, like Stanton's evolution from parent to grandparent, time marches on and toys change.

The previously introduced army of Buzz Lightyears (which can't help but recall the extremely similar platoon of green Army guys in earlier entries) also get involved, as might be expected, but if the broad outlines of this story obviously echo the earlier films, one of the most refreshing things Toy Story 5 presents is actually an omission of sorts: while Lilypad, and perhaps even the earlier generation of tech, might be antagonists, they're not villains. In fact, all of these variant playthings once again have to learn to work together (um, sound familiar?) to support Bonnie. The fact that the support actually ends up with the introduction of a human playmate may be this film's most subliminally subversive element.

Toy Story 5 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.

Toy Story 5 is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Pixar and Disney / Buena Vista with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. Videophiles have gotten pretty spoiled by the general excellence of both Disney and Pixar animated properties through the years, and this latest example does not disappoint in any significant way. As always, the inventive character designs are a highlight, and this story offers several unusual elements like Lily herself as well as the three "retro" tech characters, none of whom are really anthropomorphic or animal based (even the GPS Hippo isn't especially "realistic"). Texturing on all the characters is superb, and detail levels are typically immaculate throughout, including everything from supposed fabrics to the pixels that make up Smarty Pants' display. But it's the 4K UHD's Dolby Vision and HDR grades that probably set this most distinctly apart from the excellent SDR 1080 presentation also included in this package. Highlights are measurably improved throughout the presentation, including everything from the kind of teal tinged opening island shipwreck material, to some of the undeniably nostalgic view of the tire swing tree and memories of Jessie and her various owners. Colors are incredibly well suffused throughout, and elements like Jessie's bright red hat and hair really pop fantastically well. The HDR grades also offer some more noticeable differentiations between the hat and hair, to cite just one observable example of the variations on display.

Toy Story 5 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As usual with Disney or Disney adjacent discs, the 4K disc offers a Dolby Atmos track while the 1080 disc offers DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. What's kind of unusual about the authoring of both of these discs is that they default to "lesser" choices, with the 4K disc defaulting to Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 and the 1080 disc defaulting to DTS-HD High Resolution 5.1. That niggling qualm aside, the Atmos track does offer some intermittent verticality that the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track on the 1080 disc doesn't, beginning with some of the island material, but also throughout the story, especially with regard to some of the goofy (sorry, "classic" Disney) sound effects. Another bright and charming score offers good engagement of the side and rear channels. Some of the more chaotic "action" elements also pepper the side and rear channels with ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional subtitles in several languages are available.

Toy Story 5 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K UHD Disc

• Feature Commentary includes co-director Kenna Harris, production designer Bob Pauley and visual effects supervisor Thomas Jordan.

1080 Disc

• The Toys are Back in Town (HD; 17:32) is an enjoyable overview, with some quick recaps of previous story points.


• Casting Playtime (HD; 5:58) looks at some of the voice actors and their recording sessions.


• 50 Buzzes and the Great Escape (HD; 6:49) focuses on the brigade of initially shipwrecked Buzz toys.


• The Lost Toys (HD; 4:57) gives passing mention to some characters who didn't make this film.


• Gag Reel (HD; 3:03)


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 22:01) has some introductory material from Stanton and Harris.


• Feature Commentary includes co-director Kenna Harris, production designer Bob Pauley and visual effects supervisor Thomas Jordan.

Additionally, this 4K edition comes housed in an appealingly colorful SteelBook with both the returning focal trio (quartet if you include Bullseye) and the three retro tech characters on the front panel, and that evocative tire swing tree on the back panel. The interior panels offers more "childlike" renditions of Jessie and Buzz. A digital copy is included.

Toy Story 5 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If there are signs of attrition with this now very long lived series, they're relatively minor. Toy Story 5 is another fun adventure with some piquant subtext, all delivered with that sometimes overwhelming amount of Pixar heart. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements very enjoyable. Highly recommended.