Is screen time newest enemy?

Thirty-one years ago, the villain in Toy Story was simple: plastic. Fast-forward to 2026, and the toys face a modern challenge: screen time, represented by a new tablet called Lilypad.

When Pixar’s landmark animated film first premiered in 1995, Woody worried about being replaced by Buzz Lightyear. Now, the gang must navigate the distractions of a digital world, proving that even toys have to adapt to the times.

Then occurs the climax, a face-off between Jessie the cowgirl doll and Lilypad.

The toys were concerned about Lilypad replacing them. When all of the toys had tried hard for Andy to make friends, she kept feeling left out because all of her friends had a tablet, and she didn’t.

When Toy Story was released across America on Nov. 22, 1995, the audience was excited to witness the first fully computer-animated movie. But the producers were aiming to address the bigger cause.

Toy Story used its characters’ plastic nature to explore the anxiety of being disposable, while simultaneously portraying the deep, emotional attachment that children have to these synthetic items.

Now, as the franchise has taken challenge to address another big issue, screen time among children, it’s really fascinating to watch how Toy Story 5 tackles it.

Toy Story 5 is set to be released on June 19.