Toy Story 5: Release Date, Cast & What We Know

When Bonnie receives a Lilypad tablet as a gift and becomes obsessed, Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the gang's jobs become exponentially harder when they have to go head to head with the all-new threat to playtime.

The film has already screened for pediatric patients in more than 40 children's hospitals across the country, with Disney and Pixar coordinating the distribution directly through hospital foundations and child life departments. Each doll is packaged with a certificate signed by Tom Hanks, who voices Woody, and a note explaining that Woody encourages every child to keep playing - even when facing tough treatment days.

"These dolls have become more than just toys - they've become companions," said Lori Kammerer, director of child life services at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, one of the hospitals participating in the initiative. "Kids bring them to chemotherapy appointments, clutch them during scans, and tell them their secrets at bedtime. You'd think they were real."

Hospital staff report that the Woody doll has become the most requested item from playroom donation closets, often leading to negotiations between young patients about sharing. Some hospitals have started "Woody Club" playgroups where children gather to reenact scenes from the earlier Toy Story movies while waiting for procedures.

The donation program was conceived in early 2025, before editing on the film was complete, and involved close collaboration with pediatric psychologists to design a doll that could withstand hospital-grade cleaning while maintaining its familiar appearance. Andrew Stanton, the director, visited several children's hospitals during production to observe how children interact with comfort objects during medical care.

Stanton told assembled press at a preview event that the gift program made sense from the beginning. "We realized pretty quickly that if we were making a movie about toys stepping up when a child's attention wanders, we should be the ones stepping up too," he said. "The tablets are formidable rivals, but a toy that holds a kid's story in its stitching - that's something no screen can replace."

The timing of the announcement coincides with the film's box office performance, which has been strong despite mixed early reviews. Toy Story 5 holds a TMDb rating of 7.419 out of 10, lower than its predecessors but still solid for an animated sequel. Critics have praised Stanton's direction of the voice cast, particularly the fresh energy Conan O'Brien brings as Smarty Pants and Greta Lee's turn as Lilypad, the tablet's voice interface.

The creative choice to position a digital device as the antagonist has drawn both praise and skepticism. The film's plot depicts the gang struggling to maintain Bonnie's attention against the hypnotic pull of her new tablet, with Woody gradually realizing that the problem isn't the device itself but the imbalance it creates in playtime. Children's media experts have praised the film for addressing screen time without resorting to outright condemnation of technology.

"This isn't a movie that says 'tablets are evil,'" said Dr. Rima Shah, a pediatric psychologist consulted during production. "It's a story about finding equilibrium. And that's a much harder, more honest message for a kids' movie to deliver."

The 18,000 Woodys have been distributed across all 50 states, with the largest allocations going to hospitals specializing in pediatric cancer and long-term care. Disney has not disclosed the total cost of the program but confirmed that no funds came from the film's marketing budget. The dolls were produced through an existing partnership with a licensed toy manufacturer, with Disney covering production and shipping expenses.

Requests for additional dolls continue to arrive from hospitals that have already received their allocations, and Disney representatives have indicated that a second round of donations may follow if the film's theatrical run continues to perform well. With Toy Story 5 still in wide release and showing signs of enduring popularity, families visiting theaters this summer are discovering a film that, for thousands of children across the country, arrived in their hospital rooms months before it ever reached the multiplex.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter