Toys face technical glitch

With Toy Story 5 now in cinemas, Emily Bright reflects on the film’s message of friendship and support - and points us towards the one friend who will never let us down.

The toys are back in town. And in Toy Story 5, astronaut Buzz Lightyear, cowgirl Jessie and the gang face a new threat to playtime – a frog-themed tablet called Lilypad.

The toys had been helping their owner, a little girl named Bonnie (voiced by Scarlett Spears), to make friends. But after the arrival of Lilypad (Greta Lee), Bonnie starts spending more and more time on screens.

Thankfully, Buzz (Tim Allen) is no stranger to new challenges. He and his pals have been meeting them since the original Toy Story was released in the UK in 1996.

Back in that first film, veteran cowboy Woody (Tom Hanks) viewed new arrival Buzz as a rival for his owner Andy’s attention, but then ended up saving him from bully Sid. In the second instalment, the gang came to Woody’s rescue after he was stolen by a toy collector.

Then, in Toy Story 3, the friends teamed up to take down the dictatorial teddy bear Lotso, when they found themselves at his mercy during a stay at Sunnyside Daycare. The group also helped plastic cutlery Forky in Toy Story 4, as he adjusted from being a utensil to a support toy for Bonnie when she started kindergarten.

Now, in 2026, the group are determined to help Bonnie break free from screen time. Jessie (Joan Cusack) ropes in Woody to help. The cowboy had retired to spend time with the love of his life, Bo Peep – but the plastic couple have been rescuing abandoned toys as tablets increasingly dominate playtime.

Woody admits that it will be tricky to beat the tablets. He notes that ‘toys are for play, but tech is … for everything.’ And Lilypad won’t go quietly. It will take all the group’s experience and wisdom to save the day once again.

At the heart of the Toy Story films is the strong bond between the family of toys, who rescue and support each other. It’s a theme that is summed up by a recurring song on the films’ soundtracks, Randy Newman’s ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’. 

In our lives, friendship can perhaps feel more complicated than in the films. We may unintentionally drift apart from friends, fall out or feel betrayed by them.

Even the most loyal and supportive friends can’t necessarily be there for us around the clock. But there is someone we can always turn to in our most challenging times.

Reflecting how God had continually helped and rescued people through the years, one song in the Bible joyfully urges people: 

We can experience the faithful love of God for ourselves. While he is our all- powerful Creator, he also cares about every element of our lives and wants to have a relationship with us.

If we let him into our lives, as the years go by we will find that our friendship with God will never die. And we will have the reassurance of knowing that, without a doubt, we’ve got a friend in him.