It's no surprise that Pixar's first five-film franchise follows up on the movie that started it all, and it sounds likeToy Story 5 will be reflective of the 31 years that have passed between it and the acclaimed first movie. (A span that Tom Hanks and Tim Allen joke about.) When the sequel joins other 2026 movie releases in June, audiences will apparently be watching Buzz, Woody and Bo Peep's darkest adventure yet.
That assumption stems from this week's news about the MPA slapping a PG rating onto Toy Story 5, making it the first of the flagship Toy Story movies to be rated anything beyond the all-inclusive G. (Chris Evans' live-action LIghtyear also got the PG branding, but I don't think that can be blamed for its lacking box office.) The MPA clearly things at least one element in the movie is worthy of making sure child viewers have a parent or guardian nearby for comfort, akin to Finding Dory's getting a different rating from Finding Nemo.
Obviously, it's not known just yet why Pixar's latest effort was branded differently from the first four features, so wouldn't it be fun to speculate about why this almost definitely end up being the darkest Toy Story movie yet? I'm going to assume everyone reading just hollered "Heck yeah, and I have my thinking hat that looks like a cowboy hat just a finger's length away," and all at the same time.
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Theory 1: The Toys WIll Be Corrupted By The Internet
On the opposite end of the plaything spectrum from Forky's simplistic handmade glory is the Toy Story franchise's newest must-have: the frog-shaped Lily Pad tablet. Obviously any new toy sapping Bonnie's attention from her longtime collection is going to feel threatening, but Lily Pad brings a completely different kind of threat into the playroom: a WiFi connection.
Certainly, director Andrew Stanton & Co. won't be giving Trixie an OnlyFans page, and nor will they be putting any focus on the myriad adult entertainment sites out there. That would send the rating all the way up to an R instead of a PG, so no worries there.
Instead, I'm talking about things that might not seem soul-crushing to the uninitiated, like reading horrifying comments on YouTube and X, or going down any number of social media rabbit holes filled with disingenuous content. I mean, even going to WebMD would be debilitating for these toys. Or streaming services. Can you imagine what watching a full season of The Boys would do to Rex?
Theory 2: We'll See "Evil" AI Versions Of Woody, Buzz, And/Or Bo Peep Doing Terrible-ish Things
There's something very Black Mirror-esque about the Toy Story 5 poster where our protagonist trio are shown in the reflection of Lily Pad's screen. Which made me think: if Lily Pad has a camera installed, she might be able to take pictures of the other toys, and could use those images for any number of nefarious acts that would get them into hot water with Bonnie and other humans.
Honestly, just showing adults proof that toys can talk would change everything, but assuming that doesn't happen, I think it's feasible that Lily Pad could create AI versions of Woody, Buzz and/or Bo Peep that would be employed for devious schemes. For instance, Lily Pad could sew distrust within the playroom by creating a video of AI Woody badmouthing other friends and claiming it was made while he was still on his toy-saving pilgrimmage. Or showing Woody a manufactured video of Bo Peep kissing Buzz. (Bring out the PG-13 stickers!)
Plenty of other conceivable examples exist for how Lily Pad could use AI to turn the main characters' lives (so to speak) upside-down, with much potential for other yet-to-be-introduced characters to be involved, such as Krys Marshall's potentially worrisome new entry. And if Bonnie's parents buy a 3D printer that Lily Pad can connect to? Cooked.
Theory 3: The Evolution Of Toy Technology Will Be An Existential Nightmare
Surely, the Toy Story franchise is among the most adept at emotional arcs that audiences of literally any age can be moved by, and all without talking down to viewers or tiptoing around umcomfortable beats. Still, this world of make-believe doesn't dwell much on philosophical topics that could send characters (and younger viewers) spiraling. Like, Buzz suffering a complete personality change in Toy Story 3 due an on-body switch could have easily set up a feature-length conversation about the ramifications of having such a vulnerability, and having it go public.
Maybe Toy Story 5 will lean more into those unspoken concerns that are generally above children's heads, which I think could easily tie into the "corrupted by Internet" theory higher up. What if Slinky Dog stumbles across the information that the Earth is going to be destroyed when our sun goes supernova? There's nothing salacious about that info, but the anxiety it could inspire isn't so G-rated.
That's an extreme example, but having an extremely advanced toy like Lily Pad around could easily cause other toys to question their arguably less-than existence. It's in the same ballpark as thinking about what life is like for toys packed away in storage containers, or on constant public display without a means of getting free. The tablet could easily make other toys feel inferior without even having that intention. At least at first.
Which could then lead to narrative beats that dig more into truly dark subjects like abandonment, abuse, grief or death. Toy Story movies often feature characters who worry about being replaced, but we all know that phones and tablets absolutely become the ultimate substitution for imagination-based toys. Which is the scariest thing of all. It'd make me want to seek a parent's embrace, but much like many Disney protagonists, my parents are dead.
That feels like a great note to cap off this story about — [checks notes] — Toy Story 5, and it's one of those rare instances where I kind of hope none of my movie theories end up coming true. Maybe the PG rating is just because one of the toys poops on the floor. Which is a different kind of death.
Toy Story 5 will hit theaters for children and guardians everywhere on June 19.
