“Toy Story” is a franchise everyone is familiar with, where toys come to life and play a huge role in a kid’s childhood. As one of the highest-grossing franchises ever, “Toy Story” has been screened all over the world and is one of the most iconic Pixar films in the industry.

“Toy Story 5” is said to be set for release in 2026, and there’s been controversy about the new movie’s villain. The villains in each of the story lines seem to have a common characteristic. They all have an unmet need to be loved or given a purpose, so they make misguided decisions. The villains represent a loss of innocence, fear of obsolescence, and even the dehumanizing nature of being treated like an object, rather than a person. They end up taking their feelings out on characters who have the life that they envy.

In recent teasers and trailers of the fifth movie, we see a new character being introduced that’s portrayed as the villain of the story. Unlike the villains from previous movies, this character isn’t a person or a toy. They’re a tablet, and they’re a new contribution to Bonnie’s life.

Bonnie is the toys’ kid, and they have the responsibility of keeping her company and being there for her as she grows up. They devote all their time and attention to making sure she’s okay and cared for. The introduction of a tablet as a villain is meant to represent a shift in attention from the real world to the digital world. This is a modern day issue that’s being expressed through animation, and many fans are intrigued over this theme.

“I feel like this problem isn’t nearly addressed enough especially in like younger audiences.” Reid Brooks, a sophomore here at ERHS, said.

The conflict between toys versus technology in a child’s life is going to make an interesting plot line, and it may even get audiences to reflect on their use of technology.

“I hope once I watch this movie I’ll stop doom-scrolling my time away…” Erick Corona, a sophomore at ERHS with a lengthy screen time average, said.