'Toy Story 5': 3 Christian reactions to film's warning about kids using tech

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, June 23, 2026

3. The Collision 

While Daniel Blackaby agreed with the message of “Toy Story 5” — that digital technology shouldn't replace imaginative play — he wondered if the movie also introduced a problem that might not exist. 

Writing for The Collision, which is intended as a resource to help Christians navigate the culture, Blackaby noted that the movie shows children bullying Bonnie for playing with real toys, making the girl feel insecure about owning them.

“The film ultimately rejects these opinions and promotes old school play as awesome and superior,” he wrote. “But along the way, as young viewers vicariously share in Bonnie’s bullying, it may unintentionally introduce the idea that play is something silly for little children and is an activity that no other kids do these days.” 

While Blackaby assures parents that there's a lot to appreciate about “Toy Story 5,” he warns about some of the jokes involving the character Smarty Pants, a potty-training device. The character occasionally comes close to swearing and uses sayings like “flush me.”

“While previous “Toy Story” films largely explored what happens to a toy when their kid grows up, “Toy Story 5” explores what happens to toys and imaginative play when all kids grow up at an accelerated rate due to overindulgence in technology and screentime,” Blackaby writes in his review. “The result is a darker, almost apocalyptic tone at times. Still, it’s nothing that young viewers won’t be able to handle and is arguably never as intense as even Sid’s room was from the original film.”