Pixar and Disney have made plenty of PG-rated animated movies before. The Incredibles (2004), Inside Out (2015), Onward (2020), and Finding Nemo (2003) are just some of the films that got slapped with the parental guidance warning when they were released. For Finding Nemo, it was for the scarier scenes. For Inside Out, it was for the complex feelings about growing up. Now, Toy Story 5 can be added to that list, as it becomes the first film in the franchise to get a PG rating.
For 31 years, from Toy Story to Toy Story 4, the franchise was a super clean family story that only had a G-rating (General Audiences) – meaning it was for everyone, no matter how young (or old). That’s changing with the upcoming film, as Andy’s toys step into a slightly darker (or more complex) story.
Pixar Animation Studios has already aged the characters a bit (we’ve seen the memes of Woody’s bald spot), and with that comes a slightly more mature/emotionally intense story (and maybe something scarier than the incinerator scene in Toy Story 3), it seems. Either that, or the MPA is feeling a little too sensitive about the themes in the upcoming animated film.
See, the next film won’t focus on evil toys or new daycare dictators. Instead, the enemy this time is screen time and digital technology (like a tablet named Lilypad). Woody, Jessie and Buzz are fighting Wi-Fi and tech this time around, with the story showing how kids today prefer screens over toys.
“When tech comes in, it wins,” said director Andrew Stanton, explaining the threat in Toy Story 5. Of course, it’s a story that’s completely relatable to parents and kids in 2026.
All our favourites return in the new adventure. Tom Hanks is back as Woody, and Tim Allen is back as Buzz. Joan Cusack and Annie Potts return, too, while newcomers like Conan O’Brien and Greta Lee join the long list of A-list actors voicing toys and tech.
The Toy Story franchise has already hauled in over $3.3 billion at the box office over the years. A PG rating isn’t going to stop that level of success. Don’t be surprised if they cross the $4 billion mark shortly after the 5th film releases on June 19, 2026.
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