The Toy Story franchise is a minor miracle, critically acclaimed and commercially successful in equal measure. Pixar still finds things to say about growing old, healing trauma, and finding family, and they do it without being preachy. At their core, these films are unpretentious, silly tales about toys that magically come to life. And that keeps the kids laughing—hopefully, hard enough that they don't notice the adults bawling their eyes out.

Toy Story 5 launched in theaters this past weekend, seven years after the release of Toy Story 4 in 2019. The creators have always said they wouldn't greenlight a new entry unless they had the idea and script to justify it, and Toy Story 5 fulfills that promise. It tells a worthy, reflective tale, directly addressing technology and its effect on children. And audiences showed up, pushing the film to a $312 million opening.

As is Pixar tradition, Toy Story 5 is loaded with Easter eggs and trivia references.…