Credit: Disney
Toy Story 5 Accused Of Being ‘Racist’ As People Urged To Boycott Disney Movie
Toy Story 5 has only just arrived in cinemas, but the latest Pixar sequel is already facing backlash online.
The fifth installment in the beloved franchise was released on June 19 and has quickly become a major box office success for Disney and Pixar.
The film follows Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and the rest of Bonnie’s toys as they face a very modern threat: a digital tablet.
But while many fans have praised the movie’s emotional story and nostalgic return to the toy box, others have accused Disney of hypocrisy, ‘wokeness’ and even racism, per MSN.
Some social media users are now urging people to boycott the film entirely.
Toy Story returns with a tech-age story
The original Toy Story was released in 1995 and changed animation forever.
It introduced audiences to a world where toys secretly come to life when humans are not around.
Over the decades, the franchise has become one of Pixar’s most treasured properties, with Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 both earning huge box office numbers, per the BBC.
In Toy Story 5, the toys face a very different kind of challenge.
Bonnie is growing up in a world where children are increasingly drawn to screens, apps, and digital devices.
That sets up a conflict between traditional toys and a new tablet-style character called Lilypad.
The film places Jessie at the center of the story, with the cowgirl becoming the emotional lead as she tries to protect Bonnie’s connection to real-world play.
Reviews have been divided
Critics have been split over whether Pixar successfully justifies another sequel.
Some reviews have praised the film for giving Jessie a bigger role and exploring childhood in the digital age.
Others have argued that the franchise is beginning to feel stretched and that the story does not reach the emotional heights of earlier films.
Several reviewers, including Rendy Reviews, have also pointed out the irony of Disney criticizing screen time while also being one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world.
For years, Disney has expanded its characters into streaming, apps, games, merchandise and digital tie-ins.
That has led some critics to accuse the company of attacking screen culture while continuing to profit from it.
Fans react online
The debate quickly spread across social media after early viewers began sharing their thoughts.
Some fans praised the film as a heartfelt return for Pixar.
One viewer said they were surprised by how emotional Jessie’s storyline was, while another argued that the movie gave longtime fans a meaningful reason to return to the franchise.
Others were far more critical.
Some accused Disney of trying to push a message about screen time while continuing to sell digital products to children.
Others complained that the focus on Jessie felt like another example of Disney sidelining classic male characters in favor of female-led stories.
There were also calls for people to avoid the film altogether, with some viewers claiming the studio had once again mishandled one of its classic franchises.
Disney has faced racism criticism before
The controversy has also revived broader conversations about Disney’s history with racist imagery and cultural stereotypes, per Deadline.
In recent years, Disney+ has added content warnings to several older films, including Peter Pan, Dumbo, The Aristocats, Lady and the Tramp, and The Jungle Book.
Those warnings acknowledge that some older Disney movies contain negative depictions or offensive stereotypes.
Disney previously explained that it chose not to remove the films entirely because it wanted to acknowledge their harmful impact, learn from them, and spark conversation.
However, critics of the company argue that Disney’s attempts to address past racism do not mean newer films should be immune from scrutiny.
That argument has now resurfaced around Toy Story 5.
The line causing backlash
The racism accusation appears to center on a moment involving Jessie and a group of digital toddler toys.
In the film, Jessie spends time with characters including Smarty Pants, Snappy and Atlas.
At one point, Jessie reportedly refers to the group as ‘your kind.’
Some viewers and critics have interpreted the phrase as uncomfortable because it sounds like a slur within the world of the movie.
The moment is not about human race, but some argue that the wording creates an awkward allegory between traditional toys and newer digital toys.
One review described it as a ‘touch of toy racism,’ noting that Jessie’s use of ‘your kind’ felt pointed and unpleasant.
That criticism has now fueled online debate over whether the line was meant to show Jessie’s prejudice against newer toys, or whether Pixar simply mishandled the wording.
“They really made Jessie racist in Toy Story 5,” one fan penned. “Ain’t no way they made Jessie racist,” added another.
“Racist Jessie was NOT what I was expecting out of this movie. Then again, I wasn’t expecting much of anything, and that’s what I got! Plot is really dumb, the tech vs toy argument is stupid, like yeah bro I’m gonna use my 3DS as a police car or some shit. 3/10,” another agreed.
Some viewers defend the film
Not everyone agrees with the backlash.
Many fans argue that the scene is being taken too seriously and that the movie is clearly about toys adapting to technology, not race.
Others say Jessie’s discomfort with digital toys is part of her character arc and is supposed to show fear, jealousy and insecurity.
Supporters also point out that Toy Story has always explored divisions between different kinds of toys.
Woody originally judged Buzz for not understanding he was a toy.
The toys in earlier films feared being replaced, discarded or forgotten.
From that perspective, some viewers believe Toy Story 5 is simply continuing a long-running theme about change and belonging.
Calls for boycott grow
Despite the defenses, some online users have urged people not to support the movie.
The boycott calls appear to stem from several different complaints at once.
Some viewers are angry about the alleged ‘toy racism’ line, while others object to Jessie becoming the lead.
Some believe Disney is being hypocritical by criticizing screen addiction while making money from digital entertainment.
And others simply feel the franchise should have ended years ago.
However, the backlash does not appear to have damaged the film financially.
Toy Story 5 opened to more than $300 million globally, making it the biggest opening weekend in the franchise’s history.
That suggests plenty of families and longtime fans still turned out despite the online controversy.
Disney has not responded
Disney and Pixar have not publicly responded to the racism accusations or boycott calls.
For now, the studio is likely focused on the movie’s strong box office performance.
But the debate shows how even family films are now heavily scrutinized online, especially when they deal with themes like technology, childhood, identity and belonging.
For some, Toy Story 5 is a touching story about helping children reconnect with real friendship in a screen-dominated world.
For others, one line was enough to turn the latest Pixar sequel into another Disney controversy.
Either way, the movie has people talking.
And for a franchise that began with the question of what happens when humans leave the room, Toy Story 5 is now facing a very modern problem: what happens when the internet starts watching too closely.
Related Article: Disney Accused Of Being ‘Racist’ As People Urged To Boycott Live-Action Moana
Related Article: Devil Wears Prada 2 Accused Of Being ‘Racist’ As Fans Urged To Boycott Sequel
Want more stuff like this?
Get the best viral stories straight into your inbox!
