Tom Hanks believes Toy Story 5 may end up becoming one of the franchise’s most emotional chapters yet. The actor teased what he described as one of the most heartbreaking moments in the history of the beloved Pixar series, one rooted in a very modern childhood problem.

This time around, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the gang find themselves facing something far more familiar to today’s generation of kids: technology. The film follows eight-year-old Bonnie after she receives her first device and begins spending increasing amounts of time glued to screens, much to the horror of her toys.

For a franchise that has long turned childhood fears into emotional gut punches, Pixar may now be confronting one of the most relatable anxieties of modern parenting.

Toy Story has never really just been about toys. Across four films, Pixar quietly turned childhood fears — abandonment, growing up, loneliness, and change — into emotional moments that resonated just as deeply with adults as children. According to Tom Hanks, Toy Story 5 may be tapping into something painfully familiar for an entirely new generation.

“There’s one of the most heartbreaking scenes I’ve ever seen in any of the Toy Story movies, when that little girl is getting her feelings hurt by what other people are texting about her, and she doesn’t understand why,” Hanks told The Hollywood Reporter at the U.K. launch event in London.

Hanks also added that what surprised him most was Pixar’s willingness to put words to emotions people are already quietly dealing with, particularly around children navigating life through devices and digital interactions. The actor also teased that fans can expect a major Buzz Lightyear presence in the movie, joking that Tim Allen would have “a field day” voicing hundreds of Buzz Lightyears after one memorable sequence involving “500 Buzzes” emerging from the water.

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But Hanks was not the only longtime Toy Story star surprised by just how directly Pixar was willing to confront modern tech culture.

Pixar’s decision to center Toy Story 5 around screen time and digital dependence also appears to have surprised longtime franchise star Tim Allen. For the actor, what stood out most was the studio’s willingness to critically examine technology at a moment when devices increasingly shape childhood experiences.

“I’m really impressed Pixar did this,” Tim Allen shared on the launch with The Hollywood Reporter, praising the studio for exploring children’s growing dependence on devices, even while Disney and Pixar themselves sit at the center of technology-driven entertainment.

Allen added that preview screenings reportedly turned unusually quiet during some scenes, with audiences realizing, “This is where we’re heading.” According to the actor, the film ultimately explores a difficult truth: while no one can force kids to play the way older generations once did, real-life engagement with toys, friendships, and the world around them may still offer something screens cannot.

The film will also introduce Greta Lee as Lily Pad, a mysterious new toy-device hybrid who, according to the actor, has “great intentions” but does not always execute them perfectly.

With Toy Story 5 arriving in theaters on June 19, Pixar appears to be revisiting Woody and Buzz not simply for nostalgia, but to wrestle with a childhood problem that feels more immediate than ever — a tonal shift that also comes as the franchise reportedly enters new ratings territory for the first time. And if Hanks is right, audiences may have to carry a couple of boxes of tissues with them.

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Do you think Toy Story 5 could become the franchise’s most emotional chapter yet? Let us know in the comments.