Toy Story 5 and the Case for Real Play

The announcement landed with a knowing smile from parents everywhere. In Toy Story 5, Woody and the gang face a new kind of rival — not a jealous toy or a careless owner, but a tablet. Pixar has cast a screen as the antagonist, and the choice says a great deal about how children play now.

It is a neat piece of storytelling, but it points at something real. The pull between a glowing rectangle and a wooden train on the floor is one that plays out in most homes by teatime. We have written before about Toy Story 5 and the case for real play, and the film gives the question a welcome public airing.

Since 1795 we have made toys meant to be held, dropped, and handed down. Our wooden pieces are made from FSC-certified timber and tested to UKCA and CE safety standards, because a toy a child loves is a toy a child treats roughly. That physical, hands-on quality is exactly what the film is defending.

What Is 'Real Play' and Why Is Pixar Making It the Heart of Toy Story 5?

Real play is the sort children invent for themselves. It is unstructured, open-ended, and led by the child rather than the device. A stick becomes a sword, a box becomes a castle, and a set of building blocks becomes whatever the afternoon requires.

Pixar has always understood this. The Toy Story films are, at heart, about what happens when a toy is truly played with — the scuffs, the stories, the imagination poured into an inanimate thing. Making a tablet the villain of the fifth film simply names the competition out loud.

The distinction matters because a screen usually does the imagining for the child. The narrative is fixed, the reward is scheduled, and the pace is set by someone else. A wooden figure from our wooden toys does none of that. It waits to be given a voice.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989, enshrines play as a fundamental right for every child under Article 31. That a global treaty felt play worth protecting tells you it is not a trivial pastime but a serious part of growing up.

Real play also has no off switch imposed by an algorithm. It ends when the child is ready, or when the game is done, or when tea is called. That freedom is part of the point.

So when the film frames a tablet as the thing to be resisted, it is drawing the same line that researchers, paediatricians, and toy makers have drawn for years. Real play is the child doing the work, and enjoying it. Our range of our children toys is built around that principle.

Why Screen Time vs. Play Time Actually Matters for Your Child's Development

The evidence for hands-on play is substantial. The American Academy of Pediatrics published a policy statement in 2018 emphasising that play is essential to healthy brain development, and that unstructured, child-led play supports cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development.

That was not a new idea even then. Research published in the journal Pediatrics in 2007 by Ginsburg and colleagues concluded that free and unstructured play is healthy and essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones.

Screens are not neutral by comparison. A study published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2019 by Madigan and colleagues found that higher levels of screen time in children aged two to five were associated with lower scores on measures of developmental milestones, including communication and problem-solving.

None of this means a tablet is a menace to be banished at all costs. It means the balance matters, and that the hours a child spends building, sorting, and pretending are doing real developmental work.

The reason is fairly plain. When a child stacks blocks, they test balance, weight, and cause and effect with their own hands. When they play a board game, they take turns, count, lose gracefully, and read another person's face. A screen rarely asks for any of that.

We explore the research more fully in our guide to real play for under 2s and how hands-on play builds brains. The short version is that the tablet in Toy Story 5 is a fair stand-in for a genuine trade-off worth taking seriously.

How to Bring Real Play Back Into Your Home This Summer

Summer is the easiest time to shift the balance. Long days, less routine, and holidays from school leave room for the kind of play that fills an afternoon rather than a spare ten minutes.

Start small. A single game on the kitchen table can pull a family away from separate screens. A set of draughts or backgammon from our board games asks for two players and a little concentration, and rewards both.

It also helps to make the toys visible and the screens less so. A basket of wooden pieces within reach invites play; a tablet on the sofa invites scrolling. Our guide to putting down the tablet with a screen-free play guide sets out practical ways to make the swap without a battle.

Fewer toys, oddly, often means better play. A child faced with a dozen options may flit between all of them; a child with a handful of good ones tends to go deeper. We make that case in fewer toys, better play and the minimalist toy box.

Do not underestimate boredom, either. The empty half-hour before a child works out what to do is often when the best play begins. Resist the urge to fill it with a screen.

And remember that a screen ban alone rarely works on its own. As we explain in why a social media ban isn't enough for real play at home, children need something to move towards, not only something to move away from.

What Age Is Real Play For - And What Does It Look Like at Each Stage?

Real play is not for one age. It changes shape as a child grows, but it never really stops mattering.

For babies and toddlers, play is about the senses and the hands. Grasping, stacking, posting shapes, and mouthing safe objects all build the foundations. Our range of educational toys for toddlers is designed for exactly this stage, with pieces sized and tested for small hands.

From around three, imaginative play takes over. This is the age of the pretend kitchen, the toy animals given names, and the elaborate stories that spill across the living-room floor. Open-ended wooden toys shine here because they can be anything the child decides.

By school age, rules enter the picture. Children start to relish games with structure — taking turns, keeping score, and testing themselves against a sibling or parent. This is where classic board games earn their place, teaching patience and strategy alongside the fun.

Older children and adults never truly leave real play behind. A family game of chess or dominoes is the same instinct grown up. The Toy Story films land with parents partly because they remember playing this way themselves.

What each stage shares is the child doing the imagining. Whether it is a one-year-old learning that a block dropped will fall, or a ten-year-old plotting a winning move, the value lies in their own effort.

Matching the toy to the stage is the practical part. A good toy meets a child where they are and stretches them a little further.

What to Look for When Choosing Toys That Support Real Play

Choosing well is simpler than the crowded shelves suggest. A few honest questions do most of the work.

First, will it last? A toy that survives being dropped, chewed, and handed to a younger sibling earns its keep. This is why we make so much from FSC-certified timber; wood takes the knocks that a plastic hinge does not. Our full range of wooden toys is built to be inherited, not replaced.

Second, is it safe? Look for toys tested to UKCA and CE standards, with age guidance that reflects genuine testing rather than guesswork. Every toy we sell is tested to those standards before it reaches a child.

Third, how much does the toy leave for the child to do? The best toys are quiet. They do not light up, sing, or run a script. They wait for the child to bring them to life, which is precisely what makes real play possible.

Fourth, does it grow with the child, or invite others in? A set of building blocks suits a toddler and a seven-year-old differently but well. A board game brings the whole family to the table, which is worth more than any single-player screen.

Finally, is it something you would want kept? The toys that end up in a loft, saved for the next generation, tend to be the ones that were truly played with. That is the standard the Toy Story films quietly hold up — a toy loved enough to matter. Browse our children toys with that test in mind.

Frequently Asked Questions About Toy Story 5 Real Play

What is real play for children?

Real play for children is freely chosen, child-led activity undertaken for its own enjoyment rather than a specific outcome. It includes physical games, imaginative role-play, building, drawing, and outdoor exploration. According to a 2007 paper by Ginsburg et al. published in Pediatrics, free and unstructured play is essential for helping children reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones. The American Academy of Pediatrics similarly confirmed in 2018 that unstructured, child-led play supports healthy brain development across cognitive, physical, social, and emotional domains.

What is Toy Story 5 about?

Toy Story 5 is the latest instalment in Pixar's beloved animated franchise following Woody, Buzz, and their fellow toys. The film explores themes of real versus digital play, with its central conflict centring on the pull that screens and technology exert over children's attention and imagination. While specific plot details remain limited ahead of release, the film has been widely discussed for positioning a tablet or digital device as its primary antagonist, reflecting broader cultural concerns about childhood, play, and the creeping displacement of physical toys by screens.

Who is the villain in Toy Story 5?

In Toy Story 5, the villain is reported to be a tablet — or digital device — rather than a human or traditional toy antagonist. This creative choice positions screen-based technology as the threat to the world of physical toys and, by extension, to imaginative, hands-on play itself. It reflects growing public conversation about how smartphones and tablets compete with traditional play for children's time and attention, making the film's central conflict feel particularly timely for families navigating toy chests alongside touchscreens.

Why is too much screen time bad for kids?

Research published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2019 by Madigan et al. found that higher levels of screen time in children aged 2–5 were associated with lower scores on measures of developmental milestones, including communication and problem-solving. Excessive screen use can displace the unstructured, child-led play that the American Academy of Pediatrics identified in 2018 as essential to healthy brain development. When screens dominate a child's day, there is simply less time for the physical, social, and imaginative activity that supports well-rounded development.

What are the benefits of unstructured play for children?

Unstructured play — freely chosen and directed by the child — offers wide-ranging developmental benefits. The American Academy of Pediatrics' 2018 policy statement 'The Power of Play' confirmed that this type of play supports cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development. Research by Ginsburg et al. published in Pediatrics in 2007 further concluded that free play helps children reach important developmental milestones. Building dens, inventing games, and playing with open-ended toys all encourage creativity, resilience, problem-solving, and the ability to co-operate with others.

How do I get my child to play without screens?

Start by creating an environment rich with open-ended, hands-on materials — wooden blocks, art supplies, board games, and construction toys all invite imaginative engagement without a power source. Dedicate regular screen-free periods and, where possible, play alongside your child initially to spark ideas. Outdoor time is particularly effective; natural settings encourage exploration and physical activity. The American Academy of Pediatrics noted in 2018 that unstructured, child-led play is essential to healthy development, so resisting the urge to over-schedule is equally important. Boredom, given space, often sparks the best play.

What toys are best for imaginative play?

Open-ended toys — those without a fixed outcome or single correct use — are consistently recognised as the strongest supporters of imaginative play. Wooden building blocks, construction sets, dolls and figures, art materials, puppets, dressing-up clothes, and classic board games all invite children to invent their own narratives and rules. Jaques of London has been crafting quality open-ended toys since 1795. These types of toys align with the findings of Ginsburg et al. (Pediatrics, 2007), which identified free, self-directed play as essential for cognitive and social development.

What age should children start having less screen time?

Research published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2019 by Madigan et al. identified associations between higher screen time and lower developmental milestone scores in children aged 2–5, suggesting that limiting screens matters from very early childhood. The American Academy of Pediatrics has consistently recommended prioritising unstructured play over screen use throughout the early years. Rather than a single switchover age, the evidence points to keeping screen time minimal and play-rich habits established from toddlerhood onwards, with boundaries adjusted gradually as children grow.

How much screen time is too much for a 5 year old?

The American Academy of Pediatrics' 2018 guidance emphasises that unstructured, child-led play is essential for healthy development, implying that screen time which displaces such play is problematic regardless of precise hours. Research by Madigan et al. published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2019 linked higher screen time in children aged 2–5 with lower scores on communication and problem-solving milestones. Most expert guidance suggests limiting recreational screen use to around one hour per day for children aged 2–5, prioritising active, imaginative, and social play in its place.

Why do children learn better through play?

Play is not merely recreation — it is the primary means through which young children make sense of the world. The American Academy of Pediatrics confirmed in their 2018 policy statement that unstructured, child-led play supports cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development. Ginsburg et al., writing in Pediatrics in 2007, established that free play helps children reach critical developmental milestones. Through play, children practise language, test cause and effect, negotiate with peers, and build concentration — all in contexts that feel intrinsically motivating rather than imposed.