Toy Story 5’s Villain is a Tablet, The Irony!
- The White Hatter
- Nov 14, 2025
- 5 min read
CAVEAT - We wrote this article in March of this year when we first heard about this movie. Our opinions, as you will read, haven’t changed since then.
Some who believe that technology should not be accessed by youth until at least the age of 16yrs are “buzzing” (excuse the pun) over the fact that the villain in the new Toy Story 5 is a tablet called “LilyPad”. (1)
Toy Story 5 will hit theatres with a new antagonist, a sleek, talking tablet called LilyPad. Unlike the nostalgic villains of previous films, this one isn’t an evil collector or a jealous toy, it’s a piece of tech that represents today’s so-called “digital threat” to childhood. LilyPad doesn’t just flash LED eyes and connect to the cloud, it’s positioned as a kind of soulless competitor, drawing children away from their traditional toys and toward its glowing screen.
Beneath the glossy Pixar animation lies a familiar cultural script, youth are too glued to screens, tech is “replacing” imagination, and the beloved toys of yesteryear are the casualties. It is reported that in the storyline, Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the crew must confront their growing irrelevance in a child’s world dominated by interactive devices. It’s sentimental and entertaining, but it’s also a play on what we now call a “juvenoic moral panic”, the repeated adult fear that the latest technological advancement is corrupting kids.
Throughout the years, Hollywood has often captured the adult moral panic of the generation. As an example in the 1980’s, when Darren was a teen, it was skateboards. Hollywood films like Thrashin’ (1986) painted skateboarders as hooligans and vandals. (2) Cities passed laws restricting skateboarding based partly on these portrayals. The feared crime wave never arrived, and skateboarding is now an Olympic sport.
Technology is the new villain in stories told by adults, not because most youth and teens are misusing them, but because some adults are uncomfortable with how rapidly childhood is evolving and so different from their childhood.
If the reporting is correct, what Toy Story 5 subtly reflects, whether it means to or not, is our adult nostalgia and resistance to change. Woody and Buzz were once cutting-edge toys themselves, made to light up, talk, and move. Now, in this film, they are cast as relics struggling to stay relevant in a digital world. But, here’s the inconvenient truth, kids haven’t stopped imagining, bonding, or creating just because they have access to technology. They’ve simply shifted how and where those moments take place.
This isn’t to say there aren’t real concerns about screen overuse or the questionable business practices behind some digital platforms, THERE ARE, and something that we speak to often! However, painting a tablet as a villain that steals childhood is more about easing adult anxiety than solving any actual problem. It suggests that technology is inherently bad rather than acknowledging that the issue lies in how we use it, or fail to teach kids how to use it responsibly. As an example, here is an apparent screen shot from the movie showing the 8yr old Bonnie Anderson with a tablet, in their bedroom, at night, under their bed covers with no adult supervision.
If this is in fact a screen shot from the movie, a parent or caregiver who allows an eight year old to have this unsupervised type of tech in their bedroom IS setting their child up for problematic behaviour and concerns. As we have always shared with parents and caregivers, “It’s about the right age and developmentally appropriate use of technology at the right time” (2), for an 8 year old, this scene shows neither.
If we are serious about supporting children, we shouldn’t romanticize the past at the expense of the present. Instead of seeing tech as a threat, we need to help kids build healthy relationships with it, to use tools like LilyPad not just to consume but to create, learn, and even connect with their imaginations in new ways.
Both Thrashin’ in the 1980’s, and Toy Story 5 today, reflect a long-standing Hollywood pattern. Each time a new youth trend or technology emerges, the same cycle plays out:
Youht/Teen Trend emerges
Young people often adopt new ideas, tools, or cultural movements long before adults understand them. Whether it was skateboarding in the 1980s, online gaming in the 2000s, or iPads today, these early waves of youth enthusiasm tend to catch older generations off guard. The novelty alone is enough to make it feel disruptive or risky which is a great storyline for a movie or show.
Hollywood amplifies
When adults don’t understand a trend, Hollywood is quick to dramatize it. Films and TV shows highlight the most extreme or sensational elements because fear sells. Skateboarders become criminals, video game players are shown as violent, and now tech teens are portrayed as detached or unsafe. These portrayals rarely reflect what most young people are actually doing, but they shape public perception.
Public concern grows
Once these dramatized fears hit the mainstream, communities respond with alarm. Media coverage intensifies, politicians weigh in, and discussions shift from curiosity to control. Cities banned skateboarding in public spaces, schools restricted comic books, and lawmakers debated whether video games should be treated like dangerous substances. Fear becomes policy faster than facts can catch up.
Research shows little or no evidence behind it
Over time, researchers examine the real-world impact of these trends. Again and again, the evidence shows that the early fears were overstated or completely unfounded. Studies found no link between comic books and juvenile crime, very little connection between video games and violence, and no data to support the idea that skateboarding causes widespread disorder. The gap between Hollywood’s storytelling and reality becomes clear.
The trend stabilizes
Once the panic fades and the evidence becomes more widely accepted, the once-feared trend becomes part of everyday life. Skateboarding is now an Olympic sport, comic book heroes dominate the box office, and video games are a multi-billion-dollar industry enjoyed by all ages. What was once framed as a threat becomes another chapter in cultural evolution.
This recurring cycle is important to acknowledge today. As debates about smartphones, social media, and AI grow louder, history reminds us that fear based narratives rarely lead to good decisions. Guidance, education, and evidence should shape our response, not panic or demonization.
In the end, Toy Story 5 is likely to be funny, heartfelt, and full of charm, just like its predecessors. However, its central conflict, a battle between toys and tablets, says more about our adult fears than it does about actual childhood today. Rather than rallying around another “enemy,” maybe it’s time we update the story. Not one of tech versus toys, but one where both can coexist, because that’s the onlife reality our kids are already living in. But alas, that’s not a message that would turn into a Hollywood movie blockbuster.
What is more ironic, Disney, who own Pixar, has now licenced a Buzz Lightyear doll that uses AI and connects to the internet via a cellphone or tablet (3), somewhat ironic give the movie - Just saying!
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
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