Toy Story 5 and the Case for Real Play
The trailers arrived this summer with a twist that surprised even seasoned Pixar watchers. For the first time, Woody and Buzz face an antagonist that isn't a jealous toy or a careless owner. It's a tablet.
The premise is simple enough for a child to grasp and pointed enough for a parent to notice. A glowing screen that promises endless novelty, and a room full of wooden and plastic toys that suddenly seem quiet by comparison. The film asks whether the two can share a childhood, and what is lost when one wins.
It is a question we have sat with for a long time. We have made toys since 1795, and we still hold to the same standards: FSC-certified timber, and every item tested to UKCA and CE safety requirements. But the deeper point of the film is not about materials. It is about how children actually play, and why that matters more than any single toy in the box.
What Is 'Real Play' and Why Is Pixar Making It the Heart of Toy Story 5?
Pixar has always understood that toys mean something because children pour themselves into them. A cardboard box becomes a spaceship. A wooden horse becomes a whole cavalry. That act of imagination is what people mean by 'real play' — open-ended, self-directed, and shaped by the child rather than the object.
A tablet offers the opposite bargain. It is engaging, responsive, and endlessly stocked with content. But it directs the child. The story is written, the rewards are timed, and the pace belongs to the software. There is little room to invent.
By casting a screen as the villain, Toy Story 5 is not preaching. It is dramatising a tension most families already feel. The film sides with the kind of play that leaves a child tired, muddy, and full of ideas rather than pacified and still.
That is the sort of play our wooden toys have always been built for. A set of blocks does not tell a child what to do with it. Neither does a rocking horse or a skittle set. The child supplies the meaning.
There is a reason this idea keeps returning to children's storytelling. Toys that ask something of the child tend to be the ones remembered decades later. We have written before about the case for fewer toys and better play, and the film makes a similar argument in bright colour and three acts. The villain is not the tablet itself, so much as what happens when it crowds everything else out.
Why Screen Time vs. Physical Play Actually Matters for Your Child's Development
The evidence here is worth stating plainly, because it is often misquoted. The World Health Organisation recommends that children aged three and four have at least 180 minutes of physical activity each day, of which 60 minutes should be energetic play. That is a substantial amount of moving about.
The same guidelines advise that children under five should not spend more than one hour a day sedentary in front of a screen, and that infants under one should have no screen time at all. The American Academy of Pediatrics goes further for the youngest, recommending that digital media be avoided, aside from video chatting, in children younger than 18 to 24 months.
The concern is not moral. It is developmental. Research published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2019 found that higher screen time at 24 and 36 months was associated with poorer performance on measures of development at 36 and 60 months. Time is finite, and hours spent watching are hours not spent building, climbing, talking, and testing.
Physical play does a great deal at once. It develops balance, grip, and coordination. It builds language through conversation with a parent or sibling. It teaches a child to lose a game and try again.
None of this argues that screens are worthless. It argues that they are poor substitutes for the things a young child most needs. Our educational toys for toddlers are designed around exactly those early skills — sorting, stacking, matching, and naming. We set out the fuller picture in our guide to putting down the tablet, which treats the screen as one part of a day rather than the whole of it.
How to Bring More Real Play Into Your Home Without Ditching Technology Altogether
The realistic goal is balance, not abolition. Very few families will remove screens entirely, and the film does not ask them to. What helps is making real play the easy option — the thing that is already out on the table when a child looks for something to do.
Placement matters more than rules. A basket of our children toys left within reach invites use in a way that a cupboard never will. A tablet returned to a high shelf after use is simply less present. Children reach for what is nearest.
Shared play changes the dynamic again. A board game pulls a family into the same activity around one table, taking turns and reading faces. Our board games range runs from first games for small children to the classics that suit a mixed-age evening. The point is doing something together rather than each person alone with a screen.
It also helps to have fewer, better things. A crowded toy box overwhelms; a curated one invites deeper play. We have written about the minimalist toy box for parents who find their children flit between everything and settle on nothing.
For families weighing up devices more broadly, our piece on why a social media ban isn't enough makes the case that removing something works best when you replace it with something worth having. A tablet taken away leaves a gap. Real play fills it.
Small routines carry this. Ten minutes of building before bed, a game after dinner, an afternoon outdoors. None of it requires the perfect toy. It requires the habit.
What Toys Actually Support the Kind of Play Toy Story 5 Is Celebrating?
Toy Story 5 celebrates a particular kind of toy: the sort that does very little on its own and asks the child to do the rest. That is a useful test when choosing what to bring home.
Open-ended wooden toys pass it easily. Blocks, shape sorters, pull-along animals, and pretend-play sets carry no fixed script. Our wooden toys are made to be handled hard and repurposed endlessly, which is what a child's imagination demands.
Games occupy a slightly different place, and a distinguished one. We produced the first standardised Staunton chess pieces in 1849, designed by Nathaniel Cook and endorsed by the world champion Howard Staunton — a design still used in tournaments today. A good game is a form of real play with rules, and the thinking involved is exactly what a screen tends to skip.
Lawn and garden games belong here too. John Jaques II codified the rules of croquet and published them in 1857, among the earliest formal rulebooks for a British lawn game. Croquet, skittles, and their relatives get children outdoors and moving, which is precisely what the WHO guidance encourages.
For younger children, the emphasis shifts to the hands and the senses. Our educational toys for toddlers concentrate on grip, sorting, and cause and effect — the quiet groundwork of early development.
The common thread across all of these is that the child stays in charge. If you want ideas that lean into a child's mischief rather than against it, our collection of creative and mischievous toy ideas shows how playful invention beats passive watching every time.
What Age Is Real Play Most Important and How Does It Change as Children Grow?
Real play matters at every age, but its shape changes as a child grows, and so should the toys.
The early years carry the most weight. This is when the WHO advises 180 minutes of daily activity for three and four-year-olds, and when screen time is best kept to a minimum. Play at this stage is largely physical and sensory: crawling, stacking, mouthing, and the endless repetition through which small children learn. The research linking early screen time to weaker later development speaks to this window in particular.
From around four to seven, play becomes more social and rule-bound. Children begin to enjoy games with turns, simple strategy, and the drama of winning and losing. First board games and outdoor games earn their keep here, and our board games range is built with these ages in mind.
By eight and upward, play grows more strategic and skilful. Chess, draughts, and more demanding games reward patience and planning. The same Staunton pieces we standardised in 1849 suit a child at this stage as well as an adult.
Across all of it, real play does not stop mattering; it simply matures. A teenager still benefits from a game night, and adults do too. The film's affection for toys is aimed at grown-ups as much as children, because the pleasure of playing together does not expire.
We have made toys through every one of these stages for more than two centuries. Our reflection on 230 years of screen-free play sets out why the case has held so steady. The tools change, the child grows, and the value of real play stays the same.
Frequently Asked Questions About Toy Story 5 Real Play
What is real play for children?
Real play for children is self-directed, hands-on activity that engages the imagination, body, and senses without a screen mediating the experience. It includes building, drawing, running, climbing, inventing games, and using physical objects — from wooden bricks to board games — to explore the world. Unlike passive screen consumption, real play demands active participation, problem-solving, and creativity. Jaques of London, makers of the first standardised Staunton chess sets in 1849, have long championed physical play as foundational to healthy childhood development.
What are the benefits of unstructured play for kids?
Unstructured play — where children choose the activity and set the rules — builds creativity, resilience, social skills, and emotional regulation. Without adult direction, children practise negotiation, imagination, and independent thinking. Physical unstructured play also supports motor development and fitness. The WHO recommends children aged 3–4 have at least 180 minutes of physical activity daily, reinforcing that free, active play is not optional but essential. Traditional toys such as croquet sets, chess boards, and construction games naturally invite this kind of open-ended exploration.
Is too much screen time bad for children's development?
Evidence suggests it can be. Research published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2019 (Madigan et al.) found that higher screen time at ages 24 and 36 months was associated with poorer developmental performance at ages 36 and 60 months. The WHO advises children under 5 should not be sedentary in front of a screen for more than one hour per day, and infants under one should have no screen time at all. The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends avoiding digital media (except video chatting) for children under 18 to 24 months.
What is Toy Story 5 about and who is the villain?
Toy Story 5 reportedly positions a tablet as its central antagonist — a striking creative choice that reflects growing cultural anxiety about screen time displacing physical play. The film explores what happens when digital entertainment competes with traditional toys for children's attention and affection. By making a tablet the villain, the filmmakers appear to be championing hands-on, imaginative play — the kind encouraged by classic physical toys. It is a timely premise given WHO and paediatric guidance recommending strict limits on screen use for young children.
How do I get my child to play without a tablet?
Start by making physical play irresistible. Dedicate a accessible space to toys that reward open-ended exploration — board games, art materials, construction sets, and outdoor games such as croquet. Establish screen-free times, particularly before meals and at bedtime, and model the behaviour yourself. The WHO recommends children aged 3–4 accumulate at least 180 minutes of physical activity daily, so build active play into the daily routine. Children rarely miss screens when genuinely absorbed in hands-on play with quality toys that challenge and entertain.
What toys are best for imaginative play?
The best toys for imaginative play are open-ended — they can become anything a child decides. Classic options include wooden building blocks, art and craft supplies, dressing-up clothes, puppet theatres, and traditional garden games. Board games such as chess, first codified in standardised form by Jaques of London in 1849, develop strategic thinking and social skills. Croquet sets, jigsaw puzzles, and card games similarly reward sustained attention and creativity. Physical toys that respond to the child's actions — rather than performing for them — consistently support richer imaginative play.
How much screen time should a child have per day UK?
The WHO provides globally referenced guidance: children under one should have no screen time at all; those aged 2–4 should not be sedentary in front of a screen for more than one hour per day. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends avoiding digital media (except video chatting) for children under 18 to 24 months. The NHS broadly aligns with WHO recommendations. Prioritising physical activity — the WHO advises 180 minutes daily for children aged 3–4 — naturally limits the time available for screens and supports healthier development.
Why does play matter for child development?
Play is the primary means by which children develop physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally. Active physical play builds motor skills, coordination, and fitness; the WHO recommends children aged 3–4 undertake at least 180 minutes of physical activity daily. Creative and social play develops language, empathy, and problem-solving. Research published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2019 found that excessive screen time at ages 24–36 months was linked to poorer developmental outcomes — highlighting that what children do instead of screens matters enormously. Quality play with physical toys supports every dimension of healthy development.
How do I encourage creative play at home?
Create a dedicated, tidy play area stocked with open-ended materials: drawing supplies, construction toys, board games, and outdoor equipment. Rotate toys regularly to maintain novelty. Resist over-scheduling — children need unstructured time to invent their own games. Invite children into real activities such as cooking or gardening, which spark creativity naturally. Limit screen time in line with WHO guidance (no more than one hour of sedentary screen use for under-fives) and fill the space with tactile, imaginative alternatives. Your enthusiasm for play is itself the strongest encouragement.
What age do children benefit most from physical play?
Physical play is beneficial from infancy, but the WHO specifically recommends that children aged 3–4 years accumulate at least 180 minutes of physical activity per day, including 60 minutes of energetic play. These early years are a critical window for developing motor skills, coordination, and physical confidence. However, active play remains vital throughout childhood and adolescence. Starting early with appropriate physical toys — balls, garden games, and active outdoor equipment — establishes habits and physical literacy that benefit children well into adulthood.
Explore more from our workshop: our wooden toys, our children toys, our educational toys for toddlers, our board games, fewer toys better play the minimalist toy box, putting down the tablet screen free play guide, why a social media ban isnt enough real play at home, 20 crazy and creative mischievous toy ideas for a magical christmas and 230 years screen free play jaques of london — every piece made to the same standard Jaques has held since 1795.