Hear Me Out: Lilypad Isn’t The Villain Of “Toy Story 5” Because Technology Was Never The Enemy

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I know, I know … what the actual f*ck, right? But hear me out … When Disney and Pixar announced we were getting ANOTHER Toy Story movie … everyone said we didn’t need it. And I mean … I kinda agreed, until I watched “Toy Story 5” and ended up loving it. Since then, everyone has joked about who the real villain in Toy Story 5 is, and honestly, while I LOVE the idea of the mean girls trio taking the crown, I think it’s entirely insane to blame a couple of elementary school kids for their terrible behavior.

And trust me, I know how cruel kids can be. I worked with them for 10+ years.

But how foolish would we be to blame the children when children don’t raise themselves?

But I get it. After four whole Toy Story movies with front-facing villainous characters like:

• Sid Phillips, a cruel little toy-torturing boy who, quite frankly, was insane and needed therapy
• Emperor Zurg, Buzz Lightyear’s nemesis
• Stinky Pete, the bitter, unopened old man toy we probably all forgot about
• Lotso, the not-so-lovable teddy bear dictator who was running a toy prison? (and)
• Gabby Gabby, the talking doll that fell straight out of a horror movie

It’s no wonder we all thought Lilypad was the franchise’s new villain.

I mean … and why wouldn’t we? It’s 2026, and accountability seems to be a lost art these days. So, of course, it’s easier to blame technology for all our problems than to admit that we adults are the real issue. Parents play one of the biggest roles in their children’s lives, and are a child’s first role model on how they should interact with others, use technology, and play.

Yet, somehow, everyone is convinced that iPads and tablets are the real problem? Interesting …

Girl, Is Lilypad A Villain In Toy Story 5, Or Not?!

Honestly? I don’t think so. And neither is our mean-girl trio nor the twins next door. The real villain of Toy Story 5 is actually someone with the least screen time. Their parents.

Shocked? Don’t be.

Lilypad, while a tad bit overzealous, honestly just wants the best for Bonnie.

She gets a bad rep because she’s the new toy in town.

And we all know how some of these Americans treat newcomers they’re unfamiliar with. Or are we going to keep pretending like the Native Americans weren’t here first?

Either way — Lilypad proved herself innocent when she threw herself in the trash, just to help Bonnie make a new friend. Despite being judged and unplugged, Lilypad still found a way to HELP her kid. No alternative motives attached. She was self-aware enough to realize that she was part of the issue and was willing to sacrifice herself for the greater good! What villain puts friend before self?

And I LOVE how Toy Story 5 used the old tech toys to spotlight a common misconception in today’s society, because let’s be for real now …

Technology isn’t evil; we as humans just need better boundaries.

We’ve gone from radios to Walkmans to CD players to iPods, and now iPads. From Myspace to Tumblr to Facebook to Instagram and Threads.

Each year, a new shiny piece of tech levels us up and demands more of our attention. And as a content creator and entertainment writer, I can admit … technology can consume you … if you let it.

But that’s the thing. We have a choice! Technology doesn’t force us to use it! Instagram doesn’t say “You have to log in now; it’s been 30 mins since you last scrolled, and I’m going to cry if you don’t play with me in the next 5 seconds”. The iPads don’t walk across our living room floor and sit in our lap until we pet them and give them attention. We’re the ones opening the apps and grabbing the devices.

So it’s up to us to say when and how frequently we use them.

Technology is just a tool. We set the boundaries and rules for how we use these tools in our everyday lives. So Lilypad isn’t the problem; our true problem is learning how to enforce better rules.

And for those of you still thinking about those little mean gremlins. I mean kids …

Bullies don’t make themselves.

While the mean girls and twins were awful to Bonnie, kids don’t become bullies overnight. Kids are taught naughty behavior by the adults in their lives. Sure, the TV shows can promote and influence negative behavior. But not all kids pick up bad habits from just watching TV. What kids watch isn’t the problem. Kids watch psycho clown killer movies, and most of them don’t run around town trying to slay everyone in their path. Usually — that’s because those kids know right from wrong.

The kids who bully are the ones who are growing up with that kind of behavior around them. Bullies usually inherit passed-down traumas and insecurities from adults that never get checked or corrected.

Those kids making fun of Bonnie in Toy Story 5 were clearly never taught that it’s okay to be different. Which is why when Bonnie wanted to do her own thing, they pushed back and called her weird. Playing with toys is an age-appropriate activity for elementary school students. But only if they’re taught that playing with toys is okay. How many times have we heard adults say “that’s for babies”, or “that’s not a toy for boys, that’s a girl toy”? Who teaches those lessons to kids? Exactly. Adults.

Almost every kid has a tablet or device, but not every kid is an “iPad kid”.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term “iPad kid”, it refers to the children who grew up completely dependent on digital devices. The kids who scream and cry when their device shuts off, or have a meltdown on the bus because mom won’t let them watch YouTube on their phone for a ten-minute bus ride. The ones you see walking with their heads down, face glued to the screen, bumping into walls.

Those kids are “iPad kids”. But not every kid has an issue with their tablet or with screen time.

Some kids still love going outdoors and playing with toys, just like we saw in the movie. Blaze and Bonnie were both kids with vivid imaginations who didn’t require screens or devices to have fun. And notice we always saw their parents! As a single parent who works a full-time job, on top of running an entertainment website, I’ve learned that yes, devices can make parenting easier.

But it’s my job to make sure my kid is supervised while using them.

My teen is now 14, and I still pop into her room to check what she’s watching on TV and make sure it’s age-appropriate. I still check her phone to make sure everyone is being nice. I look at everything that gets posted on Instagram! But most importantly, I have a conversation with her when things go wrong.

So many parents hand over the devices and then walk away for a few hours of quiet time. But when unsupervised screen time becomes a habit, parents forget to track what their kids are doing. And kids left unchecked can turn into tiny little assholes!

When there’s no one to hold them accountable for their behavior, kids can be extremely cruel.

Okay, So If Lilypad Isn’t The Villain In Toy Story 5, Who Is?

Parents are the role models; therefore, their habits get passed on to their kids.

If the parent is a bully, their kid learns bullying is okay.

If the parent is always using their phone, their kid learns screentime is better than being bored.

The same goes for parents who model good behavior.

If parents have healthy boundaries with their own devices, they’ll recognize the signs and teach their kids to put the screens down.

If we don’t take the phones away and say, ” Hey, go play” … we’re left with a bunch of kids who scroll their phones for the entire day, while sitting right next to their friends.

How do I know this?

Because I’ve seen it happen firsthand. On every trip I take my teen and her friends on, I have to verbally remind them — hey, put the phones down, talk to each other!

If they’re not doing an activity together, they immediately jump back on their phones to fill the void. It’s insane to witness, but at the same time, it acts as a reminder for us all that what we allow will continue!

All of those bad habits shown in Toy Story 5 were either learned behavior, passed-down traits, or condoned because they weren’t corrected.

So blaming 8-year-olds and making them the villain, when they barely have control over what they eat every day (you know, because they don’t cook the food themselves), is kind of insane. Just because they can request an item, screen time, or a soda … doesn’t mean they’re automatically entitled to it.

And if we can’t blame 8-year-old kids for their bad behavior, we also can’t blame technology, since … I’m not sure if you noticed, but technology doesn’t have hands. These devices can’t force us to use them. And it’s almost just as insane as blaming a kid for their behavior when they’re only doing what they’ve been told, or taught, as blaming a device that needs a human to turn it on.

I say all that to say: Parents are the problem in Toy Story 5 and therefore the real villain of this film.

And if you don’t believe that, then maybe you’re a part of the problem, too.

Because in what world do the adults get to blame everyone but themselves for their issues? I’ll wait …