Toy Story 5 is lighting up more than just movie theater screens across America.
The fifth installment of the beloved franchise hit theaters last month and has raked in an impressive $957 million, likely on its way to becoming the highest-grossing film in the franchise.
But its impact is felt beyond the screen thanks to Disney’s long-standing partnership with Starlight Children’s Foundation.
As part of the partnership, the company has converted hospital spaces into immersive screening events for patients and their families. The film became available to patients in more than 400 children’s hospitals globally, including more than 300 across the U.S.
Disney says it distributed more than 18,000 Toy Story 5-themed toys and 34,000 character-inspired hospital gowns to children and families.
At the Los Angeles premiere for the film, cast members and guests stopped on the red carpet to write messages of encouragement for children in hospitals.
The heartfelt messages were shown at hospitals in Washington, D.C., Oakland and Orlando, where children were surprised with visits from Woody and Jessie. They also participated in drawing sessions led by Pixar animators and received Toy Story-themed gift packages.
In the latest installment of Pixar’s long-running franchise, Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie find themselves competing with a new kind of rival: a frog-shaped tablet called Lilypad, voiced by Greta Lee. The film follows the toys as they struggle to remain relevant after Bonnie becomes captivated by the device, with Pixar describing the story as “Toy meets Tech.”
In the film, Tom Hanks returns as Woody, Tim Allen as the space ranger Buzz Lightyear, and Joan Cusack as the yodeling cowgirl Jessie.
Allen, Cusack, Lee, Tony Hale and Conan O’Brien were among some of the celebrities who sent heartfelt messages to the children as part of the partnership with Starlight Children’s Foundation.
“This is amazing! Disney is sending Toy Story to all these fantastic kids in hospitals around the nation,” Hale told The Hollywood Reporter.
Lisa Haines, senior vice president of corporate social responsibility at Disney, said that the film’s cast and crew carried the film’s spirit “onto the red carpet by writing personal messages for children in hospitals before the world even saw the film.”
Haines continued: “Whether it’s a beloved character by a child’s side or a note from the voice of Buzz Lightyear, those simple gestures are incredibly powerful and can create moments of comfort and joy for kids when they’re needed most.”
The film itself was praised for exploring children’s growing dependence on screens, and The Independent’s Charlotte Cripps wrote that the film had such an impact on her kids that one of her daughters gave up using the iPad.
