When Pixar introduced Toy Story audiences to Bonnie, she was simply the little girl who inherited Woody, Buzz and the gang from Andy at the end of Toy Story 3 (2010). But for many autistic families, Bonnie has become something more: a character whose experiences feel surprisingly familiar.

Pixar has never described Bonnie as autistic. She was created to represent the challenges many children face as they grow up and encounter new social situations. But her difficulties with change, her anxiety around friendships and her deep attachment to her toys make her feel distinctly familiar to many autistic people, including myself.

I watched Toy Story 5 with my autistic children and found myself seeing Bonnie through that lens more strongly than ever.

Of course, nobody can diagnose a fictional character. But audiences often recognise traits and experiences that reflect their own lives. When people describe a character as “autistic-coded”, they mean that the character displays behaviour or ways of relating to the world that many autistic people identify with, even if the creators never intended them to be autistic.

Bonnie first appears in Toy Story 3 as a shy preschooler. She stays close to her mother and seems hesitant in unfamiliar situations. This behaviour is common among many young children. But it can also feel familiar to parents of autistic children, who often see their children struggling to navigate social expectations that come naturally to others.

It is in Toy Story 4........

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