I am consistently surprised by how resilient, wonderful, and relevant the Toy Story franchise has remained over the years. As critics and audiences have said many times before, the creators realised the fans of the original movie have grown up and may now have children of their own. So the stories always reflected that of the first audience of the first film and reflected their own relationship with youth, play, and toys. I even enjoyed the fourth installment, despite it not being remembered as fondly. I felt that the story of Woody (Tom Hanks), and his realisation that he had to move on to other things, to pursue a different purpose separate from the one he fought so hard for in previous installments was such a fitting life lesson for me, when I watched it seven years ago; as a man who just turned forty.
The fifth installment sidelines Woody and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) to center its focus now on Jessie (Joan Cusack), the new sheriff of the children’s room. Having experienced being given away twice before – first by Emily and later by Andy as he outgrew his childhood – Jessie serves as the main protagonist of this story that directly deals with her trauma of being replaced. This time, however, the threat isn’t that their new owner, Bonnie, has outgrown them, at eight years old, she is still young enough to play. Instead, Jessie and the rest of the gang are being displaced by modern tech toys. Joining the franchise is Lily (Greta Lee), a sleek tablet short for “Lilypad”, who promises to help Bonnie make friends.
Toy Story 5 deals with the impersonal world of tech and the changing nature of social interactions, making a good case for how digital screens can arrest a child’s social development. This leaves Jessie fighting a battle on two fronts: first, for the emotional well-being of her child, Bonnie; and second, against her own unresolved issue of abandonment. Cusack is wonderful in the role, imbuing Jessie with an urgency. This heightened emotional tension is brilliantly articulated through both Cusack’s frantic voice acting and the animators’ incredible character design work and expressive animation.
However, director and writer Andrew Stanton (alongside co-writer Kenna Harris), doesn’t quite capture the same magic found in the previous installments, considering he co-wrote the first two films, the fourth, and wrote a draft of the story for the third. Despite knowing this material so well but somehow Stanton struggles with the movie’s first half, creating a heightened sense of drama when a subtler, more grounded approach might have eased us into the world more effectively. It feels as though Stanton and his team were overcompensating for switching the protagonist to Jessie and sidelining Buzz and Woody in this sequel.
Once the story gets into full swing and the characters are fully established, the second half feels a lot more secure as the film’s emotional weight starts to carry through. Jessie finds herself at the home of Emily, her original owner. While Emily is no longer there, Jessie meets a new child alongside an older generation of tech, which beautifully deepens the ongoing toys-versus-tech debate. I am not surprised that Pixar and Disney chose to find a middle ground here. As someone who is inherently wary and cautious of technology, especially for children, I feel this balanced point-of-view to be the safe choice, though not necessarily the strongest one. But, of course, that is just my own prejudice talking.
There is an undeniable predictability to Toy Story 5. While it still hits narrative beats that surprise us, the ending is signaled loud and clear; at a certain point, you can practically see Stanton, Harris, and Pixar steering the story toward the safer choice. What keeps the film interesting, however, is a gripping subplot involving a wrecked container filled with new versions of Buzz Lightyear toys. Serving as transitional sequences throughout the movie, this subplot delivers the most surprising plot insertion in the entire film. But before it reaches that point, it builds a sense of tension and mystery that keeps the movie’s energy running. That sort of energy could have also been afforded to Jessie’s storyline as well.
Ultimately, while this is not the strongest entry in the franchise, it is still a good movie. It is charming and poignant that I even caught myself holding back tears. The classic Pixar magic still has that charm, but like the very first generation of children who watched the original ‘Toy Story’ as kids in 1995, this franchise is getting old. Five is a good number to end on.
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Toy Story 5 is still playing exclusively in theaters! Check showtimes and grab your tickets today to see Jessie take the reins in the gang’s latest battle against tech, then head back here and drop a comment to share your thoughts on the new sequel!
