TOY STORY 5 Review

The fifth film in the Toy Story franchise deals with the transition from kids playing with toys to having tech to waste their time on instead. Bonnie, the young girl who Andy gave his toys to at the end of Toy Story 3, is gifted a Lilypad by her parents, partially in hopes that it will help her connect with and make friends with other kids who also play on this device. The feeling that the toys are being left behind in favor of this new gaming device brings up a lot of feelings and memories for Jessie, the cowgirl toy, as she remembers what it was like when the first kid she belonged to got rid of her. Jessie is determined to not have the same thing happen again. She's determined to remind Bonnie that she needs toys, and to find her a friend on her own.

Jessie taking arguably the lead role in this film is one of the best things about it. Woody and Buzz Lightyear are just as prominent as ever, but it's really Jessie who drives this movie forward and tugs the heartstrings. Her fear of reliving the heartbreaking feelings is a strong motivator for the actions of the plot. Even worse, the notion that all kids are moving from toys to tech means there might not be a next kid this time. The emotions of all this really land in part to Joan Cusack's excellent voice performance.

Outside of Jessie, there are some things happening with our other favorite characters that bring the fun and humor we expect from this franchise. Buzz having a romantic interest in Jessie but being too shy to admit it adds an interesting layer to both his character and the lore of the toys in general. It also adds some comedic beats as his feelings are obvious to all the other toys around him. Woody showing signs of aging by having a bald spot and a bigger belly was a concept that seemed corny in the promotional materials but fit into the movie quite well as part of the idea that toys in general are too old, being referred to as "antiques" at one point.

As for Bonnie, the storylines about her wanting so desperately to have friends and fit in that she changes her entire outlook on what is acceptable for kids to do now hits really hard. Upon first getting her Lilypad, she becomes friends with and added to a group chat by three girls from her dance class, who then invite her to a sleepover. She is beyond excited and, upon first arriving, is excited to show her favorite toys to her new friends. When those new friends make fun of her for still playing with toys, Bonnie quickly throws her toys back in the car and gets out her Lilypad instead to show that she fits in.

In watching her throw aside the toys that once brought her such joy, we watch her become more lifeless. She doesn't understand that she can have both because she hasn't made the right connections yet. It's the saddest aspect of the movie as you root for her to bring back the joy while building upon it.

These aspects all make for a good entry to one of the best movie franchises, albeit the weakest entry of the five so far.

For a franchise where the screenplays are usually very strong, this one felt the weakest, in particular with how it managed the subplots and side characters. The most prominent subplot has us following a large group of toy Buzz Lightyears, yet to be made aware that they are toys. They are attempting to locate star command and are learning about the world around them while doing so. While these Buzz toys eventually serve a purpose, the buildup of the storyline does little besides disturb the flow of the movie. It's nothing we haven't explored before when it comes to toy Buzz not knowing he's a toy in previous movies, and it's vastly less interesting to explore that idea again than it is to follow everything else going on. The momentum of the film felt like it came to a halt anytime we bounced over to whatever they were doing.

The movie also does a less than stellar job balancing our favorite toys that aren't Woody, Jessie or Buzz. There are a couple that have some stand out lines or bits, and there are others I saw in the final act and wondered "did they even speak at all?". Others feel like they have a moment or two just to prove they're in the movie and nothing else. With all of the new tech toy characters, it felt like the film had too much to manage to make satisfying use of the original ensemble.

The movie also had a habit of lingering in the emotional moments far beyond when we actually understood the meaning of those moments, overexplaining them when it didn't need to, even a bit too much for a kid's movie.

All of these are bigger issues than I have with any of the previous four movies in the franchise, making it my least favorite. However, when those issues are compared with what still worked about the movie and how it still recaptured the magic of this all-timer franchise in many ways, it's hard to be too down on the movie. I wouldn't be any less excited to revisit this one if I were to do a full Toy Story marathon, and I would still defend it from people who don't believe this or the previous movie needed to exist.

That's just the magic of Toy Story, where even the weakest film to date is still a great time at the theater.

🍿SCORE = 75 / 100