By Matt Fernandez
As screen-based technology continues its inexorable march towards world domination and invades every aspect of our daily lives, I’m acutely aware of the debate about raising an “iPad kid.” I don’t have a kid of my own yet, but I have a one-year-old nephew, and my sister is determined to raise him without screens and limit his internet usage as much as possible.
That question of how much access kids should have to tech and whether it helps or harms them is at the core of Pixar’s latest film, Toy Story 5, a series whose first installment was released in my birth year of 1995, back when there was a whole store for toys at the mall and the term “iPhone” was just a case of bad grammar.
For many fans, Toy Story 3 was an emotional and fulfilling end to the series in 2010. When Toy Story 4 was released in 2019, it was met with skepticism and viewed as little more than Disney’s latest greedy, soulless cash grab. I found the film to be fine; unnecessary and forgettable, but still very enjoyable. When Toy Story 5 was announced, I felt those same doubts return.
Where Toy Story 4 felt random and out of place, Toy Story 5 is timely and poignant.
In their latest adventure, the toys are on a mission to help their owner, Bonnie (Scarlett Spears), play and make friends with other kids. When Bonnie’s parents buy her a Lilypad tablet (Greta Lee) in the hopes of achieving that same goal, Jessie (Joan Cusack) redoubles her efforts to help Bonnie make friends without the aid of technology and without losing her sense of play. As the other girls ridicule Bonnie for playing with toys, she retreats further into the virtual connection and conformity offered by Lilypad, leaving her toys on the verge of abandonment once again.
Toy Story is one of my favourite movies of all time, and I still have my old VHS clamshell. Until I was about four years old, I watched that movie at least once a day (sometimes more), and almost drove my poor grandmother insane with my ritualistic chants of “Woody the Cowboy, Woody the Cowboy, Woody the Cowboy” when she’d come to babysit me. When I visited Tokyo Disneyland, my friend Catie made sure to book a stay at the Toy Story Hotel because she knew I love the movies. All this is to say, I have high standards and expectations when it comes to the Toy Story franchise.
All this is to say that Toy Story 5 easily meets the high bar of excellence set by the first three films and is sure to delight fans who grew up with Woody and the gang, as well as those just discovering them.
Toy Story 5 is Jessie’s story. The previous film elevated Bo Peep from a background love interest to a major protagonist/action hero, and now it’s finally Jessie’s turn. As the new leader of the group following Woody’s (Tom Hanks) departure (more on that later), it’s refreshing to see Jessie come into her own. Now that the two have been canonically confirmed as siblings, it’s easy to recognize the same selfless, natural leadership in both. Jessie brings a bolder, brighter energy than Woody, who is typically more careful and measured. Jessie still holds the trauma of being outgrown and abandoned by her previous owner, which informs her care for Bonnie as much as Woody’s loyalty to Andy did when he was her toy.
Toy Story 5 is also Bonnie’s story. We’ve gotten glimpses of what Andy and Bonnie’s lives and personalities are like before, but Bonnie’s struggles are central and soul-crushingly relatable. Her struggle to make friends, her conflict between staying true to herself versus conforming to fit in with the other kids and her utter despair from group chat bullying are so sadly relevant and real. I cared about Andy mostly because Woody, Buzz (Tim Allen) and the gang were so devoted to his happiness and because I understood his emotional journey of growing up and leaving his childhood behind. Toy Story 5 made me care about Bonnie for the sweet, innocent, and pure soul she is, and made me deeply invested in her emotional well-being.
There’s also a wonderfully goofy little side story about a tribe of lost high-tech Buzz toys trying to get to Star Command that gets us laughing again before we’re too deep into our tears.
As good a job as writer/director duo McKenna Harris and Andrew Stanton do at tying these separate threads together into a coherent story, that story is disappointingly unoriginal. I’m not just saying that all stories are derivative. I mean it in the direct sense that Toy Story 5 is essentially Inside Out with toys instead of personified emotions: Joy/Jessie clashes with Sadness/Lily over what they each think is best for Riley/Bonnie, instead causing the young girl more problems until they realize each other’s value and agree to work together for Riley/Bonnie’s benefit. The franchise has always been good at introducing the toys to unique locations and situations, so it’s a shame that Harris and Stanton not only played it safe but also rehashed another Pixar film.
In Toy Story 4, the supporting cast of toys like Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog and Rex were sidelined to little more than cameos and sadly, that holds even more true for Toy Story 5. Don’t get me wrong, the trio of new characters, Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien), Snappy (Shelby Rabara) and Atlas (Craig Robinson), are fun and endearing, but they don’t carry the same cultural cache for fans that grew up with this series. In terms of the plot, it makes sense, as there isn’t much for the OG crew to do in a story about toys being replaced by tech, and most of the action falls to Jessie, Buzz, and Woody. Even Bo Peep and Forky, central characters in the last film, were only given one or two lines each. With such beloved and iconic characters that have lasted for 31 years, I wanted them to be featured more directly and to have more agency in the plot.
There’s not much to say about the voice acting. Joan Cusack, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen slip back into their characters with ease, familiarity and commitment that shows a true love for them. It’s very comforting to hear. The only standout is Scarlett Spears, taking over the role of Bonnie from Madeleine McGraw. Spears captures the pure bliss of childhood imagination and innocence as well as the heartbreak of learning that the world isn’t as kind as we’d like it to be. Some of Spears’ line deliveries legitimately moved me to tears.
But don’t worry, it’s not all philosophical ponderings and tugging on the heartstrings. The movie is still very funny. From delightful visual gags to pop cultural references, there is plenty to look at and laugh at. The comedy is smart and consistent, and at times, I missed some of the dialogue because it was drowned out by a whole theatre full of belly laughs. Some jokes, like Woody being called an old man, are constantly rehashed throughout the film, but there is enough variation that the comedy doesn’t wear thin.
While not without fault, Harris and Stanton’s writing is the strongest aspect of Toy Story 5. As mentioned before, it’s pretty much a remake of Inside Out. There are some major plot holes and elements that it doesn’t even try to explain. The most egregious of these is Woody’s Palpatine-esque return, which is done through a logic-defying, randomly introduced and incredibly convenient walkie-talkie that makes no sense in the context of how the last movie ended. Even then, the movie is all the better for Woody’s presence, and although he’s a sidekick rather than the leader, he’s given plenty to do without overshadowing Jessie.
Harris and Stanton explore their themes with care, ensuring that the film is never didactic and always entertaining. It’s sad but never depressing, hilarious without being corny. The main characters have complexity and nuance that encourage a deeper connection with the story and allow its messages to resonate more. Regarding the complex central question of kids and tech, Harris and Stanton strike a middle ground that acknowledges both the benefits and perils of the internet age without coming across as noncommittal or as taking the easy way out. They’re keenly aware that adults and children are fans of the franchise, ensuring that there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
To make a long (toy) story short, Toy Story 5 is absolutely worth watching. Though the film’s plot isn’t as creative as I would expect from the franchise, the top-notch humour, emotional depth and timely philosophical explorations more than make up for any shortcomings. Voiceover veterans Cusack, Hanks and Allen are as engaging as ever, and newcomer Scarlett Spears is irresistibly charming as Bonnie.
As long as Pixar continues to make Toy Story sequels with this level of craftsmanship, I’ll keep coming to the theatre to infinity and beyond!
Muses of Media 
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