Toy Story 5

by Mike McGranaghan

I thought Toy Story 3 had a perfect ending for the franchise. Andy grew up and gave his toys to another kid to enjoy. There didn’t seem to be anywhere left to go. Then they made Toy Story 4, with Woody deciding to become one of the “lost toys” trying to find their way into the hands of children who need them. Okay, I thought after seeing it, that makes a pretty perfect ending, too. Again, nowhere left to go. Now there’s Toy Story 5. It does find somewhere else to go, as it explores the divide between traditional toys and modern devices. I still think the last installment makes a sensible ending, but it was enjoyable to revisit these characters one more time.

Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack) moves front and center for this installment. Young owner Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) is having trouble making friends, so her parents buy her a tablet called a Lilypad (Greta Lee). The gizmo allows her to connect to her classmates virtually, yet it also causes her to ignore her toys in favor of staring at a screen all day. Jessie and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) call Woody (Tom Hanks) in to help defeat this electronic intruder. Complications arise, causing Jessie and her horse Bullseye to end up at the house of another little girl, Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris). Getting back to Bonnie means having to work with Blaze’s now defunct first-gen devices, including a potty-training toy called Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien) that looks like a roll of toilet paper with a screen on the front.

The franchise has never relied on potty humor before. At least the things Smarty Pants says and does are funny rather than crude. And really, who better than O’Brien to pull that off?

Because this is the fifth installment, Toy Story 5 does feel slightly repetitive in spots. We’ve seen Woody and Buzz bicker. We’ve seen the toys cling to the rear of cars and sneak around houses when the humans aren’t looking. There’s also a subplot about a group of abandoned Buzz Lightyear toys that I don’t think works at all.

Everything else, though? Well, it’s typical Pixar gold. Revolving the movie around Jessie is a great idea. The plot expands on her past, famously revealed in Toy Story 2, to great effect. She’s been left behind by a kid before and she doesn’t want to go through that again. Lilypad is a direct competitor in her mind, allowing for conflict between the two characters that’s humorous and observant about how devices tend to transfix children with their multiple capabilities and online connectiveness.

Co-directors Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris could have been cynical with the screenplay they wrote together. Criticizing tech is easy. Instead, they craft a story that suggests traditional toys and contemporary devices can both be used in joint play. There are certainly a great number of clever gizmo-related jokes here, although in the end, the film isn’t anti-tech so much as it is pro-human connection. It’s a valid point, one that will doubtlessly spur thought among both child and adult viewers.

The animation in Toy Story 5 is typically Pixar-level outstanding, as is the mix of humor and heart. Interestingly, unlike the three prior installments, this fifth entry doesn’t leave you a blubbering mess, choosing a more joyful vibe to depart on. The picture may not stir your soul in quite the same way, but with the always wonderful Joan Cusack holding down the center, it’s another touching tale about the value of childhood playthings.

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