Toy Story 5 is in cinemas, with Joan Cusack’s Jessie taking centre stage in an important tale depicting the threat technology poses to childhood development.
Who’d have thought that when Pixar stunned the world with Toy Story in 1995, 31 years later, a fifth instalment would be screening to a whole new generation of children?
At the time, that would have been a crazy suggestion, and even after the beautiful end to Andy’s story with Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the gang in the incredibly emotional Toy Story 3, a fifth film would have seemed crazy.
But Pixar, part of Disney’s House of Mouse, cannot escape the Hollywood obsession with continuing franchises and expanding IP.
That was demonstrated with 2019’s Toy Story 4, which continued the adventures of Woody and co nine years after we all thought things had finished.
While the fourth film wasn’t quite as good as its predecessors, it still packed an emotional punch and, more importantly, smashed it at the box office.
What is ‘Toy Story 5’ about?
So, grossing over $1 billion at the box office worldwide, Toy Story 4 proved Pixar’s original franchise had the necessary pull to keep attracting audiences.
The fifth film comes seven years on, after pandemics and strikes have impacted the film industry, and screens have infiltrated family homes.
Another thing that would have been hard to imagine back in 1995 was how smartphones and tablets would become a major influence on childhood development, often at the expense of toys.
It is a dangerous thing that can stifle creative thinking and social development.
This is right at the heart of Toy Story 5.
Bonnie, the current custodian of our heroic toys, is struggling to make friends.
In a bid to change that, her parents give her a Lilypad (voiced by the incredible Greta Lee), a tablet that allows Bonnie to play games and send messages to other children in the neighbourhood.
This leads Jessie, Buzz and friends to discover a tech epidemic that has cast toys by the wayside.
Jessie endeavours to give Bonnie a chance at friendship and play beyond the world of tech, in a story that brings her back to her first home.
Woody also comes back into the fold, and there is a funny subplot of a legion of Buzz Lightyear toys searching for a purpose, too.
Why this film works
It’s a competently told tale, with warmth, humour, love and high stakes that make Toy Story 5 incredibly compelling.
From the outset, to the final moments, you can feel a sense that you’re in safe, trusted hands, and all the characters you remember so fondly are right where you left them.
This is thanks to co-writer/director Andrew Stanton, who has been part of Pixar since Toy Story, a tale he helped conjure before directing the likes of Finding Nemo and WALL-E.
Stanton is a Pixar legend, and both he and McKenna Harris conjured a film that serves the Toy Story franchise well as a satisfying continuation, while also standing on its own as a single entry.
Sure, this film isn’t quite at the level of the original Toy Story trilogy, but it well and truly keeps that magic alive.
Rating: ★★★★
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