Pixar Has Done It Again
Fear not, Space Ranger. Pixar has done it again, beating the odds and proving that you just can’t count out Woody and the gange, ever. Toy Story 5 is a triumph, an emotionally devastating but hopeful continuation of everyone’s favorite toys and their journey amid the changing cultural landscape. It’s as if Pixar anticipated the sight unseen eye rolls – mine included – as yet another entry after a near perfect trilogy is tacked on. You’d be forgiven in feeling like this is just another Disney cash grab, another notch in the old franchise belt of an archival dig to mine every single ounce out of what was once a flawless cornerstone of animated storytelling.
That sentiment is how Toy Story 4 was received – and is still viewed that way now – even though now many are reclaiming it on a rewatch. I’d argue it’s a perfectly fine entry but suffers from coming off the heels of one of the greatest trilogy conclusions of all time. So the apprehension for Toy Story 5 is warranted, and thankfully Pixar seems fully aware of this and does the one thing needed to make it work: they make it worth it. yes, Andrew Stanton appears acutely aware of how important the story is and how much it needs to matter to the fans who have spent the last 30 years with these characters. Toy Story 5 is a beautiful, timely story that captures the moment and examines our relationship with technology and real, human connection.
The Age of Toys Is Over
Written and Directed by long time Pixar director Andrew Stanton, Toy Story 5 takes us to Bonnie’s room where Jessie is now the leader of the gang. Woody has left to help Bo save lost toys and Buzz becomes Jessie’s deputy. Everything is great until Bonnie starts kindergarten and struggles to make friends. In effort to help her connect, her parents buy her a Lilypad – the hottest iPad-esque tablet that can do everything and keeps her eyes glued to the screen. The age of toys is over, but Jessie isn’t ready to give up her kid to a bunch of screens. But when Jessie tries to watch over Bonnie at a sleepover, Lilypad sends her and Bullseye away, believe she knows what’s best for Bonnie. An adventure begins, one that sees Jessie confront her pass and with the help of some old and new friends, tries to get back to Bonnie before it’s too late.
Jessie’s World and New Technology
There are so many smart things Toy Story 5 does. The first is relegating Woody and Buzz to supporting roles and making it Jessie’s story. Our star heroes have been at the forefront the whole series, and Stanton and team recognize that their stories have largely been told and concluded. Jessie, however, has always had a compelling origin but has never really been examined more in depth. By making Toy Story 5 all about her at the center, it allows for a beautiful blend of familiarity and freshness, maintaining the heart and humor so entangled in the series’ charm while also expanding the adventure with thematic richness. Jessie and her worldview are new eyes with which to view the world, and Toy Story 5 doesn’t shy away from the world as it is.
That leads to the second smart thing the film does: how it deals with technology. There’s a version of Toy Story 5 that posits the idea that technology is bad, toys are good and we should all go back to simpler time. Even for longstanding children’s film, that’s pretty naive. Like the best animated films, Stanton opts to approach the technology subject with more nuance, focusing on our relationship with it rather than just making broad statements about the dangers. Toy Story 5 asks us evaluate HOW we use these tools and how we can find some balance between its ubiquity and dangers of overuse. Like all great family films, there’s a lesson in there for both kids and adults, one that’s easily accessible and even easier to implement when everyone gets home.
Old Tech, New Characters
The new characters are welcomed additions, each with colorful personalities that are vital to the Toy Story 5 story. Again, the film avoids the carte blanche “technology bad” idea and take us through generations of outdated items that share the same desire to be played with and make their kid happy. O’Brien as Smarty Pants is a scene stealer, a literal joke machine with an undeniable charm that often conjures up forgotten technological tools. It’s the best way inject nostalgia without trapping itself into nostalgia bate, reminding us that both toys and tech tools share much more in our development than we may have thought. These new characters – Smarty Pants, Greta Lee’s Lilypad, Craig Robinson’s Atlas – are all introduced and used with purpose. Toy Story 5 is constantly subverting your expectations and uses this new cast to do it at every turn.
We’ve Got a Winner
More than anything though, the real strength of Toy Story 5 is its emotional resonance, still in tact even after all these years. It’s nearly impossible to not get swept up into the cinematic joy of watching Bonnie play with her beloved toys and made up stories. Or watch the gang get into more hijinks or experience once again how much the loyalty of these characters to make children’s lives better is a pillar of their existence. It’s so sweet and equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. Toy Story 5 once again thrives on its emotional core, and when you put it all together you get a knockout film that left me in tears more than once. It knows your skepticism and uses it as fuel to earn your belief.
There’s simply no reason a fifth entry into a long running franchise – one that has a definitive end in 3 – should be THIS good. But Toy Story 5 is excellent, a warm, clever and heart driven adventure that will leave you soaring – or, falling with style. It’s, of course, gorgeously animated, the level up with each new entry displaying just how far we’ve come in animation technology. It even tries to mix some animation styles and does so to great effect. It’s stunning, and when paired with a story worth telling you’ve got yourself a winner in Toy Story 5.
Final Thoughts
I’m as shocked as anyone by how humanly crafted and reverent Toy Story 5 ends up being. Yes, it’s time to say good bye and I know that’s hard for all of us. But at least this time they have a send off that feels necessary, and wrestles with our current climate of techno-everything in some surprisingly complex and touching ways. There’s no replacing human connection or real friendship. The need for community is great and necessary, the joy of finding your people who see you for who you are and share your passions feels as forgotten as the toys abandoned for Lilypads. Toy Story 5 reminds us once again that friendship, REAL friendship will never die. And toys and technology can help us connect with those forever people, but we have to be willing to engage with others once that connection is made.
Toy Story 5 teaches us that. You’ve always got a friend in these toys, and they remind us that it’s a big world out there. Share it, explore it with someone special. Geez, I’m getting teary eyed just writing this. But that’s the magic of Toy Story, and I’m happy to report that that magic is not gone even after all these years. In fact, it’s thriving. And Toy Story 5 may just be one of the best franchise entries yet. If not that, it’s certainly one of the best Pixar films in the last 10 years. And for a film very few thought even needed to exist, that’s a success to me.
The rootin-ness, tootin-ness gang rides like the wind one last time, and no matter the journey or trials or new technology, our old friends will always find a way back into our hearts.
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