Surprisingly Nuanced
It’s been several years since I watched any Disney or Pixar animated movie. And my feelings on Toy Story 4 have changed over the years (I don’t like it as much as I tried to convince myself I did when I first saw it.) But I have seen all the Toy Story films in the theater (not counting the Buzz Lightyear movie), and I knew I’d kick myself if I didn’t go see Toy Story 5 while it was still in the theater.
After letting Andy grow up in real time, Bonnie (voiced by Scarlett Spears) has stayed a young girl. And, as we rejoin her and her toys, she is too shy to make any friends, even with her neighbors. Of course, soon Sheriff Jessie (Joan Cusack) learns that a plague is sweeping through the world, technology. It is turning all the kids into mindless zombies who just stare at their screens.
To Jessie’s horror, Bonnie’s parents get her Lilypad (Greta Lee), Lily for short. This device connects Bonnie with some girls from her dance class. Will they be good friends for Bonnie? Or is there someone better out there?
Yes, this is Jessie’s movie. Honestly, I’m okay with that. They do give Woody and Buzz (Tom Hanks and Tim Allen) a substantive subplot, while many of the familiar toys are reduced to extended cameos. I do miss them, but I get it. If you are going to tell new stories, you can’t keep all these toys in the story, too. It just gets too cluttered.
This movie really plays on Jessie’s background, first introduced in Toy Story 2. Again, I’m not sure we needed to go there, but I did feel like it worked, and I appreciated it. And I especially appreciated the growth Jessie got as a result. I feel like it’s something that has been missing from the franchise, but maybe I just need to rewatch the original trilogy.
Which brings us to something I especially appreciated. In the discussion about devices and technology, it starts out fairly black and white, but it becomes gray as the movie goes on. After all, like almost anything else, technology can be good or bad. I also appreciated that it clearly showed adults just as addicted to technology as the kids because it is true. (Admits the guy who spends so much time working on internet reviews. And thanks for reading them!)
Having said all of this, the movie was missing that spark that made the original trilogy so special. I’m not sure what they had to say about technology was worth a new entry in the franchise. I still would have been okay if they had stopped at the original trilogy with the occasional special.
Then there’s Buzz’s storyline. I’ve always appreciated his romance with Jessie, but I felt like they were trying too hard for laughs with him. He’s never been the sharpest, but he felt especially clueless here.
On the other hand, there are a couple of running gags with Woody that I enjoyed.
I guess part of the problem is the things that made the originals feel so special, all those little details, are now such a familiar part of the world these characters live with, they’ve lost the special feeling and they’ve lost the ability to make us laugh and smile. Instead, the majority of the humor came from a new potty-training device. Yeah, you can guess where those jokes are going. I wasn’t a big fan.
There is a mid-credits scene you’ll want to watch. And there is something at the end of the credits as well, but I didn’t think it was worth sticking around for.
I’m glad I saw Toy Story 5, but I’m glad I went on a discounted night to see it. It’s fun to see old friends again, but the spark that made the original trilogy so special is still missing.
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