Toy Story 5 – Review

Bigger, bolder and better seems like a superfluous statement these days, but Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5 bravely revisits the premise of the original film and tackles the original question, but in a much broader scope, that resonated so much with audiences back in 1995 – what happens when something new and incredible swoops in to take over a beloved staple?

Instead of a new Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen, Galaxy Quest) stepping into the toy box originally held in place by the old stalwart Woody (Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump), the latest chapter in the long-running animated franchise addresses the more modern issue, of technology replacing the toys that used to run the imagination of kids, and not just that one child in the home, but children who have become accustomed to smartphones and tablets.

And instead of Buzz and Woody leading this sequel, it now falls squarely on the shoulders of the cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack, Confessions of a Shopaholic), Woody’s old friend who is now leading the group of toys who are now in the possession of Bonnie (Scarlett Spears, Wicked: For Good). Determined to do her best for the child she has grown extremely fond of, Jessie wants her eight-year-old to make new friends, only to find out that children these days don’t play with toys, and are instead dominated by tech – electronics that take away their attention and stifle their imagination, turning them into indoor introverts who don’t interact with others. And because Bonnie still plays with toys, it becomes impossible for her to make friends with children her age who prefer screen time, to play time.

Buzz, who has been enamoured with Jessie since the first film, tries his best to be the Deputy to her Sheriff, but when Bonnie’s parents buy the latest tablet – the Lilypad – for her, it draws her away from her favourite toys faster that you can turn on the tablet, voiced by Greta Lee (Tron: Ares). And like Buzz when he first became the hot toy of the house, she believes herself to be superior to traditional toys, capable of doing so much more to the benefit of Bonnie, and things get out of hand when Lily and Jessie vie to do what’s best for their child.

In a way, it’s rather apt that a Pixar film would address this issue plaguing parents worldwide, since the digital animation company was once owned and owed its then-rising fortune to Steve Jobs back in 1986. Yes, the same Jobs who founded Apple, was ousted, but eventually sold Pixar to Disney, and made his return to Apple where he eventually unleashed the iPad, widely recognised as the most successful tablet computer in the world, in 2010. 

Naturally, Toy Story 5 would also take some easy shortcuts, because this is a Disney cartoon after all, but the premise, while familiar, is also a part of life. Everyone, from children, teens to adults, would eventually discard something they once held dear, and find a replacement. Pixar’s greatest contribution to films is in the way it tells its story and the Toy Story franchise continues to lead the way, now squarely focused on our cowgirl. Once abandoned by a child she held dear, Jessie wants to make sure she doesn’t lose the love of another child but in her journey to help Bonnie, she inadvertently ends up in the home of her original owner, now filled with a new family, as she grapples with her own troubled beginnings and what it means for a toy to remain a toy in the eyes of a growing child.

And while it’s great to have Allen and Hanks back in the saddle, it’s about time Pixar gave Jessie, and Cusack, the reins and their moment in the spotlight, especially since she was unceremoniously sidelined in the last film. With her unique voice and the character’s history already laid out across four films, Jessie provides the heart of this story as it revisits the impact and importance, or seemingly lack thereof, of children’s playthings in an attention-deficit world.

And as audiences confront new tech, there’s also some old tech to surface, in the form of comedian Conan O’Brien’s Smarty Pants, a one-time, one-use digital toilet-training device that lost its purpose when the child knew how to use the toilet, Snappy (Shelby Rabara, Steven Universe), a child’s digital camera, and Atlas (Craig Robinson, Hot Tub Time Machine), a child’s geography tool with built-in GPS. Like Jessie, these were once the best tools that parents bought their young ones, until new advancements and the very act of a child growing up, made these devices obsolete and discarded.

Initially antagonistic towards the digital trio, Jessie soon realises she needs their help to find her way back to Bonnie, but what this also means is that there isn’t enough time in the short, 102-minute film to revisit classic characters, including Hamm (John Ratzenberger, Cheers), Bo Beep (Annie Potts, Ghostbusters), Rex (Wallace Shawn, The Princess Bride), Slinky Dog (Blake Clark, Hubie Halloween), and more, as they literally get left on the shelf in some garage. But hey, as the franchise says, new toys, and voices, will come and take over the place held by old toys. Oh the irony.

As with Disney films, there’s always a happy ending, even if this one requires some leaps in logic, and a too-convenient secondary narrative that involves an army of updated Buzz Lightyear toys that makes little sense – but when they go to infinity and beyond, you cannot help but smile, and possibly even clap at how they save the day. Hey, if you can believe that toys can come alive when no one is looking, just sit back and let the toys you knew as a kid continue to tug at your heartstrings once again.

You know you’ll turn to your phone once the lights in the theatre come back on. And that’s all right.

HSALS

Hsals needs more space in his house, and more money in his bank account to pay for all the toys, collectibles and other geek related items that companies are churning out. Free-time? Girlfriend? Who’s got time for those?