How Toy Story 5 Continues Toy Story’s Strong Streak of Fun and Emotion

Courtesy of Pixar

Toy Story 5 has been out for a couple of weeks, and, like its predecessors, it charms audiences and critics alike. Directed by WALL-E director Andrew Stanton, who also co-wrote the previous Toy Story movies, the toys are back, but this time taking on technology, which seems to be pushing kids away from toys all around, and now threatens to do the same between the toys and Bonnie. Jessie, voiced again by Joan Cusack, takes the lead in Toy Story to take on Lilypad, the new device that is driving a wedge between Bonnie and the toys, and finally confronts her past. Joining Joan Cusack once again are Tom Hanks and Tim Allen as Woody and Buzz, and newcomers Conan O’Brien and Greta Lee. Toy Story continues to be one of Disney’s most popular franchises, from the various movies, toys, Disney Park attractions, and specials. Fans felt after the emotional endings of Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4 that there was no need for more movies. Heck, there are some fans who feel Toy Story 4 was unnecessary. Did Toy Story 5 prove the doubters wrong?

Toy Story 5 continues the trend of having a balance of fun and laughter with emotional and dramatic moments. It’s beautifully animated and has a great music score from Randy Newman. It has a great commentary on how technology is impacting and changing the way kids grow up. For Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of Andy’s former toys still around, they never dealt with Andy having something like a Lilypad that makes kids stop playing with toys early on, and making friends with the wrong kind of kids. The change in Bonnie’s lifestyle once she gets a Lilypad and is hooked on it is handled well, as well as how the toys process it. It also has commentary on how technology can hurt children. One of the emotional moments of Toy Story 5, which Tom Hanks already mentioned before it came out, was when Bonnie sees the messages other girls in her dance class that she wants to be friends with say about her and how hurt she feels. It’s heartbreaking, but also shows a sad reality our society has dealt with for many years, and presents one of the most realistic scenes in a Toy Story movie so far. For the audience, it won’t be just kids around Bonnie’s age that relate to her at this moment, but also teenagers and even adults, who have also had that experience.

The other emotional moments come from Jessie’s arc. At the end of Toy Story 4, Woody made Jessie the new sheriff of the toys, and she is Bonnie’s favorite toy. When Bonnie grows distant from her and the others, she grows concerned and comes into conflict with Lilypad, who isn’t really evil and wants what is best for Bonnie, but goes about it the wrong way. Jessie’s experiences with Emily, her original owner, are revisited, and her doubts about how much she means to a kid are brought back.  Jessie confronts her past and realizes her time with Emily also meant something to Emily and the impact the toy cowgirl had on her life. By the end of the movie, you will feel Jessie’s character arc that began when she first appeared in Toy Story 2 has finally gotten a proper conclusion. Jessie herself showed she can take the lead in a Toy Story movie, and Joan Cusack continues to do great voicing her. Greta Lee does well voicing Lilypad, and her conflict with the toys and how it’s resolved was satisfying.

Tom Hanks and Tim Allen continue to do great voicing of Woody and Buzz. Tim Allen voices a ton of Buzz Lightyears who provide most of the humor of Toy Story 5 as they are stuck in demo mode and trying to reach what they believe is Star Command. Buzz helps Jessie lead the toys as deputy and tries to confess how he feels for her. Woody returns to help his friends deal with Lilypad, and more humor is directed at how he is an old toy. While it’s nice to see Woody again, he is mostly there for comedic relief, and if he weren’t in the movie, it probably wouldn’t have been much different other than his lack of presence, since he still remains a key part of the Toy Story franchise, and it’s hard to imagine a Toy Story movie without Woody. The banter between Woody and Buzz feels a bit forced at times, feeling as if it’s there to recapture the magic of their original banter from the first movie.

The main issue with Toy Story 5 is that it has no idea how to handle most of the other characters. Besides Woody, Jessie, and Buzz, only Bullseye plays a big role. The rest of Andy’s former toys and Bonnie’s toys, like Dolly and Trixie, are in a few scenes with a few lines. Even Forky, who was a central focus in Toy Story 4, plays a small role, only shining whenever Bonnie plays with the toys. For fans of Rex, Slink, and the other originals from the first three movies, it’s sad to see they don’t play a big role anymore. At the very least, this could have been the perfect opportunity for Bonnie’s toys, which have been her toys longer than Jessie and the others, to shine and step up, especially Dolly, who seemed to be the leader of Bonnie’s toys before Jessie became Bonnie’s favorite toy. At least Andy’s toys had the first three Toy Story movies to have their shining moments. It feels like, with the exception of Forky in Toy Story 4, Bonnie’s toys don’t play that big of a role in these last couple of movies.

Overall, Toy Story 5 shows that this franchise is not done with new ideas, nor is it done touching the hearts of the audience. It’s funny and emotional, but by the end of the movie, audiences will have a smile on their face. While it’s disappointing that most of the legacy characters and Bonnie’s toys are more so in the background, it’s great to see Jessie and Bullseye shine, and the hundreds of Buzz Lightyear figures are hilarious. Woody and Buzz still know how to make us laugh. The animation has come a long way from 1995 and looks great. The commentary on technology being used by kids was done well.

My final grade for Toy Story 5 is an A-. If you are a Toy Story fan, I highly recommend you check Toy Story 5 out. What are your thoughts on Toy Story 5? Let us know in the comments below.