Toy Story 5

As we wrap up Toy Story Month, what I’m about to look over next is what my critiques of all the Toy Story films led up to.

After seeing Toy Story 3, I didn’t feel like it needed to continue any farther than where it wrapped up. Sure, it continued through a series of short films throughout the 2010s, but Toy Story 3 felt like such a phenomenal film with such a conclusive ending that it would have made a terrific finale.

But wouldn’t you know it? In 2019, Toy Story 4 arrived, and I was skeptical but no less curious. After all, what’s the point of having a Toy Story 4 when 3 wrapped up just fine? Well, after watching it, it surprisingly maintained a good chunk of what made the first three Toy Stories such masterpieces…warts and all. In my opinion, this film dove the deepest into the franchise’s existential themes. Once it wrapped up – again, with such a strong sense of finality – I didn’t feel like there needed to be any more after that one.

But just recently, history repeated itself with Toy Story 5. At this point, I wasn’t sure they could do right by this one. There’s only so long you can continue the story of Toy Story. Why can’t you leave Toy Story as a franchise alone? It was already becoming borderline overkill with the spinoff movie, Lightyear, which came out as a divisive film in and of itself. So what could be accomplished with Toy Story 5? I looked at it unsure of what to make of it or its chances as a sequel.

However, after seeing nothing of the movie except the first teaser trailer, it surprisingly got me thinking. What I flashed on as I thought back on it led me to give the movie the last thing I expected to give something called Toy Story 5: the benefit of the doubt.

Bonnie’s parents decided to give her a frog tablet where she could play games, unleash her creativity, and go wild in ways she couldn’t with her regular toys. How would Woody and all the other toys feel about being replaced by a toy of advanced technology? After Woody had to deal with being replaced by a toy of clearly advanced technology with Buzz Lightyear in the first film, how would he feel about the idea that he, along with Buzz himself and all the other toys with them, were on the verge of being overshadowed the same way by this tablet?

The more I thought about this and what that could do to Toy Story as a continuing franchise, the more I thought…

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And it’s more than just a matter of rejection. Unlike the first four Toy Stories, this movie would dive headfirst into modern issues and modern toys that haven’t been explored before. And in this case, it was tablets and the effects they’re having on children and their sense of playtime. What would happen if their idea of playtime with tablets became all-consuming? What would that do to the kids’ personal lives when they’re not busy with other things or even with their other toys? What would that do with Bonnie and hers?

Answer? While some things about it brought it just a step down from the first four, everything else about Toy Story 5 was done so well that it did not in the slightest reduce its prowess as another masterfully crafted chapter of Toy Story.

So, let’s go into more detail with the story.

The toys noticed Bonnie hoping for friends, which Jessie, now the leader of the toys after Woody’s departure, tried to arrange, much like how Woody tried to do when he tried to make Bonnie proud. This need for friendship began to catch her parents’ attention, too. So what did they decide to do?

They decided to surprise her with a Lilypad - Lily for short – a tablet that was frog-themed with webbed feet and legs. Much like the iPads and tablets of today, Lily had everything a child would want: games, apps, a means to communicate with friends, everything that they’d want for a good playtime with whatever and whoever she wanted. To Bonnie and the other kids her age, this felt like the answer to all their prayers.

To Jessie and the others, however, because they feared being replaced, their problems seemed to multiply as they suspected something fishy about Lily, and it wasn’t helped by her egocentric antics about all her capabilities as a tablet. Becoming immediately aware of Bonnie’s troubles, Lily instantly connected Bonnie with the other kids Bonnie tried to befriend in real life – specifically, the ones who lived across the street – through their social network, arranging it so Bonnie would be invited to their sleepover parties.

Jessie, still not convinced that Lily meant any good will through her actions, decided to look into this more. Part of it was with Woody’s help, who came back to check up on her and their fellow toys after she asked him for help. 

This time, Woody actually had a bit of a gut, gray hair, and even a poncho on him, which he chose as a fashion statement. While Woody reunited with Buzz and tried to get to the bottom of the debacle with Lily, Jessie decided to do her own digging as she checked on Bonnie as she joined the other kids at their party. But in an attempt to stay inactive in the eyes of humans, she and Bullseye ended up being taken by a passing couple and dropped off at someone’s address, which was written inside Jessie’s pants.

And what was the address? Believe it or not, it was her former owner Emily’s.

There, they ran into many surprises, including new toys, new animals, and new people who lived there after Emily moved on. But beyond meeting and getting familiar with them, everything about this home began to bring back memories for Jessie, who missed Emily dearly and had been a nervous wreck ever since Emily gave her away to charity back in Toy Story 2.

What more would Jessie have discovered about Emily’and her home that she did not even think about before? What could Woody and Buzz do when it comes to Lily? What more was Bonnie about to be in for when she hung out more with who she believed were going to be her first true friends?

And finally, what’s the deal with the group of Buzz Lightyears who walked the Earth?

I will start by saying this movie had more modesty than the depth explored earlier. And yes, that does include Toy Story 4. So that’s why I thought it brought this down a notch compared to what the prior films explored in great detail. But that’s easy to dismiss when you consider this film’s exploration of modern gizmos, what they can do compared to what toys can do, and whether that would positively or negatively impact a child’s life.

Let’s dive more into that.

Even before Bonnie got her tablet, Jessie noticed how many people in the neighborhood were addicted to their screens in some way. Whether they were drawn to the TV, their computers, their iPhones, or their tablets, they were all more drawn to them than they were to their human companions. Whether it be their friends or family, barely any of them did anything together besides stare at a screen. Even the toys whose kids had a tablet looked at it as the end of playtime as they’d known it, all because their tablets drew their attention away from everything else. It made Jessie wonder whether Bonnie would be just as zombified as everybody else if she had that kind of technology.

And with Bonnie being sucked in among the crowd, and at such a young age, no less, what effects would this have on her? And because Lilypad was so confident that her ideas were automatically good and would have helped Bonnie out in the long run, this would kickstart a chain reaction of events that would determine whether what she had or was capable of was automatically good for Bonnie or if it was going to lead her into trouble.

The way Toy Story 5 delved into the dicey nature of technology, as well as interactive technology when it looked like it’s on its way to replace normal human lifestyles, was handled very well. Surprisingly, it made me think back to the sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet. That film was undeniably upfront about what more can be accessed online or through the Internet. Still, Toy Story 5 took it a step further by showing what happens when you get too addicted to it and whether that’s automatically a good lifestyle to shoot for, whether that’s a bad lifestyle, or if there should be a proper middle ground. By comparison, it tackled social connections and digital platforms with more nuance and delicacy than Ralph Breaks the Internet.

What I also admired about Toy Story 5 was that it didn’t take sides on that front. It acknowledged the pros of having widespread internet accessibility, but also the cons of being too addicted to it and allowing it to consume your life and direct you to situations where you possibly can’t get unstuck.

And it’s interesting to think about when you look at all of that through Lily as a character.

She started as just an intrusion on Bonnie and Jessie’s lives, all because she was just a show-off in terms of how she could do anything at a second’s glance without others knowing about it. After all, despite Lily obviously setting up a play date for Bonnie with the kids from across the street, what did Bonnie and the kids do together when she made it to the sleepover party?

They stared at their tablets, especially Bonnie with Lily, and barely did anything together. They didn’t roll out their sleeping bags. They didn’t watch movies, do any girly activities, or anything like that. All they did was stare at their tablets. So, that would determine exactly why it would be a bad idea to be completely addicted to your screens, especially when you know there could be other people around you who could crave human attention.

Let’s talk about what else had clearly evolved since the last film and across the five films altogether, starting with the rest of the characters.

For starters, Woody may not have been the focus in this movie, but for what he had going for it, he still expressed a hint of an obligation to do right by Bonnie’s toys, even if this time, they were not as much of a responsibility to him. The first time we’d see him, he’d be seen doing exactly what he vowed to do since the end of the last film: find lost toys and find them a new home with Bo Peep and their friends from the last film.

I never thought I’d say this, but I found myself tickled to see Duke Kaboom again, down to Keanu Reeves reprising his role. 

Anyway, Woody’s newfound responsibilities as the shepherd of toys, and not just Bonnie’s toys, clued him into what he left behind, what he still shared in common with Bonnie’s toys, and what he was willing to do to help them the same way he helped the other toys between the last film and this film. Even his banter with Buzz as they tried to get to the bottom of the debacle with Lily brought up all kinds of witty moments that reminded us of how they were such best friends and what disagreements they could have had when it came to doing things the right way. So, while it was obvious they had a strong sense of co-leadership throughout the movies, this was where their different ideas of leadership began to clash a little.

What also made Woody interesting was that he was well aware of the possibility of digital tablets interfering with children’s lives, as they prepared for all the necessities that came with tablets compared to what toys alone can provide.

As for Buzz himself, he was still as righteous a leader as he had always been to Bonnie and her toys. However, like I said, I found his anticipation of Lilypad’s arrival most engaging because, as we remember from the first film, he was a hi-tech toy who swept everyone away and left Woody panicking about what worth he would have had as a favorite toy to Andy. Would Buzz automatically be a favorite toy because of all he had, especially as he left Woody feeling unloved and tossed aside more often than not?

Now, Buzz was put in that position when Lilypad, also a hi-tech toy, came along and was filled to the brim with many capabilities compared to what even Buzz himself had. And besides his quarrels over leadership capabilities with Woody when he came along to help, there was also a sense that Buzz did his absolute best to tell Jessie how he felt. Sometimes, he fumbled, but other times, he was prepared to say what he wanted to say to her, only for other things to get in the way. What Buzz had to go through in this movie reminded me a bit of what Bernard had to go through in The Rescuers Down Under and Kristoff in Frozen II. However, because this had been built up across four films, it made his anticipation to finally tell Jessie how he felt all the more thrilling when you know that Buzz was on the brink of getting it off his chest after being too shy to do so.

Because Woody promoted her as the leader of the toys before he departed at the end of the last film, there was clearly a heavy level of responsibility on Jessie’s shoulders, for she did her best to keep the toys in one place, keep Bonnie happy, and also attempt to navigate her way through all the chaos that is the technological advancements that kept people glued to their screens, especially after Lilypad came along. However, being at the top of the leadership scale in terms of what devotion she had to her owner did test her out in terms of who she was, what she struggled with, and what she tried to do to prove herself as worthy, not just to Bonnie, but also to herself. So, she did deal with a little bit of what Woody had to deal with. But as we’d see her explore in the movie, it brought her insecurities and dilemmas to the forefront as she grappled with past issues while also facing present ones and deciding how to move forward to a healthier future. As for why that is, I will try to refrain from that until I get around to it.

The rest of the supporting characters all had their moments to shine as well, even if they were still the same as they were in the last film and not given as much attention as before.

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head still threw out some witty banter in response to whatever hectic situations came about. Ham was still the more commonsensical, easygoing guy who did the same thing, but in his own hammy way (I couldn’t resist). Slinky Dog still had his moments of sensibility and devotion to his friends, Bonnie, and especially to Woody and Buzz when things started to go south. Dolly still maintained her motherly essence when she tried to lend a hand to Woody, Buzz, Jessie, or anyone else who needed help, only this time, she’s wearing glasses. Mr. Pricklepants still maintained his theatrical demeanor whenever he indulged in his play-borne instincts and naturality. Rex was still the excitable dinosaur he had always been; even then, he began to be seen less as a scaredy-cat than he was before.

You know, one thing I’m noticing about the supporting characters is that unlike the first three films, none of the supporting characters that stuck around since the first Toy Story or the third one were given as much of a moment to shine as they did in the first three films. When Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Ham, and Rex all tagged along with Buzz to find Woody in Toy Story 2, they all had as much of a chance to show their comedic potential as Buzz did when they were on their way looking for Woody. In Toy Story 3, when the Potato Heads, Ham, Slinky Dog, Rex, Jessie, and Bullseye, and the little green men were all huddled together in the daycare center, their reactions to the ongoing conditions unleashed a level of personality out of them to reinforce what made them such beloved characters in the first place.

However, with the last film and this one, the supporting characters have been sidelined a bit to make room for the designated characters, who were given the spotlight for their character development or personal dilemmas.

Even Forky and the female spork from the last film were pretty much in the same boat. All they did was make innocent remarks about the ongoing conditions, whether it be his marriage to the female spork or Lily’s arrival, among other things. 

But I do have to give credit to Toy Stories 4 and 5 for not reducing any of these characters to stereotypical versions of themselves. They instead felt more like the characters that we’ve grown to love throughout the franchise, just at their most basic. I just wish Toy Stories 4 and 5 were more lax with their runtime and gave the returning supporting characters more room to breathe.

However, the other supporting characters in the movie, the new ones, had interesting personalities, most of them concerning Blaze’s toys. They had their moments to shine throughout the movie, and though their characterizations were inconsistent, what they brought forth still reminded us of some of their capabilities and limitations as toys of bygone eras.

For example, Smarty Pants functioned exactly like an old toy from the 1980s or 1990s that functioned on batteries. When he was first shown, he was groggy from dead batteries. But when Jessie got new ones in for him, he engaged in moments of upbeat wisdom and banter that reminded me of what he had done, what he struggled with after being tossed aside for a long time, and what he knew of Jessie’s old home and also of Blaze’s capabilities. Half the time, he did so with toilet-related jokes and puns, most of which, fortunately, landed the mark.

His friends included an old-style camera, Snappy, who could look through all the past pictures she ever took of Blaze. However, they sometimes served as too stark a reminder of how long Blaze had played around with her before she was tossed aside.

And the third toy in the group, Atlas, shared in their mental anguish, but was mostly just a tagalong except for when it came to his built-in map. And because Jessie and Bullseye ended up in Blaze’s house, his Wi-Fi capabilities concerning his map would come in handy later on.

Now, when I saw these three in action, down to their early techno aspects, I was instantly reminded of the old-tech toys I used to play with as a kid, and I can sum it up in two words: Game Boy. Remember those? The Game Boy Color, the Game Boy Advance. That’s exactly what I was reminded of when I saw those toys and how much they reminded me that, even though tablets are clearly taking time away from kids, we had the same struggles with games distracting us from our regular playtime. So I can understand exactly where everyone’s coming from when they relate to the struggles in this film.

On top of that, Blaze and her mother seemed like really neat people too, complete with the Western cowgirl edge to them, just like Emily. They even had a barn nearby and tended to their pets, like a pig named Jimmy Dean – weird choice for a name – and a horse named Daffodil. But when Blaze noticed Jessie and Bullseye, how they were not hers but rather someone else’s toys, and that they ended up in her house by mistake, it planted the seeds as to what could bloom between her and Bonnie. As they both attempted to work their way through the messes they had, whether it’s Blaze trying to figure out what to do with Bonnie’s toys and Bonnie trying to figure out whether she’s even worthy of her toys – I’ll explain why soon – it led to some very curious, heartfelt moments between them. When you look at what a wild imagination Blaze had, even compared to Bonnie, the actual connections they shared might have been probably the right call on Jessie’s part because it highlighted how much Bonnie needed to connect with other people whose interests were similar to hers.

But now, let’s hop over to the voice actors, because they knew how to maintain the dignity and strength that the Toy Story franchise had established for a long time now.

Starting with Tom Hanks, what he lent to Woody’s voice was still enough to make him sound more experienced, just like his character was, as he also dealt with other elements that began to affect him as a toy, you know, with the bald spot on his head and the gut. But despite whatever limitations Woody, as a character, went through, Hanks still managed to bring forth all the crassness, humor, sensibility, and understanding he had mastered of his character since the first movie. And his comedic banter was at its best whenever Woody talked to Buzz about what the right thing should be to do as a de-facto leader of Bonnie’s toys.

I am still amazed by what more Tim Allen could do as Buzz Lightyear. He always knew how to master his tendencies as Buzz Lightyear from the first film. He maintained his sense of experience and leadership, just like Tom Hanks did with Woody, while also sneaking in moments of vulnerability, like when he tried to confess his feelings for Jessie.

Joan Cusack also began to show a bit of her age through Jessie. While her voice role as Jessie didn’t sound quite as animated or excitable as she was in the past three movies, her modesty, emotional vulnerability, and concern were enough to give Jessie all the weight she needed as a character, especially since she had more than plenty on her plate, whether as the leader of the toys or, among other things, as the focus of this movie. Sometimes, she had moments of excitability, but again, it might have related more to the character’s age than the actress’s. For what Cusack still managed to unleash onto Jessie, she still knew how to make her character come alive.

Much like Blake Clark with Slinky Dog, two new actors took over for their designated characters after the original actors’ passing: Jeff Bergman for Mr. Potato Head and Anna Vocino for Mrs. Potato Head. Fortunately, for what they both brought to their roles, they each carried enough vocal trails to match each of their characters’ general personalities.

The voice actors who came to voice the new characters all went to town, bringing their characters to life and giving them distinct characterizations and comedic personalities that made them shine.

Conan O’Brien was the last actor I expected to partake in a movie like this. But for what he had going for it, he brought Smarty Pants to life with his witty zingers, sensible demeanor, and downhearted instincts when it came to feeling like he was no longer played with, especially since he was basically a toilet-training toy for Blaze when she was younger. That reminded me a great deal of what he struggled with, while also reminding me of what a comedic master Conan O’Brien could be when it came to making toilet jokes as part of the toy’s characterization.

Shelby Rabara perfectly conveyed Snappy’s voice with more sensitivity, as she took it the hardest when Blaze sidelined her for too long after she grew up. I think it made sense, considering she was a camera that could literally capture snapshots of time that had already passed, which mostly left her emotional. So I can understand just what she was going through based on what Rabara lent to her character in terms of her emotional flexibility.

But the most effective highlight of the movie might be Greta Lee as Lilypad. After knowing her through Russian Doll and The Morning Show, what she lent to Lily’s voice was just the right amount of modesty and smug self-confidence as she unleashed in quick force all her capabilities as a tablet that she assumed Bonnie would have benefited from. And yes, there were times when she engaged in some of her underhanded motives too, but that was only sporadic and never overdone before it could tamper with Greta Lee’s more modest deliveries as Lily. It helped highlight just how highly knowledgeable Lily was as a tablet while also sneaking in just a twinge of innocence to highlight what more she ironically still had to learn as she learned the hard way when it came to connecting Bonnie with her ‘friends’.

Another thing I appreciated about this movie was that Randy Newman continued to compose the music. I will admit, there were some pieces of music in the movie that I thought were quite effective, especially those that centered around the army of Buzzes who looked for Star Command. They captured such an intensity and drive that they perfectly reflected what the army of Buzz Lightyears had in mind as they roamed about and searched for the closest thing they had to a true purpose in the form of Star Command.

‘I Knew It, I Knew You’, the newest song from Toy Story, had a catchy rhythm in both its music, which leaned mainly into country, and Taylor Swift’s lively vocals. I liked how chipper it was, and how it could tie into either reconciling with past aspects of yourself or with how you’ve grown. Either way, it felt like a more upbeat half for Jessie to her more lovesick half with ‘When She Loved Me’.

I honestly had no idea what to make of the subplot with the Buzz Lightyears. All I knew was that this whole group of Buzz Lightyears ended up washed ashore on a remote island from what looked like an international cargo ship.

Remember in the first film when Buzz Lightyear discovered who he truly was, what he truly was, when he noticed a writing that said ‘Made in Taiwan’? Something tells me, judging from where they were shipwrecked, that that was where they were being transported from before they were stuck on this island.

And if you think that this was just another pack of Buzz Lightyear toys like what we’ve seen from the movies prior, whether it’s with regular Buzz Lightyears or even with the utility-belt Buzz Lightyear like from Toy Story 2, guess what? You’re mistaken.

Labeled as ‘hi-tech editions’, these Buzz Lightyears were actually deluxe Buzz Lightyear toys with built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, just like Lilypad. One of their coolest upgrades was their ability to glow in the dark from within their spacesuits. And because of their Wi-Fi capabilities, all the Buzz Lightyears talked, moved, and acted almost in unison. But, slowly but surely, they tried to find their purpose in life, first by pointing to a star, before they finally said Star Command. Then, they looked for whatever clues they could find that would take them directly to what they believed was Star Command.

It reminded me a lot of what Woody, Bo Peep, and the others did at the end of the last film, where they were searching for their purpose in life if they didn’t have any besides just being someone else’s plaything.

And I guess you could say that the Buzz Lightyears did the same thing in this film, except what they were looking for was under the delusion that they were space rangers, just like Buzz Lightyear in the first film and the utility-belt Buzz in Toy Story 2. But what I like about their quest is that, by the time they ran into people or animals they had grown to like, that’s when they found their true purpose: child companions who relied on them for playtime.

It led to a couple of funny scenes, including one that I thought felt like a three-step joke. The Buzz Lightyears walked through a forest, met the deer and local wildlife, and ultimately got cuddly with them as, of all songs, ‘Love Is a Song’ from Bambi played in the background. And the next thing we’d see was them fleeing from silhouetted humans in the distance who looked like hunters looking for some game. But it turned out they were just a family trying to use their phones to find their way through the woods and find a good place to set up camp. I found it a pretty clever series of twists.

Another humorous moment was when they caught wind of the picture of Jessie and Bullseye shared to them via Wi-Fi. Because of Jessie’s sheriff badge, the Buzz Lightyears automatically mistook it for the star of Star Command and thus ventured their way towards their destination. It felt very much in line with how our Buzz Lightyear recognized Woody’s sheriff badge and commented on that as ‘local law enforcement’, and thus would have been compatible with him as a space ranger. In the deluxe Buzz Lightyears’ case, though, considering that they were inexperienced and shipwrecked, maybe it just showed how young they were.

But I like how all these Buzzes did not come in the movie for nothing. Because of their shared Wi-Fi capability, it came in handy when Lilypad used hers with them in a surprisingly harmonious connection that ended up saving the day. I don’t want to give away how that was so, but it was so unanticipated and so like modern times that I wondered what more even regular toys could be packed with, and not just tablets, among other things.

Ever since Toy Story 2, it felt like Tim Allen had often been challenged to hone his comedic talents whenever he had to adapt as separate Buzz Lightyears from the Buzz we’ve been acquainted with since the first film. When it came to voicing the other Buzz Lightyears, he maintained just what an innocence they all had because of how fresh out of the box they were and how inexperienced they were, except for them believing they were space rangers and being unaware that they were toys. Yet, whenever the Buzz Lightyears grappled with what or who they were, Tim Allen made sure their blossoming acknowledgments of their physical limitations as toys became more prominent, whether through their lack of experience or simply what they didn’t know that our Buzz Lightyear did.

It is easy for me to forget just how often Tim Allen had to go the extra mile in maintaining his character as Buzz Lightyear while also honing enough distinctions with the other Buzzes to have us tell right away which Buzz was which. So, I tip my hat to Tim Allen for making it all work, especially after Chris Evans threw his take on Buzz Lightyear in the Lightyear spinoff. So, what Tim Allen did in this movie tells me he hasn’t lost any of the mastery of his voice as Buzz Lightyear.

By the way, while I’m still thinking about the Wi-Fi capabilities with Lilypad, Smarty Pants, Snappy, and Atlas got in on the action, too. How? With Snappy‘s pictures and Atlas‘ map, they sent Bonnie pictures of Jessie, Bullseye, and their location by connecting to Lilypad through their Wi-Fi connections. That’s also how the deluxe Buzzes caught wind of their predicament and ventured off to their location. Admittedly, the idea of old-tech toys connecting to new-tech toys through Wi-Fi connections feels like a stretch. But one, I’m not a techno whiz, and two, since I remember creating techno codes to utilize for my games, maybe this wasn’t as far off as it looked.

What I’m about to venture into next might be the absolute best parts of the movie.

For starters, let’s talk about the animation.

Much like the last film, I remember how expansive, all-encompassing, and realistic it was. But there were times when I thought its realism felt a bit distracting when I knew that the toys and characters that came back in that movie were generally the same as we had known them since the first film, when they looked anything but realistic, like they were cartoony and wandering around in a realistic environment.

But here? I don’t know if it was because the realistic settings were just a little more cartoony, or because the toys were made to be a little more realistic, but with Toy Story 5, the animators found just the right balance to have the development of the realism in the animation and the recognizable designs and traits from throughout the Toy Stories work in more evident harmony. Don’t get me wrong, the colors from the last film were very plentiful too, not just in terms of the grayish, murky colors with the antique store, but also in the many colors that popped out from the fairgrounds. But the colors in this movie? They were still colorful, vibrant, and bright, but they had a warmer, more grounded essence this time, as if they went back to what the first three Toy Stories mastered before its realism came along. It maintained what the first three films excelled at while still bringing back what it had perfected in the last film.

In addition, all that growth and animation did wonders for Emily’s character. From what little we saw of her in Toy Story 2, she looked like she was modeled after Andy. But when we saw her more closely in this film… evidently, all that work on Riley from the Inside Out films paid off big time. Judging from how realistically Emily looked and sounded in this picture, it felt like we got to know her better this time.

Another reason the animation here was so splendid is that it was also the most experimental. Take, for example, Bonnie’s fantasies whenever she played with her toys. There’s something about how sketchy these fantasies looked that highlighted the childlike essence of playtime whenever kids like Bonnie played with their toys. I still have a soft spot for the beginning of Toy Story 3 for how it took a child’s fantasy and translated it vividly to life with all the epicness we would feel from a child’s point of view. Nonetheless, Bonnie’s fantasies were visually distinct in conveying those of any child.

Second, let’s get to probably the most heartbreaking example of what screen addictions could do. The themes of modern technology that went into this movie were also reflected a great deal through Lilypad as a character.

Just as important, another character this part of the movie did favors for was Bonnie.

I remember her being just your everyday little girl who was excitable and had a wild imagination. But one thing I remember from this movie that I kept forgetting about from the other Toy Story movies was that she was also shy. At the end of Toy Story 3, she was shy around Andy when they both met, and in the last film, she was nervous about kindergarten orientation before she made Forky. Here, she was trying to make some friends in her downtime. So, Bonnie felt a lot of anxiety as she tried to muster the courage to ask others if they wanted to play.

And it led to the whole debacle with the need for digital tablets, because that’s what her parents thought would help her find friends. Lilypad arranged a social connection between Bonnie and the girls from across the street as one of her demonstrations of what she can do in literally seconds. But once the picture of Jessie and Bullseye slipped into Bonnie’s friend circle, it resulted in a ton of jeers and mocking comments from the girls.

It broke Bonnie’s heart, and even when she went over to Blaze’s house to pick up Jessie and Bullseye, she decided not to pick them up after reading the hurtful comments from her so-called friends. As Lilypad learned the hard way, just because she can connect Bonnie to other people doesn’t automatically make them friends, because who she thought would have been a good fit as friends would likely have been anything but.

It was actually one of the best scenes in the movie, mostly because it gave the subplot concerning interactive accessibility more weight.

For example, it surprisingly highlighted the harmful effects of cyberbullying, and we would see just how much it hurt Bonnie.

But what made this memorable wasn’t really Bonnie continuing to crumble emotionally, but rather Lilypad as she witnessed it all. She didn’t say a word, but the look on her face every time she glanced up at Bonnie just screamed absolute contrition. She had no idea that she would cause Bonnie so much pain when all she tried to do was help her with her social life. But it was here that she realized how much of a mistake she made in getting things all tidied up without knowing what was good for Bonnie.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized how much this reminded me of what Kiki went through after her unexpected brush-off by the granddaughter. It left her in such a deeply sad state that I sometimes felt frustrated about Kiki not bothering to clue some of her friends in on what she struggled with. But even then, I had to remember that the rude rebuttal from the granddaughter might have been more circumstantial than purposeful and that she may have been more decent than she’d seem in other instances, so would it matter if Kiki told anyone besides Jiji about it?

With Bonnie here, however, what she dealt with was a big deal, so after Bonnie continued to mope, that’s when, after being asked about it, Bonnie finally showed her mother exactly what she dealt with. I thought that was refreshing and a huge relief. It shows that when you have a big problem, it’s always smart and healthy to open up about it to others instead of keeping it to yourself.

This part of the movie was where its focus on digital technology was at its strongest. It wasn’t just because it showed the downsides of internet accessibility unless you’re careful with it, but also because it gave Lilypad more character as she saw the error of her ways and understood what more she should do besides just being someone’s dream come true. It’s a matter not of what she had, but of what she could do with it. Lilypad’s character arc hits home how tablets and social media are far from useless or dangerous. All it takes is a proper balance between digital consumption and letting your imagination run wild.

And as far as Bonnie is concerned, while it may not seem like much in terms of what Bonnie explored, I was impressed by how much development that moment gave her. It made me think back to Andy’s social life; the closest thing I can think of was when he had his friends over for a birthday party in the first film, and that was before the big move. I can only imagine what kind of friends Andy had, and Molly too, in the time that passed between Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3. So I think that was a huge step up for Bonnie, as well as for Toy Story as a franchise.

You don’t need complex characterizations, just the right cliques that would jibe well with what kids around Bonnie’s age would go through.

At first, I thought Lily’s side of the story felt too much like that of Anxiety from Inside Out 2, but some things helped set them apart. One, while they both wanted what’s best for who they’re looking out for – Anxiety with Riley and Lilypad with Bonnie – Anxiety overwhelmed Riley with precautionary preparations, while Lily was like a digital treasure trove that she expected Bonnie to enjoy without question. As far as learning the error of their ways was concerned, Anxiety did not take it well and tried to figure out where she went wrong, while Lily was more remorseful about what she so foolhardily did to poor Bonnie and how much it hurt her. Either way, it was clear that Anxiety and Lilypad wanted to set things right after realizing what they did wrong.

Similarities aside, this scene still cemented both Lilypad and Bonnie’s characterizations for me.

Next, let’s talk about what this film delved into that gave it some weight as well as, in my opinion, enough depth to make this a worthy Toy Story, and that is Jessie’s reconciliation with her past events and home.

If the last film was Woody’s movie, then this one was easily Jessie’s movie. While it’s clear that Woody and Buzz were still top-ranking characters in this movie, the movie clearly belonged to her, for she went through the biggest journey in this movie. The weird little turns of events she went through, partially in response to Lilypad, would ultimately have landed her back in the very house that she used to live in.

Once we hopped back to the returning toys at the beginning of the film, the first thing we’d see was Jessie’s flashback with Emily during one of their playdates. While that was obvious enough, things kicked into overdrive when Jessie was mistakenly believed to belong to Blaze, who lived in Emily’s old home, by the old couple who saw her and Bullseye and brought them both over to her.

Later in the movie, Jessie, having lived in that house before, was able to automatically recognize several bits and pieces of the house that Blaze’s toys hadn’t noticed before. For example, Jessie identified some cracks in the window from when Emily threw a ball, as well as different marks on the ceiling that Emily connected to something else. So it resulted in a very fascinating turn of events for Jessie as she revisited the source of her memories and trauma and attempted to negotiate her way through whatever mess she was stuck in. Part of it may also have been because she stayed under the bed for way too long while she watched Emily grow up.

Finally, over a block away, Jessie recognized the tree with the tire swing that she and Emily used to play in, and her time at the house all came to a head with what she and Bullseye discovered there. First, Jessie found a wood carving on the tree that said ‘Jessie was here’. Next, she found a lunchbox filled with many different pieces of memorabilia. But they didn’t belong to Emily, but rather to her daughter, and Jessie was shocked and deeply touched to learn that Emily had named her after her favorite doll. The daughter’s name? Jessie.

That was beyond touching. It reminded me of what Jessie believed back in Toy Story 2:

You never forget kids like Emily or Andy… but they forget you.

And boy, did these mementos prove her wrong. It showed that just because kids have outgrown their toys, that doesn’t mean they have forgotten them, and what Jessie discovered about Emily as a mother was surefire proof of that. Because we knew Jessie was an emotional wreck because of her connection to Emily and being outgrown by her when she grew up, seeing Jessie come to grips with her past issues while reconciling them with her present issues was enough to give her some unexpected closure.

And among the musical pieces that Randy Newman composed for Jessie’s side of the movie, the fact that among them were instrumental versions of ‘When She Loved Me’, especially when Emily was in focus, was the icing on the cake.

Now, this leaves us with the biggest question. What exactly was it about Toy Story 5 that made it so consistent with the first four Toy Stories, even though it looked like it veered into uncharted territory and unimaginable scenarios that we had never seen before? How was that possible?

Well, let me get to the quote-unquote secret ingredient that made Toy Story 5 a far worthier sequel than it had any right to be: the writing and directing by Andrew Stanton.

Of all the directors to take on this movie, he was clearly the right choice. It’s not just because he had already unleashed a couple of masterpieces under Pixar. Look at Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, and especially WALL-E. Those movies were among the most celebrated movies ever made by Pixar, and Andrew Stanton’s sense of humanity, sensibility, wit, and humor were among the key reasons they were such household names.

But it’s easy to say that Toy Story 5 worked because it was Andrew Stanton directing it. The real reason it worked goes even deeper than that.

If you look closely, you’ll notice that Andrew Stanton was involved in the story and/or screenwriting development of the Toy Story films since the first film. That means, with so much first-hand experience, he knew how to steer the story in what he believed was the right direction and thus would have known enough of the dilemmas and personalities of the characters in the story to know what the most natural way forward would be for all of them. Seeing him, a Toy Story veteran, take the reins on Toy Story 5 was enough to tell me this movie would be good and worthwhile.

And for what he brought to this movie, it was enough for him to carry all the trademarks he established when he directed Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, and WALL-E, while still tying them into what he had mastered throughout the first four Toy Stories. He maintained the humanity behind the characters’ decisions, as he had with Jessie, Woody, Buzz, and even Lilypad. He even highlighted some of the dilemmas of letting technology take over our lives, much like what he did in WALL-E, only it’s with modern technology. Everything Andrew Stanton unleashed in Toy Story 5 was terrific and helped hone everything he had mastered throughout Pixar and the Toy Story franchise.

By the way, did you notice how Toy Story 5 is the first-ever Toy Story to be rated PG? After seeing this film, the only thing I found inappropriate compared to the first four films was its rating. Some of the adult jokes we’ve seen in this movie, especially the toilet humor from Smarty Pants, were more along the lines of what I remember from Finding Nemo, and that movie was rated G nonetheless. Plus, why is it that Toy Story 5 got a PG rating, but not Toy Story 3, reportedly the darkest and most brutal of all the Toy Stories? Personally, the MPA needs to either rethink its rating system or, better yet, suck it up.

Originally, I didn’t think the whole message of social media and being addicted to tablets needed to be explored, since it was so modern. But then I thought back to how it’s affecting people in my family. My girlfriend and I chatted on occasion about where we were in terms of screen addiction. She told me that she and I, having been born five years apart in the 1990s, were probably among the last generation to really know what it feels like to let your imagination run wild without being so addicted to a screen, whether it’s a TV screen, a computer screen, or even regular screens in general. 

And now, look where my nephew ended up. He was also watching whatever caught his interest on his own tablet and playing games. At one point, my brother even asked me to digitize all four Toy Stories and Lightyear, so my nephew could watch and enjoy those during long car trips. That makes me wonder exactly how much damage, if any, that’s doing to my nephew. So, to see Toy Story throw its own two cents on the whole phenomenon was surprisingly crucial, more so than we want to think it is.

That cruciality gave this film a sharper edge than I recalled from the earlier Toy Stories, especially the previous film. So, I am tempted to say that technically, this is the best Toy Story since Toy Story 3.

Long story short, everything that could be done with Toy Story 5 had been achieved most splendidly here and was enough to make this a worthy follow-up. It continued the story like a good sequel should, just as Toy Stories 2, 3, and 4 did, while also introducing new elements that would make this sequel a most worthy one to add to Toy Story as a franchise and a most worthy one to propel the story forward in ways that we didn’t anticipate it to go.

The animation found the right balance of utmost realism and familiar designs. The characterizations all provided the right amount of authenticity in their development. The voice actors still did their best with what they were given. The themes of modern technology in this movie were surprisingly well-handled and very sensible. And the result was just another pleasant surprise after saying that about Toy Story 4.

Having seen this after being familiar with all four Toy Stories, I’m genuinely impressed by the ingenuity the writers and animators brought to Toy Story and what they could do to make it something special.

Look at all they had done. They revolutionized the filmmaking industry with Toy Story, the first-ever computer-animated feature film. After that, they kept it going with sequels that continued the story and set the bar for telling good stories at the right time with the right characters and the right circumstances to make it work. What the first film achieved on its own was already revolutionary, since it broke the mold and became the first computer-animated motion picture in history. But the idea that the same artists who made such creativity and ingenuity possible kept it going and barely faltered across a whopping five films is nothing short of a miracle.

In fact, that’s also one of the biggest parts of Toy Story that I thought was so strong. Toy Story was all about what happens when you grow up, how much of your childhood you should let go, and how much of it you should hold onto as you prepare for your journey into adulthood. We saw that through Andy and, potentially, Bonnie too, and it’s one of the biggest hallmarks of Toy Story as a franchise. It not only introduced a new filmmaking technique, but it also went the extra mile by growing with its audience as a film series, showing what the toys and human characters went through throughout their time together.

The first Toy Story was all about childhood innocence. Toy Story 2 was about being mindful of your inevitability and mortality. Toy Story 3 was about growing up and being prepared to let go of what you should leave behind and hold on to what you should keep. Toy Story 4 was about having grown up while showcasing your true worth in life through existentialist means. And Toy Story 5 was about being mindful of what to do before things get out of hand, either for yourself or for those you care about, like your children, for example.

I love Toy Story not only because of how ingenious its storytelling was, but also because it matured as it went along. And for those who grew up with Toy Story, as my brother and I did, it basically had something to say at each stage of our lives. And that only makes Toy Story as a franchise most worthy of all the praise and accolades bestowed upon it and the legacy it established in its wake.

Say what you will about whether Toy Story should wrap up as a franchise, but all I can say to you is that Toy Story sure knows how to surprise us to infinity and beyond.

My Rating

A high A