It has been 30 years since Pixar began gracing our screens with some of the best animation and created the Toy Story Franchise. We all thought they would have ended the franchise with the third one back in 2010. But then came another, which seemed to have surprised the general public with how relevant the sequel would be, and if we really needed it, and it went on to make a billion dollars. Similar discourse occurred when it was announced there would be a fifth.
The fifth entry features a more timely conversation with our iconic, lifelike toys as they face their greatest threat yet: technology. When Bonnie is handed her first Lilypad (basically an iPad to avoid trademark issues), will she want to play with toys again? With that at hand, there seems to be a random storyline of Buzz Lightyear toys roaming around to find... purpose? That's all I'll say about the sequel without giving anything away.
But this sequel, formidably, is much better than the fourth, even though its predecessor was a good time in its own right, and it explains what happened to Bo Peep. What makes this fifth-quel refreshing is that it focuses almost entirely on Jessie, something Toy Story hasn't done since her introduction in 1999, but even then, her story was an extension of Woody's origin. There is this sense of familiarity with Jessie's intentions here, compared to Woody's, in making Jessie a replacement rather than letting this adventure be her own. It can feel like we are going through the antics Woody would usually force everyone to abide by to make sure that Bonnie, not Andy this time, has an easier life from the get-go. Luckily, the plot turns on its head, exploring Jessie in ways I think fans would be very happy to learn about. Or revisit.
In the case on its own take on technology, or the world changing affecting how kids 'play' these days, a comparison I would like to make is one of the movies that started the summer movie season, The Devil Wears Prada, which had Disney portray a specific message and take on how to approach and manage with how they portrayed as an impending doom with tech bros liquidating creatives. From my review, the acknowledged attempts were more pessimistic than nuanced. On the contrary, Toy Story 5, despite being a film targeted towards children (but who are we kidding, the adults are the real target audience here), has a more mature resolution, without either side making rash choices, where one is good or bad, reminding us that there is a way to live peacefully together. This was something I appreciated, considering how we approach the topic on either side with greater apprehension.
What I also appreciated is how they portray Bonnie, a child in a tech world with Lilypads available, as someone who is considerably different and isolated from her peers because she is simply wired differently. This leads her to make choices that do not align with her approach of connection and being a kid, leading her to do the 'trendy' thing, which speaks to Lilypad's motivations. This broke my heart: how kids who are different are considered immature because they have much wider imaginations and have to keep up with peers just to fit in, leaving parts of their personality that made them special or unique in the first place to seem more mature.
Despite its message, it was delightful to see our favorite characters again, no matter how we feel like this sequel is talking about tech or if Disney made this for a money grab. Both Buzz and Woody are working together again, something that was lacking in the previous movie. There were a lot of elements here that were reminiscent and lacked in the fourth-quel, reminding us why this franchise manages to capture our hearts every time.
There is a certain element that I feel like goes unaddressed in this film, which is the relevance of the many Buzz Lightyear figurines that are facing a much contrived, compressed sense of crisis of being that Buzz went through in the original film, a part of the script that is least original and unnecessary to the plot. This does not account for the fact that they do have a specific use in the final act, which speaks to the 'tech' message of the film and makes it seem like it all lines up. Despite that, I can't help but wonder why we needed to see the internal turmoil that was cut short and left for laughs, Buzz went through 30 years ago, in a plural sense?
Even with Disney's focus on message first and story second, Pixar never fully strays from that sentiment, unless it is blaringly obvious in the new characters it creates. Their franchise work ultimately lets us go on whatever ride the familiar takes us on, which can be both a positive aspect and a problem, as audiences will not see beyond new characters unless the familiar ones are there to hold your hand through the introductions, which is something Toy Story is not shy from, especially when introducing the new characters here.
But talking about that will only lead to my ever-brewing frustration with the lack of attention to the more original films Disney has made, which is a whole other conversation not worth having right now. I would rather focus on the fact that Toy Story 5 has made its mark as one of the more successful animated franchises, if not the most successful, in the last 3 decades, and continues to create portrayals that are relatable and impactful. The animation is the best it has looked in 30 years, and, dare I say, it proves itself a worthy contender in next year's Oscars race for Best Animated Feature.
What is worth considering is that Toy Story 5 is a fun time for the family this summer. Its timely message offers an optimistic view of the differences and similarities in an ongoing debate. It may also convince children to give their toys a little more attention and also reminds us that we are not alone in not catching up in a world that is changing too fast, and even if it does leave us behind, that does not mean that we have to acclimate to ideals that may not be for us.
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