It’s hard to believe that Toy Story 5 comes out nearly seven years after the fourth movie, which came out nine years after the franchise’s natural conclusion in the third installment.
There’s a pretty unanimous feeling that Toy Story 3 was a beautiful and fitting end to the series. Every fan wants their favorite franchise to continue, but few have been able to conjure such a perfect ending.
Toy Story 4 had an impossible task — to unwrap a franchise that concluded nearly a decade earlier. Seven years later, Toy Story 5 is facing the same mission.
On one hand, the introduction of tech — which is “for everything,” as Woody (Tom Hanks) cynically says — is genius. That is the one thing the franchise had yet to tackle.
However, it doesn’t appear that director and co-writer Andrew Stanton, who has been involved in the writers’ room of all of the Toy Story movies, had a fully fleshed-out idea for a feature-length movie. That becomes glaringly obvious when a side plot takes center stage a lot more than expected.
In turn, Toy Story 5 is a slightly better version of Moana 2, which was originally supposed to be a Disney+ series before being stitched together as a movie.
It makes sense why Toy Story 5 couldn’t be a special. For one, it’s unlikely you’d get all of the A-listers back; plus, you wouldn’t be guaranteed a huge box office haul.
Cynically speaking, Toy Story 5 feels like a cash grab (a decent one at that). Neither of the last two installments has been bad enough to tarnish the legacy of the original trilogy, but they’re almost like non-canon epilogues.
Toy Story 5 review: What’s it about?
It’s been about three years since the events of Toy Story 4. Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) is now eight years old, the peak of childhood. However, she’s struggling to make friends, something that concerns her parents.
In turn, they buy her a kid-friendly tablet called the Lilypad (Greta Lee). The iPad kids sensation has taken over the cinematic universe, as all kids are obsessed with their Lilypads.
They take attention away from physical toys and in-person hangouts, endangering the likes of Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), and the rest of the OG crew.
So, they call on the help of Woody, who’s a vigilante of sorts alongside BoPeep (Annie Potts) and Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves). He tries to save lost toys and find abandoned ones new homes. Suffice it to say, he’s seen the impact of technology on kids first-hand. Together, they try to eliminate the threat of the Lilypad and make Bonnie realize the importance of real toys and real friends.
Lilypad is a formidable foe
Since Bonnie inherited the toys, the franchise has placed a heavy emphasis on her growth. Of course, Andy was prevalent in the original trilogy, but the first few movies were about them getting back to him, not necessarily making human connections for him.
It’s certainly a unique approach, as Toy Story 5 takes the franchise in the only direction it could go: technology. The threat of the Lilypad is something seen in real life, too. It’s impossible to get on a train or go to a mall without seeing kids inches away from an iPad screen.
In fairness, parenting is hard, and they provide a good distraction. Plus, Angry Birds can be more fun than a Woody or Buzz toy, but that’s besides the point.
Unfortunately, no Toy Story antagonist will reach the heights of Lotso from the third movie. The character was truly menacing and an ample threat to the toys.
However, Lilypad is almost like an overpowered boss in a video game. If the toys do something she doesn’t like, she can send messages to Bonnie’s parents or set an alarm off.
The story feels intended for Disney+
The threat can be felt, but it doesn’t feel like Stanton or co-write Kenna Harris had many more ideas. The Lilypad storyline is surprisingly thin, especially because the characters get split into three groups.
Jessie revisits her past home, which is the strongest emotional beat in the movie. Buzz and Woody reunite to try to save her. Meanwhile, any of the other ensemble characters, like Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Rex (Wallace Shawn), Slinky Dog (Blake Clark), and even Mr. (Jeff Bergman) and Mrs. (Anna Vocino) Potato Head, are sidelined. They’re kept in the garage for most of the movie, and none of them get more than a couple of speaking lines.
Yes, the Toy Story franchise has always been about Buzz and Woody. However, the ensemble was always integral to the story. A greater emphasis was put on a side quest involving a lost shipment of Buzz Lightyear figures, which is convenient from a filmmaker’s standpoint, since Allen can voice all of them, but it feels hollow.
Again, it’s almost like the Lilypad storyline in Toy Story 5 was conceived first without anything else in mind. There would be about 50 minutes of story if not for the Buzz Lightyear subplot.
Granted, most kids’ movies run into similar problems. But isn’t it fair to expect more from a franchise that has always been more mature than others in the genre?
If any of the new characters stand out besides Lily, it’d be Smarty Pants. The character is voiced by Conan O’Brien, which causes an “I knew I recognized that voice!” reaction when the credits roll. Smarty Pants was one of the earlier potty training electronics introduced to children.
Should you watch Toy Story 5?
Maybe Disney and Pixar are staring down the barrel of an uncomfortable truth. The fourth and fifth Toy Story movies haven’t been bad enough to ruin the series’ legacy, but how much more runway is there?
Even the actors are starting to age out of their parts. The toys aren’t supposed to age, though Woody’s balding and belly are the butt of some jokes, and yet, their actors inevitably have. It’s not horrendous, but some of the energy that filled their earlier performances is gone. Granted, this is a natural byproduct of a franchise spanning 30 years.
Toy Story is one of Pixar’s most beloved franchises. However, the fifth movie proves that the studio is in desperate need of new ideas. Luckily, Toy Story 5 buys them some time before they need to find a new idea. It’s an above-average animated movie, but a sub-par Toy Story flick. How much longer can they pull off this high-wire act before the quality drops along with the series’ reputation?
Perhaps it’s just ironic. Toy Story 5, like most kids’ movies, is trying to maintain the attention of children, which competes against things like tablets. However, this particular movie doesn’t give iPads that much competition, at least compared to its predecessors.
Grade: B-
Toy Story 5 will be released on June 19.
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