Toy Story 5
review by Bobby Blakey
It’s hard to believe that the Toy Story franchise started all the way back in 1995. Since we have had three sequels, TV specials and so much merchandise you can’t go anywhere without still seeing the famed franchise. The biggest surprise is that the movies just kept getting better and better and thought they had wrapped it up in both Toy Story 3 and then again in Toy Story 4, but clearly that wasn’t the case, and we are getting to dive back into the toy box once again with Toy Story 5. Could this latest entry capture the essence to what has made this franchise so special, or will it be time to put the toys away once and for all?
Toy Story 5 follows the new character Lilypad, a high-tech, frog-shaped smart tablet that makes Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the gang’s jobs exponentially harder when they go head-to-head with the all-new threat to playtime. The latest chapter gets the gang back together including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Blake Clark, and Tony Hale with Greta Lee and Conan O’Brien joining the cast from directors, Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris.
When they announced a new Toy Story was coming, I was both excited and worried as the film ended on a perfect note in the 4th entry. This story had to be special to be warranted and not just come off as a Disney cash grab and they knocked it out of the park. To my pleasant surprise not only does the film work it brings things back to everything that made the original film so great. I think the biggest reason this film delivers so well is that while we obviously got Woody, Buzz and all our other favorite characters, this film shifts the focus more to Jesse and makes it familiar and fresh all at once.
The story feels necessary with the injection of technology, which is a big reason for the way kids and their childhoods are so different these days. Making it the catalyst to the entire story while delving deeper into Jesse’s lore made it a story
that deserved to be told. They didn’t need to put more of the same old stuff of Buzz and Woody even though that is here and it proves it with Jesse doing most of the heavy lifting and Cusack killing it.
The side story of Lightyear is silly but uses another current issue and sets up an epic finale that is both over the top and fun all at once. Most of the other toys are sidelined for the most part, but they made sure to give them some fun screen time, but also not really needed for this story. Their absence also makes the impact of tech more effective. I was worried that Lily Pad was going to wear thin but was cleverly used along with other variations of tech to showcase the changes in the world and kids these days.
To no surprise, the animation is great as always filled with bright vibrant visuals and great character designs both old and new. The attention to detail in these films is always great and this one is better than ever. The look and feel, the story, the message and everything in between is perfect and remind you of why we love these films and the power of Pixar.
Decide for yourself and check out Toy Story 5 in theaters now from Disney and Pixar.