Toy Story 5 - Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

PIXAR’S Toy Story franchise has seldom been afraid to tackle big emotions in its celebrated 30-year run - and this fifth entry maintains its ability to tug at the heart-strings while still delivering on those equally big laughs.

This time around, the erosion of childhood seems very much to the fore as co-directors Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris take aim at big tech and its impact on the innocence of youth, as well as what constitutes true friendship.

There’s also the usual push and pull between growing up and leaving your beloved toys behind - as much a continued love letter to the childhoods of yesteryear as it is a metaphor for parenting and that day when their children decide to head out into the world on their own.

But it’s this sustained ability to play to all ages - to appeal to the inner child that still exists in most of us as well as young viewers themselves - that has helped to make the Toy Story franchise so endearing. It’s a franchise you never want to grow out of…

Pleasingly, the gang is all back. But rather than having Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) take centre stage, the bulk of the story is seen through the eyes of Jessie the cowgirl (Joan Cusack) and her doting horse, the favourite toys of Bonnie (Scarlett Spears).

It was Bonnie who inherited the toys at the end of Toy Story 3 - but who is now rapidly growing up in an age where most of her peers have turned to computers (or tech) for their ‘entertainment’. An early scene that finds Jesse peeking through the window of countless homes, and seeing kids glued to their screens (sometimes even in each other’s company), should resonate with, and even haunt, most parents.

When Bonnie receives her own tablet device called Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee), it doesn’t take long for her to abandon Jessie (triggering the same PTSD she has suffering since Toy Story 2’s seminal When She Loved Me moment), as the tablet sets about finding her some like-minded friends.

But Bonnie soon discovers that online match-ups aren’t all they seem, given that her love for her toys is quickly mocked by her new companions, leaving her feeling ostracised and alone in a world she has always felt like an outsider in.

Jessie, for her part, resolves to help Bonnie by finding her a true friend - who comes in the form of Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris), a real horse lover and toy enthusiast who lives on a farm.

With the help of Buzz (now desperate to marry Jessie) and Woody (returning from his romantic retirement with Annie Potts’ Bo Peep, that marked the end of Toy Story 4), she attempts to bring the two together, eventually receiving some extra support from an unexpected ally.

There’s also a sub-plot involving an army of Buzz Lightyears that eventually feeds into the main story, which provides the film with some of its biggest laughs and most striking images.

The result is an utterly engaging experience that works because of the depth of feeling we have for these characters - spending time in their company is easy, even if some of the scenarios seem overly familiar and some of the gags lack the inspiration of those earlier films (the initial trilogy in particular).

There may also be a little disappointment in the lack of screen time of certain characters, with supporting toys such as the aliens, Keanu Reeves’ returning Duke Caboom, or Wallace Shawn’s Rex struggling to get a look in.

But even so, there’s still plenty to admire. The animation remains top drawer, flitting between different styles (whenever Bonnie plays, the images take on a more classically hand-drawn quality, as do the end titles), while the camaraderie that exists between the core cast members remains pleasingly intact.

Gags at the expense of an ageing Woody (complete with bald spot and paunch) also work, while the aforementioned Buzz Lightyear sequences are a blast.

And there’s always a wry smile to be had from a passing sight gag or a witty one liner from a returning favourite character, no matter how limited their screen time.

The movie’s messages are also one that’s highly relevant and timely, most notably the way in which a fast, modern world is forcing kids to grow up too fast, at the expense of childhood innocence and fun.

Here, tech’s role in that loss is very much in question, as well as the dangers it poses. But the film stops short at completely condemning it as an out and out villain, opting for a more optimistic view that takes into account some of tech’s benefits. Some have argued this feels like a cop out, yet it’s also realistic, balanced and in keeping with the overall optimism that Pixar tends to bring to its films, even when exploring darker themes.

Equally as pertinent, however, is the need to find the right friends, or your people, as this can so often make the difference between a happy child… and a struggling one.

There will be many outsiders who find that this film speaks to them, especially in the way that it confronts issues of isolation and loneliness, as well as trauma.

But in doing so, Toy Story 5 still manages to pack the emotional punch that we have now become accustomed to.

Hence, while it may not hit the highest heights that this franchise was once capable of, this fifth entry in the franchise still manages to set a very high bar. It’ll always have a friend in me (and the rest of my family too).

Certificate: PG

Running time: 1hr 42mins