I didn’t expect to cry while watching “Toy Story 5.”
Maybe it was because the day before, I went on a trip with my former next-door-neighbor who I became best friends with at age 4. Perhaps moving back into my childhood bedroom after my first year of college made me emotional. Nevertheless, watching Bonnie, a fellow only child, struggle to make her first friends had me bawling in the theater.
My unanticipated tears weren’t the only way Pixar Animation Studios’ latest addition to its oldest franchise, released Friday, surprised me. I entered the theater a skeptic but left thoroughly entertained.
Pixar’s decision to continue making “Toy Story” movies after the third film’s perfect, conclusive ending to the series came across as a cash grab to me. But I must admit, the world of toys provides the potential for many compelling messages, including the movie’s theme: toys versus technology.
As someone who grew up during the rise of iPads, I remember asking my parents for a tablet in elementary school so I could play the same games as my friends. So it rang true that Bonnie would view her device as a way to relate to her peers and — hopefully — befriend them.
The movie demonstrates how technology can block opportunities for imaginative play, complicate building social relationships and even lead to cyberbullying. It’s important for kids who have experienced these negative effects to see themselves represented on screen and to know they’re not alone. I’ve always been impressed by the “Toy Story” filmmakers’ willingness to explore serious themes in children’s movies — and they did so here — while still acknowledging that technology is here to stay and has benefits.
It was touching to see the familiar cast of toys, along with a few new additions, try to help Bonnie make connections. Though I didn’t mind the new toys, they weren’t as funny or charming as the original crew. Characters like Rex, Slinky and Hamm, who never failed to make me laugh in the first movies, were put on the backburner, with barely any screentime or lines.
Notably, the actors who voice those beloved characters have gotten older. It’s been more than thirty years since the original “Toy Story” was released in 1995, and while I respected the performances of main cast members like Joan Cusack (Jessie) and Tom Hanks (Woody), it’s hard not to notice how their characters’ voices have aged with them.
While I love Woody as a protagonist, I’m glad Jessie is the central character of this film. Her backstory as a toy who has now been loved by three different children makes her perspective on changing times and technologies unique and makes key emotional moments hit harder.
This isn’t the funniest “Toy Story” movie. That being said, I was relieved to see that the writers didn’t overly reuse bits from the franchise that would now feel stale. It felt like they were more interested in coming up with unique scenarios to expand the imaginative universe they created.
Even though I enjoyed this movie, every step beyond “Toy Story 3” seems to take the franchise further away from a satisfying ending. Will Pixar continue the series forever, eventually recasting the original characters or throwing them out altogether in an attempt to draw viewers back in? I guess there’s nothing to do but wait and see if “Toy Story 6” is on the horizon.
Until then, it’s time for me to turn off my laptop and go outside.
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