Toy Story 5 Review
Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the rest of the gang are back in a fable about the dangers of technology, and what it means to have an impact on one’s life.
When Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) struggles to make friends, her parents buy her a Lilypad (Greta Lee). But this digital intruder into the imaginative life of their little girl riles up Jessie (Joan Cusack), who teams up with Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks) to find Bonnie a real friend.
Toy Story 5 was derided upon announcement, and indeed in the lead up to its premiere, by many as ‘irrelevant’ and ‘unnecessary’. And there will always be the argument that this fifth installment in a series that justifiably should have stopped after the initial trilogy is unwanted and unneeded.
But there’s still something about Pixar and Toy Story. No matter where else they stumble, the studio just gets these characters. And while it may not be a needed addition to the franchise, it’s nevertheless the sort of movie that teaches kids and adults something alike, and will have you quietly crying in your cinema seat.
It’s great to have the full cast back in the saddle once more, but while this has Buzz and Woody in tow, it is largely Jessie’s movie. And despite rehashing much of the same ground as the second film in her character arc, the movie still manages to find fertile new soil to tug at our heartstrings.
Mixed in amongst the strong messages around creativity, imagination, legacy and the dangers of technology are the requisite fun bits - jokes that make youngsters laugh, jokes that make their parents laugh, and some that do both. The film is split into three different stories that collide by the end, and while that is a little off kilter to kick off with, it ultimately coalesces into a compelling whole.
At the end of the day, this is a film that is impossible to dislike. It’s a strong entry into the franchise, and while it never reaches the previous heights, it does enough to justify its own existence. Worth a watch for fans - new and old alike!
