Toy Story 5 Review

Directed By: Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris
Written By: Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris
Runtime: 102 minutes
MPA Rating: Rated PG for some thematic elements and rude humor.

Joan Cusack – Jessie
Tom Hanks – Woody
Tim Allen – Buzz Lightyear
Greta Lee – Lily Pad
Conan O’Brien – Smarty Pants
Craig Robinson – Atlas
Shelby Rabara – Snappy
Annie Potts – Bo Peep
Scarlett Spears – Bonnie
Mykal-Michelle Harris – Blaze
Tony Hale – Forkie
Wallace Shawn – Rex
John Ratzenberger – Hamm
Blake Clark – Slinky Dog
Kristen Schaal – Trixie
Bonnie Hunt – Dolly
Keanu Reeves – Duke Kaboom
Ernie Hudson – Combat Carl
Bad Bunny – Pizza with Sunglasses
John Hopkins – Mr. Pricklepants
Alan Cumming – Evil Bullseye

Pixar returns to the Toy Story franchise, tempting fate one more time. The common argument among film lovers is that Toy Story 3 was the perfect ending to the original trilogy, making anything else that followed unnecessary.

Toy Story 3 was certainly a singular, exceptional feature, one that transcends the art form, but Toy Story 4 was far from an irrelevant experience, and it did not lack the quality and the emotional poignancy that’s synonymous with this franchise. Toy Story 5 more than lives up to that prestigious legacy, delivering one of its most emotional and hilarious adventures yet.

True, Toy Story 4 did feature an emotional ending of sorts, with Woody (Hanks) saying goodbye to the gang and starting a new life with Bo Peep (Potts), but Toy Story 5 wisely does not walk that back. Instead, the narrative shifts to Jessie (Cusack) as the new emotional protagonist, with the toys facing an existential crisis. The movie features a timely premise: the age of toys is ending as tech and digital devices take over their kids’ time and attention.

That crisis hits the home of Jessie, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and their friends, as their kid Bonnie (Spears) gets her first digital tablet, Lily Pad (Greta Lee), which quickly enraptures Bonnie’s free time. For Jessie, it reignites her past trauma and abandonment by her first kid, Emily. Lily Pad asserts herself into Bonnie’s life, believing she can now best steer Bonnie’s future as she makes new friends through her social apps and group chats.

Despite harboring conflicting feelings, Jessie believes she and the rest of the toys can still help Bonnie make some friends at an important time in her life and prove they aren’t useless. Woody arrives to help, misreading a message from Bonnie over their walkie-talkies. However, when Jessie tries to join Bonnie’s sleepover, she is picked up by an elderly couple and dropped off at the old ranch where Emily used to live.

A new family now lives on the ranch, and they have a young girl in the family, Blaze (Harris), not much older than Bonnie. Jessie recognizes a familiar, imaginative, and playful spirit in Blaze that she believes would make Bonnie and Blaze great friends, which sets up her latest mission to prove that good old-fashioned toys can still play an important role in their kids’ lives. It amounts to one of the wildest rides yet for the iconic heroes.

Andrew Stanton, one of the original creators and writers of the first Toy Story, does not rest on the franchise’s laurels with Toy Story 5. Despite a 30-plus-year history and its fifth movie, Stanton and co-writer and director Kenna Harris ensure our favorite toys’ story does not lose its magic touch.

Jessie taking over as the main character works wondrously as she more than picks up the emotional weight previously carried by the likes of Woody and Buzz. Stanton and Harris also peel back further layers of Jessie’s backstory that completely re-contextualize her relationship with Emily in a deeply profound way.

The premise of toys versus tech is not only culturally relevant but also nuanced. Rather than making devices into overt, one-note bad guys, Stanton and Harris add some dimension to the conflict by introducing some of Blaze’s own neglected tech toys, specifically the potty-training device, Smartypants (O’Brien), the digital smart camera Snappy (Rabara), and the hippo GPS Atlas (Robinson).

The narrative interestingly depicts how digital devices are also toys of a different type, who themselves yearn to enrich and play a role in the lives of their kids. Jessie forms a unique, unwitting bond with the new tech toys, despite her initial misgivings about tech and Lily Pad. Even Lily Pad receives a layered character arc, which Greta Lee plays beautifully.

Joan Cusack, who has always been an underrated talent, delivers an exceptional vocal performance for Jessie, showcasing a wide gamut of emotions from sadness to anger to pure joy. Cusack taps into something oddly primal and visceral with Jessie, and the Pixar animators excel in bringing Jessie to vivid life.

The new tech toys, especially O’Brien’s Smartypants, bring their own sense of fun and imagination to the table. At first, Smartypants is a drunken train wreck due to his low batteries, but through Jessie’s help and guidance, he gains a new perspective. He’s the best addition to the supporting cast.

Even though Woody’s main arc ended in the last movie, he and Buzz still play a prominent role throughout the story. Woody’s age is amusingly shown through his “bald spot” from the fading paint on the back of his head, and a paunchier abdomen, which he covers with a makeshift poncho. Woody reaching the mid-life crisis stage of his toy life is incredibly amusing.

Meanwhile, Buzz experiences his own conflict in wanting to “propose” to Bonnie and finally confess his feelings for her, but he’s not the only Buzz Lightyear in the movie. The plot introduces a group of new High-Tech Buzz Lightyears, who are first depressingly stranded by a wrecked crate on a deserted island.

They embark on an expedition to find their leader of Star Command, and they align with the main plot at just the right moment. The High-Tech Lightyears’ personal journey of self-discovery provides some of the funniest moments of the movie, and their narrative turning point saw moviegoers at the El Capitan Theatre laughing and cheering in their seats.

Toy Story 5 features no shortage of such moments, including multiple scenes that made yours truly bawl uncontrollably. It doesn’t matter that Toy Story 3 was nigh perfect. It doesn’t matter that Toy Story 5 is a sequel. Stanton, Harris, the amazing cast, and skilled Pixar animators still present a story that taps into primal emotions.

I have rarely seen a movie that made me laugh and cry as much as Toy Story 5. If Toy Story 3 is the perfect ending to a trilogy, then Toy Story 5 is the perfect ending to a quintology.

Where To Watch Toy Story 5

Toy Story 5 hits theaters on June 19. Ticket information is available at the movie’s website.

10.0

The final score: review Virtually Perfect

The 411

I have rarely laughed or cried as I did here. Despite all the factors against it, Andrew Stanton, Kenna Harris, and the amazing artisans at Pixar, ensure Toy Story 5 lives to the franchise's prestigious quality, thanks to a fresh plot centered on Jessie's emotional journey, and a timely premise regarding the influence of digital devices in children's lives. The whole argument of Toy Story 3 being the perfect ending is over. Toy Story 5 shatters the notion that continuing the franchise was a mistake. Rarely would I ever rate a movie a 10. Toy Story 5 earns a 10 out of 10.