Movie Review: “Toy Story 5”
By Bob Garver
Simply put, “Toy Story” is my favorite movie franchise of all time. The 1995 original about cowboy doll Woody (Tom Hanks) fighting for relevance against hi-tech spaceman action figure Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) was a groundbreaking first for computer animation – not to mention about the most fun a kid could possibly have at a theater… until three worthy sequels came along. I’ve seen the original six times in theaters – my personal record. I was disappointed that “only” the third film in the series was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. I didn’t think that 2019’s “Toy Story 4” was in any way a step down from its predecessors. And yet here I am, saying that “Toy Story 5” is the first significant misstep in the franchise (not counting 2022’s sorta-spinoff “Lightyear,” which I’d like to banish to infinity and beyond).
Despite all the emphasis on the Woody/Buzz reunion in the film’s advertising, the main character of this movie is actually Jessie the Cowgirl (Joan Cusack), a doll companion of Woody’s introduced in the second movie, where she shared a tragic backstory of being abandoned by her human owner. Now owned by 8-year-old Bonnie (Scarlett Spears), along with Buzz and other familiar figures, Jessie spends her days as the youngster’s favorite plaything. But Bonnie has a hard time making human friends, despite the toys’ best efforts to add to the number of children playing in the house. Her parents decide that the best way to connect with other kids in the neighborhood is to get her on social media, which is why they present her with frog-themed tablet LilyPad (Greta Lee). Soon Bonnie is addicted to the screen, “socializing” with so-called friends that aren’t in the room, and the cowgirl has to fight for relevance against the hi-tech newcomer.
The film bafflingly never really comments on the parallels to the first movie. Couldn’t Woody say, “I’ve been through this before…” or Buzz ask, “Is this what it was like for you?” as he’s being replaced by something flashier? For all its reliance on nostalgia, the film is missing a lot of potential for callbacks here.
A sleepover for Bonnie organized by LilyPad turns disastrous for Jessie, and she finds herself rejected, abandoned, and returned to the home of her original owner. There’s a bright girl named Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris) living there now, but since she has no time for her, Jessie has to get back to Bonnie. And the only way to do that is with the help of nearly-dead electronic potty-training device Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien), even though Jessie is averse to all tech. Meanwhile, a reunited Buzz (who wants to marry Jessie) and Woody (taking a break from his life as “lost toy”) organize a rescue effort that will eventually lead them to a whole squadron of lost Buzz figures.
The emphasis on helping humans make human friends is a nice touch, but too much of the movie is just a series of par-for-the-course toy rescues. Or overly-familiar jokes and bickering. Or throwaway lines given to returning characters just to remind viewers that they’re still alive (as toys go). Even heavy emotional moments are hit-and-miss, with one at a tree being suitably effective, but others (usually involving bullying) feeling like the writers just needed a “down” story beat. It’s also worth mentioning that the usually bright, agreeable, effective animation is often murky and ugly here, and not in a “haunting” way, more in a “shoddy” way.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m recommending “Toy Story 5.” This franchise on its worst installment is better than a lot of franchises on their best. There’s enough heart and laughter and creativity here to save it… but just barely. And for someone like me who puts “Toy Story” on a pedestal, a movie that I can “just barely” recommend is a big disappointment.
Grade: B-
“Toy Story 5” is rated PG for some thematic elements and rude humor. Its running time is 102 minutes.
Contact Bob Garver at [email protected].
