‘Toy Story 5’: Pixar’s Famous Toy Heroes Return To Face the Onslaught of Tech in Heartwarming Adventure

Alci Rengifo

A franchise like Disney-Pixar’s “Toy Story” still has some narrative juice left because it has always been about the passage of time. When the first groundbreaking entry premiered in 1995, it focused on how classic cowboy toy Woody (Tom Hanks) had to deal with the arrival of action figure Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and his gizmos. Since then they and their toy gang have dealt with owners growing up, new arrivals and even romance. “Toy Story 4” seemed to wrap up the story quite well back in 2019. The arrival of “Toy Story 5” might inspire some sighs in these days of franchise overkill. The result is a new entry we didn’t really need but which isn’t thoughtless, either. This time, the toys are dealing with a truly shifting world thanks to the tech takeover.

Buzz (still Allen) and cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack) are pretty much leading the pack of toys which still belong to Bonnie (Scarlett Spears). She is now eight-years-old, meaning still young enough to play with toys but growing in a terrain where being a kid means getting hooked into devices early on. This becomes painfully apparent when new kids who move in across the street seem to reject Bonnie to go play on their tablets. Bonnie still finds distraction staging a wedding between Forky (Tony Hale) and Knife (Karen Beverly). When the girl’s parents notice her struggles, they go out and buy her a Lilypad aka Lily (Greta Lee), a frog-shaped tablet. The other toys are of course in shock, especially Jessie, who remains haunted by the time she was abandoned by Emily back in “Toy Story 2.” The cowgirl basically declares war on the cocky tablet, which is difficult since the device can instantly connect with other kids online to get Bonnie new friends. When Bonnie is invited to a sleepover, Jessie tries to tag along with loyal horse Bullseye only to be stranded.

Director Andrew Stanton and co-writer Kenna Harris find a smart angle to keep this story going despite some glaring questions you can easily dismiss. After thirty years, how are these toys not terribly worn out? Only Woody, who returns to help after living away in the fairgrounds with Bo Peep (Annie Potts), gets a few in-jokes about his longevity. The other toys notice he has a “bald spot” on his head which needs more brown marker. No matter, what is important is the subtext. The toys now become a conduit for an older generation’s fears regarding how technology is affecting children. A continuing motif is a shot panning around houses in the neighborhood, the windows aglow with the lights of the computers, phones and tablets everyone inside is using. Lily boasts about how Bonnie doesn’t need to deal with the anxieties of going out into the world to meet friends, since her device can just do it for her. The script could have also touched on the way literacy levels are no doubt being impacted, since Bonnie’s room doesn’t seem to have any books in sight.

Time still becomes the dominant theme of the story. When Jessie and Bullseye are accidentally driven away by a couple, they are dropped off at the house that used to belong to Emily years ago (Jessie still has the address written on one of her chaps). Now the home belongs to a mother and eight-year-old daughter, Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris), a kid who indeed still likes to play with toys and has a pet pig. She has a tablet of her own, though not addicted to it like the girls Bonnie wants to fit in with. Tech devices are also not immune to the emergence of the new, as Jessie learns when she meets Atlas (Craig Robinson), a GPS hippo, a mini camera named Snappy (Shelby Rabara) and Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien), a toilet-training game. Poor Smarty Pants was turned off so long ago that his low battery turns him into the equivalent of a ranting drunk. Conan O’Brien is a crazed delight in the role. Jessie’s resentment towards devices will be tested by how these new friends also feel forgotten.

A narrative habit that plagues many late franchise entries is a need to overstuff the plot. “Toy Story 5” keeps it pretty well balanced with the exception of some funny but unnecessary detours, like an army of Buzz Lightyears who wash upon a shore after their crate crashed under unknown circumstances. They march into the neighborhood on a sort of micro odyssey that only finds purpose in the last five minutes. The other recognizable toys from the same crop as Woody and Buzz virtually disappear since the real focus becomes Jessie’s journey. Even Woody is more of a glorified cameo. More essential is how this series still comprehends the fears and cruelties of childhood. Bonnie feels pressure to dump her toys when the other girls mock her in a tablet chat for having them, using crying emojis in that mean way many of us are guilty of. Perhaps the keenest outburst from Jessie is when she lambasts devices like Lily for making kids grow up too fast. When the joys of playing and using the imagination are lost, that will be something tragic.

As far as Disney-Pixar productions go, “Toy Story 5” has just enough magic left to justify itself. An unfortunate bonus scene hints there might be more to do if the box office numbers make Mickey Mouse smile. Pop queen Taylor Swift contributes a sweet song for the end credits, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” though the series has yet to find a song to match Randy Newman’s heartbreaking “When She Loved Me” from “Toy Story 2.” While the sights may not be as wildly creative as its predecessors, this remains a family film with much to say to both young and older viewers. We can only learn to adapt to the times as they change, and hold on to what matters most. Buzz, for example, is more concerned about getting the courage to propose to Jessie. New technologies will keep emerging. Such is progress. What we need to remember is that being kind, empathetic and loving goes beyond whatever trends surround us on our devices. The new device of today will then be replaced by the new ones of tomorrow.

“Toy Story 5” releases June 19 in theaters nationwide.