'Toy Story 5' Review
Image Source: Alpha Coders
To infinity and beyond, indeed!
In 1995, a cowboy doll named Woody and a plastic spaceman named Buzz Lightyear took the world by storm. Toy Story (directed by John Lassseter) was the first feature film from legendary animation studio Pixar, and went on to change the animation industry forever. After receiving critical acclaim, classic status, and box office success, the film was followed by three sequels; Toy Story 2 (also directed by John Lasseter), Toy Story 3 (the feature directorial debut of Lee Unkrich), and Toy Story 4 (the feature directorial debut of Josh Cooley). All these films received equal acclaim to the original and experienced greater box office success, with 3 becoming the first animated film in history to gross over a billion dollars. Even after frequent worry that 4 could potentially ruin the franchise’s reputation, it stuck the landing (regardless of what talentless video essayists and animation circles say on social media). Even with potentially conclusive endings in 2, 3, and 4, filmmakers have been careful to never say whether or not the franchise would come to an end. So in 2023, it wasn’t the biggest surprise when 5 was announced. Rather, the gambit was whether or not it could even work.
Every Toy Story sequel represented a massive gamble; a subpar entry or poor reception from critics and audiences alike could tarnish the legacy of the franchise and potentially Pixar’s reputation permanently. While Pixar could withstand a bad Cars follow-up or sequels to Finding Nemo or The Incredibles that failed to meet high (and somewhat unreasonable) expectations, a failure within the Toy Story series would be catastrophic. Thankfully, that’s been avoided once again. Toy Story 5 is another triumph for the series, further solidifying its reputation as the pinnacle of consistency in Pixar’s catalog. Despite being a project that felt like it was tempting fate, Andrew Stanton and his team successfully united to craft a truly extraordinary film.
RELATED:
Image Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Following Woody’s departure at the end of Toy Story 4, the logical next step was making Jessie the lead. Voiced by Joan Cusack and introduced in 2, Jessie has remained one of the franchise’s most iconic characters. Sadly, 3 relegated her to just being Buzz’s love interest while 4 gave her next to nothing do due to the film’s heavier focus on Woody and Bo-Peep. The decision to focus primarily on Jessie was an expert one on the part of the filmmakers, giving her the meatiest role she’s ever had in the franchise. Not wanting to just make her “Girl Woody”, Jessie takes more risks and is more adventurous. Her drive to protect Bonnie and making sure her toys are taken care of gives her a lot of dimension. 5 sees Jessie meet a new cast of toys including a potty training device named Smarty Pants (voiced by Conan O’Brien), a hippo-themed GPS named Atlas (voiced by Craig Robinson), and an adorable camera named Snappy (voiced by Shelby Rabara). And to further differentiate her from Woody, she doesn’t get along with them in an instant. A large chunk of the film involves Jessie befriending these new toys with Bullseye as they compete for Bonnie’s love and attention with her new device, Lilypad.
Lilypad (the film’s central antagonist) is the lynchpin for the film’s primary theme of “toys vs. tech.” Voiced brilliantly by Greta Lee, Lilypad is a much less villainous antagonist than Stinky Pete, Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear, or pre-act 3 Gabby Gabby. Her role isn’t to make the lives of the toys miserable, but to help Bonnie navigate this new tech-reliant world. She sees herself fulfilling a similar role to Jessie (protecting Bonnie) but goes overboard and becomes an obstacle to the toys. Despite the heavy focus on Jessie and Lilypad, Woody and Buzz are not cheated out of the movie. While a part of me wishes we had more of Woody, it’s great to see him and Buzz together again as they try to save Jessie from being left behind. Buzz’s role is an improvement from his role in 4, where the bit of him listening to his inner-voice went on a bit too long. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen sound noticeably older, but no less energetic. Their chemistry and natural voice-over talents shine through, as do the vocal performances of Cusack, Lee, and O’Brien. Tim Allen’s performance as an army of 50 high-tech Buzz Lightyears is also a delight.
Image Source: NPR
Helming the fifth installment is Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton. One of Pixar’s earliest employees, Stanton has been an essential part of the studio’s legacy since 1990. In addition to writing and directing his own films (Finding Nemo, Wall-E), he’s also had a hand in writing every single Toy Story film. It’s a wonder why it took until now for him to direct one himself. Toy Story 5 is the first film in the franchise to not have any involvement from franchise co-creator John Lasseter, who resigned from Disney and Pixar in 2018 due to allegations of sexual misconduct. Despite Lasseter’s weakened reputation, there was a justifiable worry that his absence could potentially affect the quality of future installments. After all, who understands Woody, Buzz, and Jessie better than John Lasseter? Andrew Stanton, that’s who! Stanton continues to understand what makes the franchise tick, being more invested in moving things forward than just resting on laurels. Sure, Toy Story 5 has the franchise’s trademark plot structure of “Toy needs to be saved from this place”, but the situations, arcs, and themes to get to that point are always fresh and exciting. The animation is stunning as it always is, though it sadly does away with the more realistic look of Toy Story 4. The designs of the new toys continue to impress, helping them all easily enter the endless menagerie of iconic friends this franchise has given us for over 30 years. The affection and understanding Stanton has for these characters is a big reason as to why every installment after the second has justified their existence. Stanton’s screenplay (co-written by Kenna Harris) tackle “toys vs. tech” in a big, but also subtle, way. Any concerns that the movie would be nothing but relentless preaching about how children should put down their tablets and play outside are entirely laid to rest. Stanton and Harris make sure to never demonize Lilypad while also making sure Jessie’s arc about feeling obsolete keeps the film together
Also returning to the toy box is legendary singer, songwriter, and composer Randy Newman. His first film score since Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, Toy Story 5 is Newman’s record breaking 10th score for Pixar. Newman’s catalog of songs and scores are incredibly iconic, with his scores for Toy Story 1 and 2 being among his very best. Though the scores for 3 and 4, while great in many areas, relied too much on music from the original films. 4 especially relied so heavily on the temp score that cues often copied music from 2 verbatim. Thankfully, 5 sees the 82-year-old Newman sounding as vibrant and emotional as he’s ever been before. While there are some themes and cues from previous installments, the new material is incredibly excellent. The comedy music still Mickey Mouses with the best of them, the action cues sound just as Elmer Bernstein-esque as ever, and the emotional cues (paricuralty cues featuring Bonnie’s Theme) will make you cry. The only downside is that Newman didn't write a new song this time around. However, Taylor Swift’s I Knew It, I Knew You is an incredibly beautiful and heartfelt song that more than fills the Randy-shaped hole.
Image Source: Atzat TV
Overall, Toy Story 5 proves there’s still fun and exciting directions for this franchise to go in. While other animated franchises either decline over time (Kung Fu Panda), are far past their glory years (Shrek), or beg to be put out of their misery (Ice Age), Andrew Stanton and his team make sure that these toys are still worth playing with. Stanton’s direction, great vocal performances, the beautiful animation, Randy Newman’s rousing score, gut-busting humor, and a real sense of emotional depth all make Toy Story 5 not just another worthy entry in this franchise, but one of Pixar’s best films in recent years. Perhaps their very best since Soul. If you’re willing to trust the filmmakers at Pixar to deliver, you will likely love this film just as much as I did. But if you’re still stuck on the mindset that Pixar should’ve concluded after three films, you won’t have your mind changed here. At the end of the day, Toy Story 5 is about the importance of human connection and in an increasingly divisive world, we need that message now more than ever.
In a world currently going through political upheaval, conflict, fleeting friendships, money troubles, and more problems we need not talk about in a review of a Toy Story movie, it can’t be overstated how much we need a film like Toy Story 5 right now. A film that asks just as many interesting questions about life as the previous installments and also reminds us why it’s important to love. Surely Disney loves the insane amount of profit this franchise generates every 7 to 9 years they make another one of these, but Pixar understands that Toy Story first and foremost is about coming together and loving your friends. If you know anyone who is even remotely interested in seeing this, ride like the wind and go see it! Now with 5 behind us, one important question remains: Will we see a Toy Story 6 down the line? While nothing is guaranteed in this life, I do know one thing. If Pixar decides to give us one more adventure with Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest of the gang, I will be there for as long as Andrew Stanton comes up with ideas and Randy Newman is still alive to make more great music. All we can hope that a sixth (and potentially final installment) will also make us want to go to infinity and beyond.
RATING: 10/10
Toy Story 5 is now playing in theaters everywhere! Rated PG
CultureSlate: Made by humans, for humans.
Please consider supporting our AI-free content via our Patreon page.
READ NEXT:
Latest News
Featured
