Coming out this week in Irish cinemas is the latest entry in the hugely successful Toy Story franchise. From Pixar favourite Andrew Stanton and starring Joan Cusack, Tim Allen, Tom Hanks and Scarlett Spears, Toy Story 5 sees Bonnie’s toys deal with a dangerous new threat, technology.
As a concept, the idea is novel; technology has finally arrived and has taken over. Toys are rarely played with now, and Jessie (Cusack) and the gang are going to have to come to terms with this. With the arrival of Lilypad (a suitably snarky Greta Lee), irrelevance has come to everyone’s favourite toys. How will they save themselves while also figuring out if this new way of play is going to help Bonnie make friends?
Toy Story 5 is a lot of fun. The film looks gorgeous, the screen brimming with colour. This is especially impressive in Bonnie’s imagination, where you get to see her playtime play out in full dramatic glory. There is a different style used, and it is brilliant. The score, as ever, is wonderfully emotive; this is, of course, because of the return of Randy Newman. Is he playing a lot of his greatest hits? Yes, but it still works. There is a strong utilisation of nostalgia within the score, the central conflict, and the many callbacks to previous films.
You are a toy
There are several stories within Toy Story 5. The main one centres around Bonnie and whether the toys can help her make friends, and whether Lily is helping or hindering her development. Another subplot that revolves around Bonnie is Jessie coming to terms with possibly getting left behind again. This has happened to her now twice, and she’s not sure if she’s strong enough for another farewell. Cusack gives a compelling performance, getting to fully shine again, since she has had nothing really to do since Toy Story 3.
With regards to the other characters, there is a new cast of technology-based toys that are a lot of fun. There are Mr. Smarty Pants, Atlas and Snappy. All of them are a lot of fun and give Jessie a better understanding of what tech brings to the lives of children.
With regards to the old favourites like Woody, Buzz, and the rest of Andy’s toys, the film doesn’t treat them particularly well. They are no longer relevant, simply there to remind you of your childhood watching the first Toy Story. Which is bittersweet, as several of the original cast are now dead and have been recast.
What was an element I was wondering about, especially after the events of Toy Story 4, is how Woody would be convincingly brought back into the fold. And honestly, his return is not great. In fact, it’s one of those misunderstandings in the moment tropes. And when he returns, it’s just a lot of old man jokes, honestly, I’d have appreciated it more if he hadn’t returned.
With regards to Buzz (Allen), I am convinced he is getting dumber with each new entry. His latest issue in Toy Story 5 is figuring out how to propose to Jessie. It’s a sweet sentiment if a little late in the game. There is also a subplot involving a horde of Buzz’s, and it has such wasted potential that when it finally reached its climax, I stared in disbelief.
I don’t play with toys
The problem with Toy Story 5 is that there is too much going on for one film. I wished it had focused on one plotline. Bonnie, trying to find her place, is an interesting one, especially when you mix it with the new character Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris), who is easily one of the most interesting characters in Toy Story 5.
The technology encroaching on playtime is an obvious idea. It could have worked with a more deft hand, but here it’s never truly resolved. The film is trying to sell the message of playing more with toys and your friends. However, by the end of the film, it seems to have done a 180 on the theme. I think if they’d stuck to their guns and focused on coming down on a side, the story would have worked better. Instead, there is a lot of unnecessary nostalgia diluting what could have been another great entry.
This, however, will not take away from the enjoyable adventure the little ones will have with their favourite onscreen toys. Even if a lot of them are showing their age.
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