'Toy Story 5' Review: A Timely, But Unnecessary Sequel
After a seven year hiatus, Woody and the gang are back on the big screen in ‘Toy Story 5’. Though this sequel is timely in its exploration of toys versus technology, this is ultimately an entertaining, but unnecessary new installment.
‘Toy Story 5’ catches audiences up with Jessie (Joan Cusack), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the rest of the toys as they continue to enjoy their time with Bonnie (Scarlett Spears), their new owner. Elsewhere, Woody (Tom Hanks) is enjoying his newfound life out in the wild with Bo Peep (Annie Potts) rescuing lost toys with their own eclectic crew. However, when a new electronic tablet named Lilypad (Greta Lee) is brought into Bonnie’s household, the toys must band together as they face a highly intimidating new enemy in order to protect their owner’s happiness. While the central conceit is quite clever, this long awaited sequel can’t fully stick the landing despite bringing ample entertainment value to the table.
The returning voice cast here hasn’t missed a step in the slightest. Hanks and Allen are especially joyous to watch fill the shoes of their respective characters once again, their effortless chemistry on full display as the two finally get to team up on an adventure of their own again. Not only does their banter entertain in spades, but the warmth they’ve instilled into their core friendship over the course of the past four films is as palpable as ever. Some new additions are thrown into the mix as well, including a set of new electronic toys voiced by Conan O’Brien, Craig Robinson and Shelby Rabara. O’Brien is especially terrific as Smarty Pants, a toilet training toy, not only providing a considerable amount of laughs, but bringing a hefty amount of heart to the character as well. However, Cusack’s Jessie is given the spotlight in this sequel and Cusack is certainly able to rise to the occasion.
Jessie has been a highly entertaining character since being introduced in ‘Toy Story 2’, but she’s finally given her time to shine here. As the newly appointed leader of Bonnie’s toys, her leadership qualities are not only reminiscent of Woody, but also feel wholly singular and endearing, her priority being to ensure Bonnie’s overall happiness on a daily basis to the best of her abilities. Facing this new electronic enemy is her most difficult task yet, causing her to confront her past as she hurdles toward an uncertain future with her new child. The film’s exploration of her heartbreaking past and her inner turmoil, coupled with Cusack’s excellent voice work, gives the character some much needed depth and catharsis, bringing plenty of tears and emotionally effective material to the table as this lovable cowgirl finds her new lease on life.
The film’s exploration of toys versus technology and the effects electronics can have on children is also very well-handled. The film not only effectively demonstrates the negative effects technology can have, whether it be causing a lack of in person socializing and cyber bullying, but it does a surprisingly great job exploring how technology can be a useful and highly beneficial tool in connecting not only children, but people in general when used responsibly. Pixar could’ve easily made a film with the central message that “technology is evil!”, but instead they’ve approached this subject from a balanced, nuanced perspective that showcases the pros and cons of emerging technology, a choice that works tremendously in the film’s favor. As a result, both children and their parents will walk away from this sequel surely having some productive conversations about the contentious subject.
Unsurprisingly, this sequel is also gorgeously animated, cementing this franchise as one of the most immaculately conceived over its decades long run. Not only is director and Pixar alum Andrew Stanton’s direction confident and dynamic, but the attention to detail and depth that is added to the animation is truly stunning, from the clothing to the landscapes to the characters and interiors, everything looks simply remarkable. In fact, the talented animation team has even implemented some bold, wonderfully immersive new strokes of visual panache to demonstrate Bonnie’s imagination as she plays with her toys and crafts a silly, but endearing narrative around them. It’s these touches that help remind audiences that these artists at Pixar are some of the finest and most creative minds around.
However, there is a fair amount of issues that hold this fifth installment back from being a great follow-up. First and foremost, the humor here is mostly underwhelming and lazy, a shocking disappointment for this franchise. While this franchise if of course intended for younger audiences, each of the films up until this point have done a fantastic job at balancing humor for both children and adults, utilizing clever, but highly accessible jokes to set itself apart from most animated fare. The jokes here mostly fall flat, far too many barbs thrown toward Woody as an “old man toy” due to his new bald spot and plush belly. Not only does the film beat that drum far too many times, but the majority of the jokes feel repetitive, resulting in an entry that provides the least amount of laughs in the series so far.
Making matters worse is the film’s handling of Buzz. While the character is certainly given more to do here after being mostly sidelined in the fourth film, he’s saddled with subpar and uninteresting material that fails to do anything meaningful or exciting for the space ranger. Allen’s voice work remains strong, but it seems the series simply doesn’t know what to do with his character anymore, the subplot involving a crate full of high tech Buzz Lightyears making their way to shore a glaring reminder of this. Any time the film transitions to this subplot, the pacing comes screeching to a halt as it provides very little laughs or entertainment value, feeling more like a bizarre swing and a miss than bold, refreshing new territory.
The most glaring flaw of this new installment is its retread of material audiences have seen before and done to better emotional effect in the previous films. This sequel once again explores the themes of children growing up, the difficulties of change and finding new purpose, but very little new wrinkles are added to the mix to make this territory worth re-visiting. While Jessie’s journey and character arc are compelling, it’s essentially the same one Woody had already experienced in the previous films, especially the fourth as he found new purpose with Bo rescuing other lost toys after fulfilling his duty with both Andy and Bonnie. The key difference this go around is that the journey with Jessie doesn’t have the same emotional oomph because the material feels far too much like been there, done that.
‘Toy Story 5’, despite its issues, is sure to please longtime fans of this beloved franchise, delivering plenty of entertainment value and charm like its predecessors. However, after five films now, it seems this series is seemingly running out of ideas to explore with its colorful characters, relying too heavily on the greatest hits to please its fanbase. While this entry is able to remain relevant by leaning into the era of new technology, it’s never able to fully justify its existence. If this sequel makes anything heartbreakingly clear, it’s that the check engine light may finally be flashing on this revered IP.
