“Toy Story 5” Shows That The Series Can Still Entertain and Tug at Your Heartstrings

It’s hard to believe that after three decades the “Toy Story” franchise is still thriving on the big screen! So, let’s get into the fifth movie of this entertaining franchise that the whole family (and people who grew up with the series) will easily enjoy!

The toys are back in Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5,” and this time it’s toy meets tech. Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and the rest of the gang’s jobs are challenged when they come face to face with Lilypad, a brand new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie.

Will playtime ever be the same?

Just like the previous entry of the series, “Toy Story 4,” many people have wondered “was there a need for a new movie?” While the fourth movie isn’t nearly as fantastic as the original trilogy, it’s still a decent family watch. With a fantastic story to tell us, Pixar brought us another incredible addition to the series that is absolutely a great watch for the whole family!

“Toy Story 5” delivers a timely message, a refreshing and moving shift in character focus and, just like the other films in this franchise, it also delivers us its hallmark emotional depth.

Shifting the central focus of the series from Woody to Jessie the Cowgirl, this narrative pivot is truly emotional and is also a rewarding breath of fresh air. Throughout the film, the overall story relies heavily on Jessie’s deep-rooted fear of abandonment. The overall story also triggers her past trauma from being outgrown by her original owner, Emily, when Bonnie gets a new Lilypad tablet.

It’s also great that the talented filmmakers got Joan Cusack to return to voice Jessie - who was taking a break from acting - instead of recasting the role. Cusack shows that she still has the ability to balance her signature high-energy comedic style with a deeply resonant emotional depth. Her vulnerable voice acting is also deeply moving in a few scenes, especially the moments where we see Bonnie’s friends mock her for still playing with toys on a group chat and later finding out that her previous owner (Emily) named her daughter after Jessie.

“Toy Story 5” can also serve as a “love letter” of sorts to millennial parents while delivering a deeply relatable modern commentary on childhood. Instead of recycling old tropes, the film leverages thirty years of franchise history to mirror the real world evolution of its original 1995 viewers - many of whom are now raising children in a vastly different landscape.

People who grew up with the original films can find a connection to the plot, which pits the classic toy gang against a modern day toy device. A lot of viewers can even appreciate how this dynamic validates some of the real world anxieties parents feel

about their own children’s excessive screen time. Also, the film’s core message - to slow down and choose real imaginative play - can resonate with older viewers.

While it’s great to see Woody and Buzz reunite on the big screen, the fifth “Toy Story” big screen adventure also has plenty of fun and moving moments for all fans to enjoy, such as the hilarious army of Buzz Lightyear’s, a new character called Smarty Pants that absolutely steals the show, and probably one of my favorite moments, when Jessie uncovers a hidden box where she sussed to play with her owner and discovers that Emily’s daughter is also named Jessie, realizing that even though they’re not together, Emily still cares about Jessie more than she ever knew.

“Toy Story 5” has been receiving a lot of praise from both critics and general audiences alike. Viewers have praised the film’s emotional depth, the fresh storyline focused on Jessie, and its relevant, nuanced take on how modern technology affects childhood playtime.

The animated sequel also cements the franchise’s legacy as one of animation’s greatest sagas by bridging classic nostalgia with modern, screen-time anxieties. It also maintains Pixar’s historically excellent storytelling while proving the characters can evolve past their original owners into the digital age. 

So, for those who have seen the movie, should there be a “Toy Story 6?” Let me know on my Wyoming County Press Examiner reviews page on Facebook!

Cast: Tom Hanks (Woody); Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear); Joan Cusack (Jessie); Conan O’Brien (Smarty Pants); Scarlett Spears (Bonnie); Greta Lee (Lilypad); Shelby Rabara (Snappy); Mykal-Michelle Harris (Blaze); Craig Robinson (Atlas); Bonnie Hunt (Dolly); and so much more!

Writer/director: Andrew Stanton (writer; director) (Toy Story 4; Finding Dory; Hulu’s In the Blink of an Eye); McKenna Harris (co-writer/co-director)

MPA: Rated PG for some thematic elements and rude humor   (runtime 102 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c51ND9Hdbw0

• Jeff Bergman and Anna Vocino have been cast as the new voices for the Potato Heads. Unused archive recordings of Don Rickles were used for Toy Story 4 (2019).

• The first main film in the Toy Story franchise rated PG by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), unlike the first four films which were originally rated G, making it one of the only two Pixar Animation Studios sequels not to be given the same MPA rating as its predecessors, the other being Finding Dory (2016).

• Tim Allen openly shared that during his initial recording sessions, the production team gently informed him that Buzz Lightyear was starting to "sound a little old." At 73, Allen panicked after receiving the feedback, causing his voice to go gravelly and fail to register properly. Fearing Pixar might replace him, he underwent what he called "voice re-lessoning" and vocal training to recapture the action figure's classic, confident cadence.

• Joan Cusack apparently helped shape some of Jessie's funniest moments. Co-director McKenna Harris described her ideas as "chaotic and wonderful" and said several of her suggestions were so true to the character that they ended up making it into the final movie.

• The subplot of malfunctioning Buzz Lightyear figures is lifted straight from the original Circle 7 script for Toy Story 3.

• Tom Hanks explained that Woody's bald spot is a sign of wear from taking his hat on and off many times. While toys don't age as humans do, they show their age through signs of use, which fits with the film's theme of modern devices making toys like Woody seem outdated. Hanks mentioned that the bald spot can be repaired with a Sharpie, saying, "Mileage becomes a way to denote age. That bald spot results from frequent hat-wearing, which wears down the material. I think Woody has aged because he's been busy saving the day and solving problems. Luckily, as long as he's intact, he's fine. A Sharpie in the right shade can cover a bald spot," he added.

• The Lily Pad device is a spoof of the real world device called a Leap Frog.

• The first teaser trailer received 142 million online views within the first 24 hours, the second-most of any Pixar Animation Studios film, after Inside Out 2 (2024), with 157 million views.

• Among the group of toys forgotten by Blaze (the new girl living in Emily's house) is Combat Carl. While a Combat Carl was first shown in the first Toy Story (1995) before it was blown up by Sid Phillips, another Combat Carl was featured in 2013's short Toy Story of Terror (2013) and Toy Story 4 (2019), where he was voiced by the late Carl Weathers. For Toy Story 5, Combat Carl is voiced by Ernie Hudson.

• Woody's bald spot is the same spot where the cleaner painted his brown hair back in the second movie. The cleaner had noted that if Woody was handled too much, he wouldn't last, and adding some time in the outside world away from a child's bedroom certainly didn't help.