For this longtime fan, the Toy Story franchise, Pixar’s all-ages assault on funny bones and heartstrings, peaked with its magical second and third entries. But unlike many series that keep going long after the creative well has run dry, milking the cash cow until it goes belly up, this all-access pass to the hidden world of sentient toys has consistently delivered on its promise of wit, inventiveness, adventure and emotional depth. Even the underperformer of the stable, 2022’s origin-story spinoff, Lightyear, had its retro charms.
Directed for the first time by series creator and regular co-writer Andrew Stanton, Toy Story 5 comes an astonishing 31 years after the original and does the enduring franchise proud. The movie’s captivating sweetness is hard to resist, showering its love on a pint-sized human character so out of step with her kid contemporaries she has difficulty making friends. Turning around the lonely life of 8-year-old Bonnie (voiced by Scarlett Spears) becomes an urgent mission for the toys.
Toy Story 5
The Bottom Line
Toys “R” Still Us.
