When Toy Story 3 was released in 2010, it felt like the perfect way to end the franchise. Andy’s beloved toys found a new home with Bonnie, where they could be appreciated and played with. It had an emotional story arc for every character and a lesson in growing up and letting go. So when Toy Story 4 (2019) was announced, people questioned where they could go from here. But they figured it out, giving Woody (Tom Hanks) the perfect send-off into the sunset, helping him find his new purpose in life.
So when Toy Story 5 was announced back in 2023, the questions returned: Do we need another Toy Story film? Can you do one without Woody? What other lessons are there to teach? With Toy Story 5, technology is introduced into the toy chest, raising concerns about how these toys could remain relevant as the age of technology begins to take over – not just toys – the world.
Directed by Andrew Stanton, Toy Story 5’s premise is solid – Bonnie has had a hard time making friends, which resulted in Forky’s creation (voiced by Tony Hale) and his wife, Karen Beverly (Melissa Villaseñor), in Toy Story 4. She doesn’t know how to interact with other kids and hides away when they approach her, despite desperately wanting to make friends. Jessie (Joan Cusack) tries her best as the new sheriff of the toys to help Bonnie make a new friend, despite having her own trauma and fear of abandonment. Wanting to keep up with ever-changing technology, Bonnie’s parents bought her a LilyPad (Greta Lee), an interactive educational tablet that lets her connect with her classmates. With the rise of tablets and tech worldwide, toys have begun to become obsolete, causing mass panic among toys. Chaos ensues – Jessie and Bullseye somehow land at Jessie’s first owner’s farm nearby. While Jessie’s former owner, Emily, is not there at present, Jessie recalls her time in the house with Emily and being discarded when Emily no longer needed her. While the film has its emotional, poignant messages about friendships, real connections, and the dangers of technology, the overall execution felt clunky.
