So often when a franchise is dragged on for so long the upcoming movie can be subpar in quality. Sometimes a name is all a franchise depends on, the story a second thought to a green light. The Toy Story franchise has suffered the curse of sequels in the past, Toy Story 4 in particular which made key characters so unrecognisable, but Toy Story 5 was well worth the wait.
From the opening scene of Toy Story 5 I was in, and the stroy that follows kept me hooked without a dip. Bonnie, now a young child, is facing a world plagued by devices. A child who still plays with toys can find it hard to make friends in an online world.
This movie explores themes of connection. Can you really be connected to someone in a completely different room?
One of the reasons I enjoyed this film so much was the change in main protagonist. Allowing Jessie front and centre allowed for the movie to flourish in a way that felt fresh and so authentic without completely creating a new character. Having Woody for the last four movies left the franchise feeling stale, there’s only so many times you can explore his need to make his child happy. Jessie, with her sad past, one that we haven’t truly explored, allowed for a new perspective on life as a Toy, the life as a toy that has been abandoned before vs that of a Toy passed on.
When I first saw the device aspect of this film in the trailer, I admit, I rolled my eyes, as it felt done to death, but it was a welcome suprise at how balanced the topic was. And when I saw a child on their device in the theatre it suddenly felt very real. Is one big screen not enough? And when the online bullying was adressed, I knew it was something that children needed to see in such a family friendly way.
If there was one thing that this film did not need, though, was such a big cast. Woody’s new friends did not need to be there as a full group, and nor did the group in the abandoned doll house need to be such well known voices. I felt some of these moments were there for actors names rather than really being important to the plot.
A huge postive for me though was the new art style for when the toys were at play. The vivideness and the storybook quality was something quite beautiful to look at. I hope this continues should they make another movie in this franchise.
Altogether, I feel this movie was worth the wait. Pixar really delivers with the animation and I’m so glad this franchise has proven it still has new things to offer.
Whether you are a new fan who is trying to decide to commit themselves to such a lengthy franchise or an old fan battling with whether you want to watch yet another Toy Story movie, I implore you to give this one a chance.
I love that this film both managed to show the importance of the digital world by Bonnie making a new true friend yet warns of the dangers of becoming too reliant.
Writings Of A Queer Mind 