The Media Man Reviews: Toy Story 5

Ever since this was announced, I kept asking myself one important question:

WHY DOES THIS NEED TO EXIST?!?!

I'm asking a serious question here! Why does a fifth Toy Story movie exist?! Why did it need to exist? And don't you dare tell me "Because the Toy Story movies make a lot of money!" because shut up. Just because they make a lot of money, that's no excuse to make unnecessary sequels we don't need. Outside of the money, name me one single, solid reason why we need a fifth Toy Story movie? It's bad enough we had the fourth movie (which was pretty good but ultimately unnecessary) when the third movie was such a perfect ending, why do we need yet another Toy Story movie? Why couldn't they have just left it at 3 and let the franchise be done with?

BUT...this is Pixar we're talking about here. Pixar are the masters at their craft and if anyone can make a fifth Toy Story movie decent, it'll be them. So while it's such a pointless sequel that we don't need, Pixar can at least be trusted to make it worthwhile. Also, we have one of the founding fathers of Pixar, Andrew Stanton, who has been with them from the start and has co-written the original four films as director and writer, so there's still a chance it'll turn out OK.

So is this movie proof the Toy Story franchise needs to end? Or is it proof they've still got plenty of fuel in the tank? Let's see, shall we...

Section 1: The Story

So given we've had four previous movies, what kind of story could there possibly be left for the Toy Story franchise to tell? Pretty simple actually. With the rise of technology, the story for this film sees Bonnie's toys receiving the shock of their lives when Bonnie gets a new device called Lilypad. Lilypad is a tablet that Bonnie can use for gaming and all sorts, which threatens to make the toys obsolete. So it's up to Woody, Buzz and Jessie to prove they still have worth and not let Lilypad replace them all...

You can tell when a franchise is starting to overstay its welcome when they start regurgitating plot points from previous films. In this film's case, we yet again have another (Toy) story about the toys having to deal with the possibility of being replaced and how their kid is growing up. Seriously, we've pretty much beaten that plot point into the ground by this point, we don't need to keep rehashing this concept.

BUT...I will give the story credit for at least telling it again in a way that feels increasingly relevant in today's society, namely how we've become too dependant on technology these days and it's really affecting how children grow up. Let's face it, if we were going to have a Toy Story movie in this day and age, this was the kind of plot it needed to tell, and Toy Story is the right kind of franchise to be telling this story given how much Toy Story and its sequels has grown with its audiences through the years. While it may be a bit on the nose that technology in too much moderation is bad, I don't mind it since this kind of thing needs addressing and needs to be unsubtle about it. As a proud uncle of a niece and nephew who have been raised with the importance of playing and interacting outside with others and not being on their screens all the time, I'm glad to see the movie showing how too much screentime is a bad thing and should be addressed.

Yet at the same time, the movie takes a more nuanced view on the message by showing how technology can be useful as well. The smartest aspect of the script for me was how Jessie learns this lesson thanks to some old, outdated technology gadgets and toys that look like they came out of the 2000's. It makes perfect sense to have old tech be shown in a similar position to the toys themselves since it's not just toys that are replaced in favour of devices, old technology is too. And the fact the old tech plays a part in helping out Jessie and the others during the film was really smart in my eyes and well done. Instead of being one-sided and going "Rargh, technology bad!", it goes with "Technology can be good as well". Also it makes sure to get across the point that we should also keep closer watch on what kids do on their devices, otherwise it can do real harm to them, especially mentally. I was especially glad how after Bonnie's parents find out how upset those three girls made her, they turn off the group chat so she can use Lilypad safely without being a further victim of cyberbullying. Keep this in mind parents! It'll do wonders for your kid's mental health!

I also like how compared to the previous Toy Story films, the human characters actually play a bigger part than what they usually do. For the most part, the human characters kind of set up the conflict or are background details for the toy's part in the story. Here, Bonnie and the new character, Blaze, play a more central role and we really delve into their psyche and how they think and feel about the world around them. We learn how Bonnie feels alone and just wants a friend and we see this big problem really eats away at her, and we also see how it eats away at Blaze too by one particularly sad moment where she's excited she's going to have a friend over, only to learn through a text that her friend forgot about it (though I'm not so sure if she did...). Naturally, it makes the film very relatable to just about anyone since we've all had feelings of loneliness and wanted a sense of belonging in our lives. Even if the Toy Story films are about the toys, it is nice to have more of an emphasis on the humans for a change here.

And as expected from a Pixar film, and especially a Toy Story film, there is a lot of heart to be felt here and the film will really hit you in the feels. There's one especially sweet scene involving Jessie getting closure with her original owner, Emily, but I daren't spoil it for you. You should see it for yourself, it's one of the sweetest scenes in Toy Story history. Yeah, it can be easy to argue it kind of came out of nowhere, is a bit contrived and is a bit of a retcon, but I don't care. It was wonderful and I loved it. There's a lot of other touching moments too, which is why even if these sequels feel unnecessary, they never feel like soulless cash grabs because they still feel like they're made with genuine heart and emotions.

Also, those who didn't like Toy Story 4 will be glad to know that this film fixed a few of that film's shortcomings, namely how Buzz isn't a buffoon who needs his voice box to think for him anymore and gets to use his head again, Bonnie is shown in a more sympathetic light that (hopefully) will cause her haters she shouldn't even have in the first place to change their minds about her, nobody ends up leaving the gang at the end and Buzz and Jessie's romance that was built up in 2 and 3 isn't ignored this time around. Thankfully, they resisted the urge to undo Toy Story 4 by not having Woody come back permanently at the end. I was worried they'd do that and thus render Toy Story 4 pointless, but they didn't and major kudos to Pixar for sticking to their guns and not pandering to the haters. Then again, even if they did have Woody re-join the gang, the haters would've somehow hated it and bashed Pixar for it because the internet just loves to hate on Disney and Pixar for some reason...

So yeah, this actually sounds like a good sequel, and a better one than Toy Story 4 at that. Yes, that is true, but it still feels like an unnecessary sequel that can't even come close to the original three.

My biggest problem with this film is not only the fact it kind of feels like a rehash of the previous films in some places, but also how the climax feels so small and half-baked. The highlights of the Toy Story films for me have ALWAYS been the climax and how big and intense they feel. The first film gave us a road chase involving a moving van, a dog, an RC car and even a firework. The second film gave us a chase leading to an airport, going through the airport itself and a plane about to take off. The third film gives us a prison escape that leads to the toys ending up in the trash and nearly getting incinerated, a scene so intense that the fandom actually worried the toys were about to die! But ever since three, the climaxes have just felt so weak by comparison and this is no exception. It is a little more exciting than the fourth film, but that's not saying a lot.

Also, can the post Toy Story 3 sequels PLEASE stop side-lining the rest of the gang? They're really starting to feel useless at this point. If we're not going to do anything with Slinky, the Potato-Heads and the others, then why still have them in the movies? Either give them a purpose, or get rid of them!

And this might just be me sounding really, really, REALLY petty...but I wish we had a scene of the three girls Bonnie tried to befriend getting punished for being horrible to her. A scene of Bonnie's parents telling those girl's parents about it and then the three having their Lilypads confiscated would've been immensely satisfying to see. Seriously Pixar, why didn't you give us that?

Also, similar to my critique of Hoppers, I hate how exaggerated things are in the movie in order to get the point across. Like, Pixar, you ARE aware kids do still play with toys, right? Not every kid only plays on their tablets and that's it. Even in the world we live in now, I still have a hard time believing Bonnie would get any flack from kids for playing with toys. I live near a Smyths toys superstore (A European based toy retailer) and every time I go there, I ALWAYS see parents with their kids who are marvelling at the shelves looking at the toys on offer and deciding what to buy. Kids DO still play with toys, even in this day and age, and I'm pretty sure no one's judging them for it. I'm just saying, it's another case where it's exaggerated to the point it doesn't reflect reality anymore and it gets annoying. If you have a message to convey, do it in a way that feels believable!

And finally, I hate how Woody and Buzz ended up bickering with each other at a few points. That just felt like character regression to me and I don't see why that had to happen. It doesn't amount to anything and the two get over it pretty quickly as if nothing happened, so why is it here? Andrew Stanton should've dropped this entirely.

As is, this was a sequel we didn't need, but I'm kinda glad we got it because of some of the things it did and it justifies its existence by giving us relevant commentary on the world of toys vs. tech. I still think it didn't need to exist, but at least the story made its existence feel worthwhile...

Section 2: The Characters

Of course, the best thing about the Toy Story films is getting to see our favourite toys again, and meet some new ones too.

First of all, we have to cover the star of the movie...Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack)! Yeah, Woody's not the star of a Toy Story film for once, we have a movie focused on Jessie this time around. And that by FAR is the best thing about the movie an also a little further justification for its existence. It's about time we had Jessie in the protagonist spotlight, and also a smart move on the writer's part since Woody and Buzz are kinda used up by now. Putting Jessie front and centre in this toys vs. tech movie was such a stroke of genius. Since Jessie has abandonment issues stemming from her past, of course she's going to have a problem with the invasion of tech and how it's replacing toys! She's the perfect character to be telling this story with! I love how we see she still has unresolved feelings towards Emily and gets some closure with her in a really sweet and adorable way, and she also gets to learn how technology can have its uses when she makes friends with a trio of older gadgets after ending up at Blaze's house. Jessie was great here and I'm so glad we had her in a starring role for a change.

I even like how Bullseye (voiced by Alan Cumming during a segment of the film when Blaze is playing with him and he's depicted as being able to talk during the fantasy segment) had a pretty big role to play in the film too, acting as Jessie's moral support and getting the lion's share of screentime along with her. Given Jessie's closer to Bullseye than anyone else, it made sense that he would be featured alongside her and go on this journey with her.

While Jessie and Bullseye were great here, Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) felt like a downgrade. I'm probably going to get A LOT of hate for this take...but Woody shouldn't have been in this movie.

Pixar Fans: BOOOOOOOO! F*** YOU! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT?! WOODY IS TOY STORY! YOU CAN'T HAVE TOY STORY WITHOUT WOODY! YOU'RE A FAKE FAN FOR SAYING SOMETHING SO HORRIBLE!

(Pixar fans fall silent in fear)

Thank you! Now as I was saying, Woody shouldn't have been in this movie, and that's not me stating my opinion, that's a fact. Really think about it...did Woody need to be here? What did he accomplish or contribute to the story that couldn't have been done by literally anyone else? Andrew Stanton actually wrote the movie without Woody originally and only rewrote the film to include him because he missed the character. That was a bad move on his part, because Woody feels like an afterthought here. Take him out of the movie and nothing changes. Also, for whatever reason, Andrew Stanton felt the need to make him the butt of old-man jokes. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. It's not like the jokes were that funny.

Buzz, thankfully, is closer to his old self again after Toy Story 4 butchered him for...reasons I doubt I'll ever understand even if I did know what they were. That said, he still feels like a downgrade due to how he's still played more for comic relief and he and Woody start bickering with each other for no real reason. I'm guessing it's down to Buzz getting jealous of Woody over Jessie, but that doesn't work because Woody and Jessie were never an item. It was just pointless to me and we didn't need it. While it was nice his romance with Jessie was brought back here, it honestly felt a little fan-servicey and not because Andrew wanted to actually do it.

The rest of the original gang? Like I said, completely side-lined (again), only even worse because they have even less to do than even the fourth movie! I also hate how Bo Peep got side-lined as well after the fourth film did a great job on making her an actual character who has something to do for once. Why she couldn't stick around with Woody and help out against Lilypad is anyone's guess.

And now let's get to Bonnie Anderson (voiced by Scarlett Spears). Is anyone going to give me flack for the fact I'm about to say nice things about here?

(pause)

Nope? Good! Bonnie is just as adorable as she was in the previous films, and is also at her most sympathetic here. This poor girl only wants to make friends, but her shy nature makes it hard for her to do so and the fact she gets ridiculed for playing with toys doesn't help her mental state any. Seriously, is this how much we've gone down the toilet as a society? Playing with toys gets us mocked now? I hate this world sometimes... X( Anyway, I do like how Bonnie is a more central piece of the story here and how we see more of how she feels about her current situation. I just wanted to give the poor kid a hug and tell her everything will be fine, she really doesn't deserve to be so sad and depressed. And she also doesn't deserve horrible people on the internet fantasizing about Andy beating her up either, but that's another story...

In terms of new characters, I really liked Blaze Manoukian (voiced by Mykal-Michelle Harris). She was a fun character and also sympathetic due to being in a similar position to Bonnie. The time Jessie spends with her helps her see she's the right friend for Bonnie and it was great seeing the two actually become friends in the end.

And of course, I have to bring up the most notable new character in the film, Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee). Lilypad is easily the most dangerous foe the toys have gone up against yet due to being a tablet device that can contact humans while pretending to be Bonnie and is quick-thinking due to being technology. Yet surprisingly, she wasn't really a villain here. Her role's very similar to Anxiety from Inside Out 2 in how she wants what's best for Bonnie and is only trying to help, but her misguided attempts at doing so cause her to harm Bonnie in the long run. Some might argue that Lilypad should've been a straight-up antagonist so it gets the message across better, but I think portraying her this way did it better since again, tech isn't inherently bad, it's how it's used that's the problem and Lilypad ends up learning that by the end of the film.

And finally, there's Jessies' new friends she makes when at Blaze's house, a trio of old tech gadgets and toys named Smarty Pants (voiced by Conan O'Brien), Snappy (voiced by Shelby Rabara) and Atlas (voiced by Craig Robinson). Including these characters was another stroke of genius on Pixar's part since they serve as relevant commentary on how new tech replaces old tech and they're the perfect kind of tech to teach Jessie how tech can be useful. Smarty Pants' shtick of telling a lot of toilet jokes got old real fast though, but Snappy and Atlas were less annoying by having better dialogue between them, and the trio serve their purpose to the story very well at least.

It's a pity Woody and Buzz were a downgrade here and the rest of the gang got side-lined, because the characters for the most part are pretty well-handled and get some neat new developments, especially Jessie...

I'm skipping the animation segment because I can't talk about the animation for Toy Story 5 without sounding like a broken record. What else can I say other than "the animation is gorgeous"? The only things worth noting is that I like how we get to see Emily's face for the first time ever and the animation of the animals in Blaze's barnyard home look fantastic, and I thought it was fun how they used the various hi-tech Buzz Lightyears. Also the animation adopting an art-style similar to hand-drawn animation during the scenes where we see what Bonnie and Blaze are imagining while playing with the toys is a cute visual and I think it worked so well. Aside from that? There's not much else to say that hasn't been said already...

Overall

Toy Story 5 may not need to exist...but I'm OK with it existing, surprisingly.

While the franchise is definitely feeling sequel fatigue a little, it still manages to be a worthwhile watch thanks to its bitingly relevant commentary on the world today, some smart decisions in the script such as making Jessie the star and how old tech plays a part in this, a nuanced message, Pixar's trademark heart being as strong as ever and utterly gorgeous animation. It's held back from being another Pixar classic thanks to a weak climax, poor handling of Woody and Buzz, too many characters getting side-lined and a feel of "been there, done that". If you're a huge Toy Story fan, then I can easily recommend it to you. If you're like me and feel the franchise has overstayed its welcome, then you can skip this one. Was the film better than I expected? Surprisingly, yes. But does this movie need to exist? Of course not, the franchise should've ended with Toy Story 3 and that's a fact. I've even sworn off any future Toy Story films after this one, so if we (for some idiotic reason) get a sixth movie and beyond, not interested. I'm done with Toy Story. We don't need anymore sequels. Pixar, please do the right thing and let this be the end, because you're never going to top the original three! Given this is the end for Toy Story for me, I'd say the films have ended on a relatively high note. It's nice to know even after all this time, we still got a friend in Pixar...

And that's it for my review of Toy Story 5. What do you guys think to the film? Do tell me down below and especially share your thoughts on if you feel it needed to exist or not.

Next week I'll be doing my next big project, which is a full-on rewrite of Pokémon Horizons. See you then media fans!

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