Toy Story 5

31 years ago, Pixar became the first studio to specialize in CGI animation with the release of "Toy Story." Now, we get the fifth installment in the series.

Many, including me, feel as though the third film is already the perfect ending to the series, with Andy passing down his toys to Bonnie. But in 2019, a fourth film was made that proved everybody wrong. While I think it's the weakest in the franchise, it's still quite good and a fitting sendoff for Woody. Seven years later, we have "Toy Story 5," the film nobody was asking for.

Pixar originals such as "Elemental" and "Elio" have been doing pretty lukewarm at the box office, and it seems like the only films that can do well for the studio are sequels. So "Toy Story 5" must be just a trashy cash grab without the soul of the originals, right? Surprisingly, I don't think that's the case at all.

The human story follows Bonnie struggling to make friends, so her parents decide to get her a coveted Lilypad tablet (voiced by the marvelous Greta Lee) to help her connect with others. The "Toy Story" side follows Jessie as the newly appointed sheriff after Woody left in the previous film. The toys begin noticing the rise of technology and how Bonnie is being consumed by screen time on her Lilypad.

With how prevalent and all-consuming technology has become in our society, it makes sense to go in this direction. This could easily fall flat and become a by-the-numbers critique of technology that boils down to "screens bad," but I believe the film avoids these pitfalls because of writer-director Andrew Stanton.

Stanton is one of the true legends of Pixar, having been one of the first filmmakers brought on by the studio. He was one of the writers of the first "Toy Story," arguably helping establish the true core of these characters. He also wrote the second and fourth films, as well as earning a story credit on the third. In many ways, Stanton is one of the only people who knows these characters well enough, and he's a great storyteller who makes "Toy Story 5" work.

Jessie is undeniably the lead of the film, which is such a brilliant choice. Her story, first introduced in "Toy Story 2" and brought to life by Joan Cusack, is that of a cowgirl who was forgotten by her original owner, Emily, and left unplayed with as a collector's item for decades. Her story in the second film warmed all of our hearts and remains so poignant to this day. But in the following films, it feels as though Jessie faded into the background and never got the focus she deserved. Until now.

Her story of being separated from Bonnie and the rest of her toys, joined by my personal favorite character, Bullseye, is so much more compelling than I thought it would be. They are brought to another girl's house, where they meet outdated tech toys that help them find their way back to Bonnie. The highlight among these characters is Smarty Pants, a toilet-training device played in glorious fashion by Conan O'Brien.

The film does quite a strong job of balancing the human and toy stories through Lilypad, a character I thought might annoy me. But the writing and Greta Lee's performance make her a compelling villain. She starts out as a malicious tablet wanting to put an end to the toys, but as she spends more time with Bonnie, she gains moral complexity and has an incredibly strong arc.

Stanton and first-time writer Kenna Harris craft a fun adventure that feels more aimed at adults in its themes, harkening back to the third film. The true strength of the movie is its perfect balance between comedic antics and an emotional dive into Jessie's psyche. It's able to deliver one of the most emotional scenes in any Pixar film and then move right into a silly sequence.

While there is a lot about this film to love, there are certainly things that keep it from being truly amazing. The main one for me is the inclusion of Woody as a supporting character. Throughout the first four films, Woody had an absolutely fantastic arc, but it ended pretty conclusively in the fourth film, and his role here is never really justified. There are some fun moments with him, sure, especially those that recall the first film. Under a different filmmaker, these scenes could have been miserable, but they happen to be delightful in Stanton's hands.

Another detraction is the sidelining of most of the characters. Obviously, when you're dealing with a large ensemble like this, some characters will be pushed to the side, but it's unfortunate that beloved characters like Rex, Slinky Dog, Hamm, the Potato Heads and especially the Aliens have barely anything to do. Jessie and Bullseye are the definitive focus, with Woody and Buzz serving as supporting players, while the rest fade into the background.

I haven't really spoken about Buzz in this review yet, but thankfully he has a much bigger role than he did in the fourth film. He has an entire subplot that's mostly enjoyable, but it's also the aspect of the film I found the most awkwardly woven into the plot. While I know many audience members are coming for Woody and Buzz, I could've done without Woody entirely and had Buzz's storyline trimmed down a bit in exchange for more time with the ensemble. That would've made for a much stronger film.

Still, I am astonished by how good this is. It's typically hard to make a fifth film in a franchise, but Andrew Stanton understood the assignment and did a fantastic job telling Jessie's story. This is definitely one of my favorite Pixar sequels.

8/10