tech
Toy Story 5 review
A sinister new tablet threatens the honest-to-goodness toys’ existence, but Buzz, Woody and Jessie’s big tech moral battle feels compromised
TL;DR
- Toy Story 5 is technically polished but lacks core emotional elements like jeopardy, novelty, and passion.
- The film's exploration of mortality and the impact of addictive tech on children's play is considered underpowered and compromised.
- A new character, Lilypad, a tablet device, is introduced but ultimately takes a turn towards sentimental heroism.
- Returning characters include Jessie (Joan Cusack) with Bonnie (Scarlett Spears), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and Woody (Tom Hanks) in a separate, 'feral' existence romantically paired with Bo Peep (Annie Potts).
- Bonnie is portrayed as an outcast for still playing with toys instead of using tech devices.
- A subplot involves Jessie encountering Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris) and the introduction of 'obsolete' proto-tech devices like Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien).
- The film references the emotional impact of Jessie's song 'When She Loved Me' from Toy Story 2, including a new song by Taylor Swift, but resolves the plot point unsatisfactorily.
- The review suggests the Toy Story franchise, a hallmark of Pixar's golden age, is suffering from IP exhaustion.