"The age of toys is over," one disgruntled, discarded toy ominously proclaims early on in Toy Story 5. For some long-time fans, there's a belief that the 'age of Toy Story' should have been wrapped up with Toy Story 3. Even Quentin Tarantino says so.
But when Toy Story 4 made another $1 billion for Disney and Pixar in 2019, it shouldn't be a surprise that even that wouldn't be the end. What Toy Story 4 might have been the end of though is the franchise as we knew it, with fans who grew up with the original trilogy given a chance to say one final goodbye to Woody and Buzz.
Toy Story 5 feels like a fresh start for the series, which is no bad thing. Ask any parent and their children would have gone through – or are in – a Toy Story obsession; they're classics for a reason and every generation deserves its 'own' Toy Story. Long-term fans might not appreciate Woody and Buzz taking more of a backseat this time around, yet there's still plenty of the classic Toy Story magic to enjoy.
It might be a new era, but Toy Story 5 is still tied to the past with Jessie (Joan Cusack) taking the lead for the first time. She's now in charge of the toys and so it falls on her to save the day when a new threat arrives in the form of Lilypad (Greta Lee), a tablet device that Bonnie's parents buy her when she's struggling to make friends.
Lilypad claims to have Bonnie's best interests at heart, but Jessie is suspicious. Children everywhere are moving on from playtime, getting addicted to screens instead, and Jessie doesn't want Bonnie to lose what makes her special. It's the same story everywhere, with Woody (Tom Hanks) and Bo Peep (Annie Potts) rescuing abandoned toys whose owners have been lost to technology.
Jessie doesn't want to lose another owner, like how Emily donated her, but is the age of toys really over? With the help of Buzz, Woody and some new friends, Jessie is determined to save Bonnie from Lilypad and keep playtime going.
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Previous Toy Story movies have been timeless, but Toy Story 5 is the first one to feel of its time. The technology aspect couldn't be more timely, even if it thankfully avoids AI, and it's what marks it out in the series. It's speaking directly to the children of today, which could mean anybody who grew up with the series won't emotionally connect as much as before, especially if they don't have children themselves dealing with the same issues.
There's still the universal themes at play here though, even if you didn't grow up with technology. Everybody knows the struggles of trying to make friends when you're younger, as well as the fear that you need to hide your true self to fit in, and Toy Story 5 expertly taps into those fears – even if the resolution is a cute, but simple, 'just be yourself' message.
One aspect that will unite all Toy Story fans though is having Jessie as a lead character, giving her the most to do since her debut in Toy Story 2. Joan Cusack is superb as she takes on the emotional heavy lifting, with Toy Story 5 delving once again into her backstory and having Jessie try to reconcile with her responsibility as a toy like Woody has taught her.
There's nothing here to challenge the emotional trauma of 'When She Loved Me' though, even if there are heartfelt moments throughout. One particular reveal aside, it's a slight disappointment that it doesn't really explore anything new with her backstory which is also why, as a whole, the movie won't devastate you in the same way as it treads familiar ground.
Jessie aside, the other Toy Story mainstays are relegated largely to supporting roles, even Woody who doesn't take over when he reunites with the toys. Tim Allen gets the most to do as we don't just get to see Buzz, but also 50 other Buzz Lightyears in a delightful subplot. For everybody else though – including Mr and Mrs Potato Head, Bo Peep, Slinky Dog and more – it's effectively only cameo roles.
The focus instead is on new characters to sell more toys expand the Toy Story world, led by Greta Lee's Lilypad who is another excellent antagonist with more depth than the 'toys vs technology' plot would suggest. Conan O'Brien's Smarty Pants – a toilet-training tech toy – comes closing to stealing the movie, delivering most of its funniest lines, with good support from Craig Robinson's GPS hippo Atlas and Shelby Rabara's toy camera Snappy.
Throw in fun throwbacks to previous Toy Story outings and truly stunning visuals – not least in gorgeously-animated playtime sequences that take us inside Bonnie's imagination for the first time – and you have all the classic Pixar ingredients you could want. It might not be the same Toy Story you remember, but even toys have to move with the times.
Toy Story 5 is released in cinemas on 19 June, with exclusive previews on 18 June.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
