Toy Story 5 lands at 3 out of 5 stars for me. It is slightly better than The Good Dinosaur simply because it is not a barren desert of characters, but it still falls short of what Pixar used to represent.
| Toy Story 5 Score Card | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animated Family / Adventure |
| Star of the Show | Jessie |
| Best Feature | Character growth and hidden gems |
| Final Rating | 3 out of 5 Stars |
The Good: Character Growth and Hidden Gems
To give credit where it is due, the film does a solid job growing Bonnie. We can all relate to that exact tipping point in childhood where you are caught between feeling embarrassed and just wanting to be a kid a little longer.
Jessie also gets some great character development. Finding something special by the tree was a nice touch that helped us feel her pain. Despite Woody trying to butt in, Jessie conquers her fears and grows into a true decision-maker, earning the respect of everyone around her, including Buzz. Character-wise, I also really liked Blaze, and that building with the spaceship... wink wink!
On top of that, the easter eggs are everywhere. I rewatched this movie 30 times and scanned frame-by-frame in slow motion to hunt them down. We get the classic Pizza Planet truck, nods to the original Toy Story, references to Pixar's lesser-known films, and even a funny role reversal where Tim Allen ends up stranded on a deserted island instead of Tom Hanks.
The Bad: Undoing the Past
My biggest issue is how they brought Woody back. Woody said goodbye for good in Toy Story 4. I hate when movies pull this move: it is like a character dies in part one, and then in part two a magic wizard appears to heal them. It feels ridiculous.
Think about the logic: Bonnie's family had to rent an RV and drive massive distances on vacation. There is no way Woody and Bo Peep would have ever been close enough to Bonnie again to stay in touch, let alone communicate with the gang on a kid's walkie-talkie. Plus, they clearly wanted to pass the torch to Jessie, which gives even more reason why Woody should have stayed hung up on the wall.
The physical details were a bit much too. The bald spot is one thing, but the bulging belly? We get the visual implication that his stuffing sank down to his stomach because he gave away his voice box like an idiot, but come on. And while I love seeing Jessie step up, they did not need to make Buzz weaker just to make her look stronger.
My Advice to Disney
This whole experience leaves me wishing Pixar would focus on creating brand-new stories again. I get that it is a tall order, but this is Pixar! As I say that, I look at recent releases like Turning Red or Lightyear and start to feel like they might not deserve the "best in the industry" trophy automatically anymore. But then I remember masterclasses like Luca and Coco, so I know they still have that magic in them. Hopefully their upcoming movie about a cat will wow us all again.
Right now, I feel like that kid on the tricycle in The Incredibles. When Mr. Incredible asks, "What are you waiting for?" the kid says, "I don't know... something amazing!" We do not always know what we want as an audience, but when Pixar drops a true masterpiece, we know it instantly. This was not it.
I know Disney will keep making Toy Story movies because of how heavily invested they are in the theme parks. But look at Disneyland: you have Sleeping Beauty Castle, and you do not need a Sleeping Beauty 5 to keep it iconic. You do not need ten Toy Story sequels to keep the brand fresh. In fact, every unnecessary sequel risks cheapening the whole franchise. You have to leave the audience wanting more. Every time you pump out another movie just because, you leave another audience member full.
Once I finish filming my "Everything You Missed in Toy Story 5" video for the channel, I am putting this movie on the shelf for a long while.
My Rating: 3 / 5 Stars