Toy Story 5 is now in cinemas, but does it need to exist after the way the previous movies ended? Photo: Pixar/Disney.
For the first time since 2022, Pixar has released two movies in a single calendar year.
While Hoppers, the movie about people putting their minds into the bodies of beavers, was already a modest success, bringing in $372 million on a $150 million budget, it’s now time for the studio’s big, heavy-hitting IP Toy Story to return and make a mountain of cash.
Toy Story 5, yes, it’s the fifth one of the franchise, has the simple premise of having the iconic toys we know and love, battle against the new, scary foe that is taking up all of their owner, Bonnie’s, time, a tablet called Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee).
Unsure about how to combat the new scary device, Buzz (Tim Allen) and Jessie (Joan Cusack) call on the aid of their lifelong pal Woody (Tom Hanks), who left the bedroom to support abandoned toys at the end of the fourth movie.
The team bands together once more to keep the band alive and ensure that Bonnie isn’t swept away by the flashing lights of her scary new device.
The biggest hurdle the Toy Story franchise has faced since the end of the third film has been: why do the sequels exist? It wrapped up with Andy, the original owner, passing on his beloved toys to a young Bonnie, thereby tying a nice bow on the franchise.
The newest movie does little to justify its existence, easily being the weakest in the franchise to date, forcing the audience to ask: Why return at all?
And we know the answer to that one – fat stacks of cash.
The first made around $820 million, adjusted for inflation from 1995; Toy Story 2 made just over $1 billion, adjusted for 1999; Toy Story 3 made around $1.6 billion, adjusted; and Toy Story 4 made around $1.4 billion, adjusted.
It’s a juggernaut in the animated space, and the newest film is already well on its way to cracking the ten-figure mark as well.
This isn’t to say Toy Story 5 is a train wreck, but it’s the clearest indication of the money-making intentions that have crept their way into Pixar’s output over the last decade.
What was once a platform of original storytelling that was willing to tackle difficult subject matter with children now feels a little more jaded.
As for the movie itself, it’s not a top-tier film for the studio like Monsters Inc, The Incredibles or even the first three Toy Story films, but it is well above the quality of Lightyear, Elementals or the Cars movies (I said what I said, don’t let nostalgia blind you!)
It culminates in Toy Story 5 being nothing more than a bit of inoffensive, nothing experience.
The highlights do include focusing more on Jessie than on Buzz and Woody, which has been a missed opportunity since the release of the second movie. The voice acting is still top-notch, and the animation is the best Pixar has ever produced.
Unfortunately, all the individual ingredients, which are fantastic on their own, don’t culminate in anything particularly interesting when combined.
The debate around kids using technology and abandoning traditional toys is solid, but it doesn’t carry the emotional weight of the themes from the previous movies. The throughlines from the previous movies, like the fear of abandonment, loss, moving on and accepting change, felt far more poignant than what was on display here.
I am well aware that there will be criticisms that Toy Story is a children’s franchise, and if they’re engaged, what’s the issue? To that I say, give children and their intelligence the respect they deserve.
Programs and movies like Bluey and the original Toy Story films have built reputations for presenting difficult issues in a way kids can understand, digest and ask questions about.
Ultimately, Toy Story 5 is a safe money grab. It’s not a bad movie, just a blatant one, which is disappointing given Pixar’s reputation for originality.
Toy Story 5 is now showing in cinemas across the country.
