There was no topping Toy Story 3, the perfect movie. Toy Story 4 got the angry shocks out of my system at trying to continue from the perfect movie ending. So if Toy Story 5 is the new normal, I’m cool with it, at least there’s still some life and magic left in the world of iPads.
Well, Lilypads (Greta Lee) in Toy Story’s world. Poor Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) has realized that she’s woefully behind her dance class friends, who all have Lilypads of their own. Mom (Lori Alan) and dad (Jay Hernandez) reluctantly give into “tech” and give Bonnie a Lily. This new reality scares Jessie (Joan Cusack), already abandoned twice by kids, scared Lilypad isn’t gonna really help Bonnie make a friend. Jessie’s so scared she calls in reinforcements to help her, Bullseye, Buzz (Tim Allen), and the gang, calling Woody (Tom Hanks) out from his kid retirement to try to lend a figurative hand for advice.
We’ve spent 30! years now with all these toys. Woody and Buzz have had their stories told, so its time to branch out into a new formula: let those two sit this one on the sidelines, shining a light on any of the another toys we’ve fallen in love with. No better place to start than Jessie, since in 3 minutes in Toy Story 2 her backstory will turn everyone into burbling messes. Joan Cusack is great as ever, reminding us how Jessie is sneaky the most tragic of all the characters here, seeing the end coming sooner than she was hoping yet again. Unincumbered by Woody or Buzz, Jessie’s presence makes Toy Story 5 work as well as it does, grounding us and yet feeling like a fresh new tale at the same time. And still (this time, with one image) deliver as much power as a great Toy Story moment can give.
The other part of the formula is bring in new characters for us to fall in love with. I’m sorry y’all but face it: Tom Hanks and Tim Allen can’t live forever; we’ll need new toys if we want more stories. Toy Story 5 gives us a new era: the tech dimension. Greta Lee is a perfect Pixar casting for Lilypad, using her innate charisma, and malleability to be funny, menacing, snarky, etc, as our chief villain. But the brilliant conceit is Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien), our new Forky. Remember, the road from Buzz Lightyear to Lilypad is paved with millions of forgotten plastic early tech toys. I can see O’Brien reveling at Smarty Pants’s whole gimmick and backstory I wont reveal to save you all the joy I had every minute he’s onscreen. Suffice to say, I hope Conan gets to do this a few more times before running out of batteries permanently. We also get more humans thrown into the mix, helping to deliver the emotional potency of the film. Bonnie’s search for a friend leads us to twins across the street, a group chat of girls, and Blaze (Mykal Michelle Harris), a slightly older girl later Toy Storys can use if they need a fresh idea.
So, Pixar, specifically Toy Story, we’re good. I accept and thank you for the gift of the first 3 Toy Storys, especially #3. And now I can use these new ones as a jumping off point to teach my young niece about what makes those early films so special. And all your other great creations like Wall-E or 4 Town. 4 Town 4 Eva!