Toy Story 5 Review

 

A brand new Toy Story film is out, and this time (and as the marketing's been saying) it's toys vs. tech.

Toy Story 5 is an animated adventure comedy-drama and the fifth film in the franchise. Pixar Animation Studios produced while Walt Disney Pictures distributed. Andrew Stanton directed and wrote the screenplay along with Kenna Harris.

The story is, Bonnie now eight years old was trying to bond with other kids but they're all far more focused on the tablet called Lilypad Lily. Bonnie soon gets her own Lilypad but Jessie and the gang fear Bonnie is becoming addicted and it's not helping her with her social life. Now it's a fight between toys and technology, and Lily doesn't plan to go out easily.

Initial Reaction

Now originally I was worried going into this because 1) Pixar just hasn't been the golden boy for the longest time. And 2) I was worried that the story was gonna be favoritism. Maybe the writers were gonna be "Tablets evil! Bad! No! Toys are superior!" or the stort could just blame suck regardless with no favoritism at all.

Cons

I got nothing for this section. So just go to the next part.

Middle Ground

One mix bag was the hunor. Now 99.99% of the time it's actually pretty funny. There's a lot of jokes that actually worked. But we also have this new character named Smarty Pants. Who's a toilet-training tech toy. Take a wild guess what a majority of his jokes are related to. I mean his character isn't annoying or anything, but man the writers were really stretching it with jokes and gags about toilet training things.

The other gray area is the story. Now there is loads of good. The story touches on things such as the previously mentioned toys vs. screens, childhood anxiety, fear of obsolescence, moments where you think you're the problem, and the rewards of real friendships and play. A lot of that did hit me. Those were really good elements to the story. But at the same time the story is juggling a lot. We've got Jessie's story arc, Woody and Buzz are still buddies but they are competing for deputy, you got the Toy Gang going up against Lily, and you also got the hi-tech Buzz Lightyears and their story.

Pros

Let's get an easy one out of the way. I'm referring to the animation. Whether the story is amazing, great, okay, or bad Pixar never fails when it comes to the animation. And the animation in Toy Story 5 is no different. Whether it's the contrast between the physical toys or the sleek tech, wear and tear details on toys, or dynamic action and imagination scenes, the animation is a feast for the eyes.

The last thing I'll praise is the voice cast. Whether it's the returning stars of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen with their great chemistry, Joan Cusack bringing out Jessie's fiery yet vulnerable cowgirl charm, or newcomers such as Greta Lee who brings a new disruptive and nuance element, the voice cast is once again a strong aspect. The cast whether old or new bring energy, humor, and emotional depth to the movie.

While I don't see it being ranked high over the beloved classic three films, Toy Story 5 is actually a pretty enjoyable experience despite some slight issues here and there.

My final rating is, a low Good.

Okay that'll wrap things up. Come back on Monday, Jun 22nd, for the next installment of my Road to Avengers: Doomsday. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.