The fifth installment of the Toy Story franchise, set to debut in cinemas tomorrow, presents a technically polished but creatively uneven entry in the long-running series. While the film maintains the visual sheen and smooth production values characteristic of Pixar’s work, it struggles to recapture the emotional depth and narrative innovation that previously defined the franchise.
Continuing the familiar storyline of toys leading secret lives when not observed by humans, the film revisits central characters such as Jessie the cowgirl, voiced by Joan Cusack, who remains part of Bonnie’s toy collection. Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks) also return, with Woody depicted living away from Bonnie, paired romantically with Bo Peep (Annie Potts). The depiction of Woody shows physical signs of aging—bald patches and a paunch—suggesting human-like vulnerabilities that contrast with Buzz and Jessie’s unchanged appearances.
A significant thematic focus of the movie is the influence of technology on children’s imaginative play, embodied by a new character—Lily Pad, a tablet device voiced by Greta Lee. Bonnie, the shy girl who remains one of the few children still engaged with traditional toys, initially embraces Lily Pad for its social connectivity but soon experiences online bullying and cruelty. Despite this, the film ultimately portrays Lily Pad in a sympathetic light, assigning it a self-sacrificial role in protecting the children’s mental health, a narrative choice that some critics find undermines the darker potential of the techno-threat concept.
The plot introduces a group of outdated, battery-powered gadgets, such as Smarty Pants, a talking toilet trainer voiced by Conan O’Brien, who help convey a more nuanced message about technology’s place in children’s lives. Furthermore, Jessie’s encounter with Blaze, a farm boy and fellow toy enthusiast, attempts to broaden Bonnie’s social circle and revitalize the narrative.
Listeners of the series will recognize the recurring emotional motif centered on loss and abandonment, initially articulated in Toy Story 2 with the song "When She Loved Me." This installment revisits that theme through a new song performed by Taylor Swift and integrates it within the storyline. However, the resolution offered is viewed by some as contrived and less impactful than earlier expressions of the same motif.
Overall, while Toy Story 5 delivers the franchise’s trademark visual and voice talent strengths, it exhibits signs of franchise fatigue. The film’s ambitious engagement with contemporary issues such as technology addiction is met with mixed reactions, and its emotional stakes do not fully match the resonance of previous entries. With the series now exceeding 30 years in existence, questions remain about its capacity for renewal amid an evolving entertainment landscape.