Toy Story 5: Movie Review

Vocal cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Tony Hale, Greta Lee, Ernie Hudson
Director: Andrew Stanton, Kenna Harris

One of Disney's most beloved franchises returns for a new outing and once again, places Woody, Jessie and Buzz in an existential crisis.

This time, the toys need to learn new tricks if they're to compete with the greatest threat any child's imagination can face - that of electronic tech. When Lilypad, an iPad-style toy, finds its way into their home and owner Bonnie after her parents worry about her lack of friends to play with, the gang finds they're facing the biggest threat that could see them sidelined forever.

Pixar's latest is determined to continue the trend the franchise has delivered for decades - strong storytelling with a heavy nostalgia element at its core. But it's more at home this time giving Joan Cusack's Jessie the limelight and a chance to lead the film as she tries to essentially do what Tom Hanks' Woody did in the first - ward off an incursion.

However, the final result, while still impressive Pixar work, does end up feeling like the franchise doesn't really have anywhere else to go in terms of trauma of the toys, acceptance of their fate in a modern world and what happens next.

It's also notable how Pixar doesn't quite know what to say about electronic devices and the invasion of tech into children's lives. There's a hint that it's a bad thing, especially with a condemnation of a group chat and the effect it has on Bonnie - but on the other, this is the company that's released a Lilypad as merchandise outside of the film's release, so the savagery that the device faces early on soon gives way to a more sanguine and almost redemptive arc.

And yet, there is fun to be had with the toys once again - albeit more of a sweeter approach this time. From Buzz's desire to be more with Jessie than just her deputy through to Jessie's post-traumatic life with her abandonment issues, Toy Story 5 knows how to craft something that's got heart and soul.

But it has to be said Rex and the gang - and even Woody to some degree - are sidelined here, there's no memorable Randy Newman song and the sidestory with a battalion of Buzz Lightyears abandoned after a shipping container runs aground spilling its cargo feels superfluous until it intersects - albeit in a way that feels like a slighter pay-off than expected.

All in all the toys are back in Toy Story 5 - but there's a nagging feeling that perhaps Pixar should put them away for good after this outing and maybe think about growing up, rather than being concerned with the idea that play is eternal, instead of fleeting in children's lives.