I said in my review of Toy Story 4 (7 years ago!) that the original Toy Story trilogy was perfect, but that the newest sequel was a good epilogue. I didn’t imagine a new story needed to be told, but the folks at Disney hit that money machine again with Toy Story 5. And it’s another hit, with a fantastic, timely story that stills tugs at the heartstrings as much as only this franchise can.
Bonnie is now 8 years old. Woody has moved on but the rest of the gang is still enjoying playing with Bonnie, with the centerpiece being Jessie the cowgirl (who is the focus of this new film) and Buzz Lightyear, who has grown feelings for Jessie but doesn’t know how to express them. Bonnie’s toys are thrown for a loop when her parents buy her a tablet, a Leapfrog, and she begins to play only with that. When Jessie reaches out to Woody out in the world, he confirms that he sees abandoned toys every day, left by the wayside when their boys and girls have left them to only play with tech. Jessie is devastated, convinced that just kids “playing” with their tablets in the same room but not interacting with each other isn’t really playing at all. Jessie, who’s the oldest of this particular group of toys and has seen three owners “age out” of her toys, can’t face that again and fears it is the end for her and others like her. If she is going to “save” Bonnie from a tech-dependent childhood, she must find a like-minded child who still loves to play with toys and get her to meet Bonnie.
The film touches on a lot of today’s subjects, such as screen time, online bullying, and the isolation that comes from not getting your kids out of the house to really play (and imagine) with others. And as always, lots of humor for all ages. I didn’t tear up at this one like I have for Toy Story movies in the past, but it still has lots of heart, and you can’t help but root for those plastic little beings as they love their little girl as much as she loves them. Once again, it will make Disney a boatload of money at the box office and in toys (we bought our granddaughter a Jessie when we took her to the theater to see it this weekend, and a Rex dinosaur for her little brother even though he is too young to go and stayed home with Dad). ★★★★★
Jons Movie Takes 