Toy Story is still Pixar’s gold mine

 A question I asked myself before Toy Story 2, Toy Story 4 and Toy Story 5 was ‘Other than money, is there any reason this had to be made?’

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Well, Toy Story 2 ended up being so good I didn’t question Toy Story 3 existing. Toy Story 4, while I feel like it’s the weakest movie, is still heaps better than too many kids films.

And I thought Toy Story 5 was a step up from that. A good question with a sequel is ‘Did we tell everyone’s story already?’ And by the end of Toy Story 4, it did feel like Pixar had gotten the toys pretty well covered.

So Toy Story 5 shifted the focus to the kids.

While still told through the eyes and actions of the toys, the actual story is ultimately about Bonnie and newcomer Blaze. They are both creative, imaginative kids who struggle to find friends. (And, yes, of course they become friends at the end of the movie because this is Pixar, not Shakespeare)

For me, Andy was defined by his relationship with the toys. Heck, sometimes he felt like some kind of deity for them. I am going to argue that Toy Story 5 treats Bonnie as more of a complete character.

A key moment in the movie is her being cyber bullied. (The movie fails to give a simple answer to technology and screen time, which is fair) Her sadness and her withdrawal is very realized. It’s believable and, probably for too many, relatable. 

The toys do get plenty of focus. Jessie has an involved story arc, which includes her finding resolution with her original kid. It’s still _Toy_ Story. If you just came for the toys, you’ll still get them.

There is also a wonderfully insane subplot about a shippjng container of the latest Buzz Lightyear toys getting ship wrecked, resulting in a horde of confused Buzz Lightyears going across the land. I kept thinking it was the 1991 film Small Soldiers done right.