I’m adding ‘Toy Story 5’ to my personal list of movies that no one asked to be created.
That aside, the whole production team hinged the flick on the importance of a child’s imagination and ability to play creatively.
Plus, they also made a strong statement about the dangers of having digital devices taking over a young and developing child’s life.
Still, for the sheer nostalgia of the iconic and core Toy Story main characters, I caved at several friends’ insistences.
Toy Story 5 is an animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures.
Directed by Andrew Stanton and written by Stanton and Kenna Harris, it is the fifth main installment in the Toy Story film series and the sequel to Toy Story 4 (2019).
It features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Joan Cusack among those reprising their roles, joined by Conan O’Brien, Scarlett Spears, Greta Lee, Shelby Rabara, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Annie Potts, and Craig Robinson.
The movie clocks in at 102 minutes long and is rated PG for some thematic elements and rude humor.
A shipping container filled with a unit of hi-tech edition Buzz Lightyear (Allen) toys crash-lands on a deserted island.
Stuck in demo mode, the shipwrecked Buzzes escape the island and follow the North Star to return to “Star Command”.
After continuing to struggle with making friends, eight-year-old Bonnie (Spears) receives a frog-themed tablet named Lilypad “Lily” (Lee) from her parents in hopes of helping her socialize with children her own age.
Bonnie soon becomes addicted to Lily and begins to neglect her usual toys.
As Bonnie’s favorite and the new leader of her toys, Jessie (Cusack) explains to Lily about Bonnie’s need for a real friend.
Quickly, Lily attempts to solve by sending a friend request to Chelsea, one of Bonnie’s dance classmates, on social media.
Fearful of losing Bonnie’s affection, Jessie contacts Woody (Hanks) via a walkie-talkie for advice.
Woody, who has left to help Bo Peep (Potts) find homes for abandoned toys, decides to return to Bonnie, believing that Jessie needs help.
When Chelsea invites Bonnie over for a sleepover, Jessie and Bullseye stow away in her suitcase while Bonnie takes Lily with her.
Though she is initially happy to have them, Bonnie has her father take Jessie and Bullseye home after Chelsea, alongside her friends Heidi and Kara, question Bonnie for still playing with toys.
Jessie and Bullseye escape the car ride home in an attempt to reach Bonnie again but come up sort and are found by an elderly couple on the street.
Seeing an old address written under Jessie’s chaps, the couple takes the two back to the farmhouse of her original owner - Emily.
There, Jessie ends up in the shed of forgotten toys, including a potty-training device toy named Smarty Pants (O’Brien).
As they enter the house searching for Bullseye, Jessie meets GPS receiver Atlas (Robinson) and digital camera Snappy (Rabara).
They inform her that a new family, the Manoukians with their young daughter named Blaze (Harris) currently inhabit the farmhouse.
After experiencing a joyful playtime with an imaginative Blaze, Jessie decides to have her meet Bonnie and help them become friends.
In the meantime, Woody reunites with Bonnie’s toys, and they confront Lily about Jessie’s whereabouts.
From there, it’s a race to save Jessie and Bullseye while getting Bonnie and Blaze to become friends – and it’s a cute ending, really.
While we didn’t need another Toy Story film, this one is a nice way to address a growing trend in parenting styles and I think it’s worth watching if you’ve got kids, too.
