Why “Toy Story 5” is unlike any other film in the saga

Long remaining in the shadow of Woody and Buzz, Jessie is now at the center of the plot.Image: Pixar

After three decades, the most famous saga from the Pixar studio continues its track record without false notes with an episode which, for the first time, changes the formula a little.

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There is something fascinating in the saga Toy Story. Released in 1995, the first part marks the history of cinema not only as the first animated film in computer graphics, but also as the affirmation of Pixar as the ultimate reference in animated cinema, aligning the successes to the point that traditional cartoons will gradually cease to exist in Hollywood.

But even more fascinating is to see to what extent this saga has evolved over time and with the times. If the first part seems visually outdated today, its emotional power has never changed, and it will be the same for the sequels, each of which has managed to be better than the previous one. Released in 1995, 1999, 2010 and 2019 respectively, the films Toy Story have accompanied children who have become adults for three decades. The saga has always had this astonishing ability to speak as much to children as to the inner child of their parents, or even to thirty-somethings who have managed to keep their soul.

The saga has evolved with the times, notably by opening up to inclusivity and leaving more room for female characters, while raising important themes in each installment. Whether it is jealousy and rivalry in the first part, the anguish of forgetting and the value of time in the second, the mourning of childhood in Toy Story 3 oWhile there is still emancipation and free will in the previous episode, each film has managed to stand out from the crowd and prove to be just as deep and touching as the previous one.

A film in tune with the times

In this fifth part, the saga addresses a contemporary societal issue: the place of screens among young people. Technology gives our toys, which seemed timeless, a certain obsolescence, since they must compete with interactive tablets which monopolize children’s attention. With great kindness, the film deals with modernity and the importance of maintaining a real and human connection in the face of the excesses of digital consumerism, without asserting that screens are evil.

We can welcome this vision as a little less “booming” than we might have feared, although slightly consensual. This tablet called Lilypad is presented as an antagonist, but with its legendary benevolence, Toy Story 5 reminds us that the good or bad sides of an object depend solely on the way in which we use them.

What place should technology have among the youngest? Response in 1 hour 40 minutes.

The film also explores a fundamental theme of childhood: the norm. Indeed, the story of little Bonnie is marked by an inner conflict, since she sees herself turning away from the things she loves to respond to a need for validation. Because, as in all playgrounds, owning the latest fashionable gadget is a sign of belonging, and its absence can be synonymous with exclusion, especially when it is a connected object with which children interact with each other.

Girls in the spotlight

Walking in the furrow of Vice-Versa 2 on the pangs of adolescence, Toy Story 5 addresses child cruelty and depicts the difficulty of integrating into social circles from a very young age. The film is also for the first time centered on a child, the saga having always taken a back seat to them.

More than 30 years have passed and we still love them just as much.Image: Pixar

This daring script choice necessarily leaves less room for our toys, in particular for the magical trio of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie. The latter also occupies a much more important place, to the point of being given the main role and benefiting, for the occasion, from the most powerful emotional moment of the film. Taylor Swift’s song I Knew It, I Knew You being dedicated to her, the singer’s country style suits this cowgirl in rags perfectly.

Our favorite toys are not put aside, however, the film retaining its choral dimension where each protagonist is entitled to their moment, awakening in everyone the nostalgia for previous films.

After a trilogy without false notes and a fourth episode which succeeded in justifying its existence, Toy Story 5 unfortunately just breaks the rule of the saga, according to which each new chapter is always better than the previous one. The fault lies with the characters in the background and a fragmented narration which struggles to make them exist.

This fifth part, however, makes perfect sense, since after a first trilogy devoted to Andy and the introduction of Bonnie from the third episode, the saga is now seen at the level of a little girl and is interested in other toys, bringing a certain fairness to the whole. If times have changed, we can rejoice to see that the magic still works, thanks to the power of nostalgia and optimism.

“Toy Story 5 is out in theaters. Duration: 1h 42m