TOY STORY 5
(PG) 102 minutes
★★★★☆
IT’S been over 30 years since Disney’s Pixar changed the way we all look at the contents of an old toy box forever, with the creation of 1995’s Toy Story.
And it might seem that after four films – and a pretty dire Buzz Lightyear spin-off in 2022 – that the story of toys might have been packed up and put in the loft forever.
But, no. There’s always room for another play.
And Woody, Buzz and their motley crew realise there’s a new enemy sucking the imagination out of their beloved children’s minds: technology.
This film focuses on rootin’-tootin’ Cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), who is favoured by her owner, Bonnie.
The kid loves nothing more than playing games where Jessie and Buzz Lightyear get hitched.
Sadly, the neighbourhood kids don’t want to join in with Bonnie. In fact, they laugh at her suggestions.
And when Jessie goes on a mission to persuade them otherwise, she watches as they all sit staring at devices, like little zombies.
“That’s not playing!” she exclaims. “They’re not even looking up.” In a misguided act of kindness, Bonnie’s parents buy her a Lilypad (Greta Lee) – a kid-friendly tablet that she can ‘connect’ with other children on.
And, as you can imagine, this does the opposite – making Bonnie addicted to the screen – while shunning her toys, losing her imagination and becoming gently cyber-bullied by the girls in her class.
So, it becomes Jessie and the crew’s job to get her away from the screen and the misery it brings. Which, as any parent will know, is a near impossible task.
There is also another story running alongside it involving a shipment of new Buzz Lightyears trying to find their way to a star.
Also, Woody has to be brought into the pack as he’s still living on the outside with the rebellious Bo Peep.
These multiple storylines make Toy Story 5 disjointed in places, and while plenty of fresh ideas are shown, it keeps repeating the idea of kids growing out of playing with toys.
The brilliant dynamic between the competitive pals Woody and Buzz is missed – as is Randy Newman’s superb theme tune You’ve Got a Friend in Me (this time Taylor Swift’s original song “I Knew It, I Knew You” is played at the credits).
And Jessie’s relentless energy becomes a little grating.
However, it’s great to see the gang back on the big screen – and it has enough entertainment, imagination and heart to make sure you won’t check your phone throughout.
Toy Story 5 is out on Friday.