Toy Story 5 (English) Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Director: Andrew Stanton
Toy Story 5 Movie Review Synopsis:
TOY STORY 5 is the story of toys facing a threat from electronics. Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) is now eight years old and struggles to make friends due to her introverted nature. Her concerned parents buy her a frog-themed tablet named Lilypad (Greta Lee). Bonnie gets hooked on Lilypad and begins neglecting her toys. Lilypad also helps her make some friends on social media; Bonnie interacts with them and they invite her for a sleepover. Jessie (Joan Cusack) feels insecure about Lilypad’s presence but is also glad that Bonnie finally has friends. However, she wants to make sure that all goes well for Bonnie at the sleepover and hence, she slips into her bag, along with Bullseye. The night before, she calls Woody (Tom Hanks) for assistance and advice. Woody realizes that his old pal needs help and decides to visit her and the other toys in Bonnie’s house. However, things don’t go as planned for Jessie and Bullseye and they end up at the farmhouse of Jessie’s former owner, Emily. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Toy Story 5 Movie Story Review:
Andrew Stanton's story is the need of the hour and very relevant. Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris' screenplay is peppered with joyful and moving scenes and will be lapped up by kids and adults alike. The dialogues are entertaining.
Andrew Stanton's direction is praiseworthy. He has been one of the writers of the previous TOY STORY films and this is his first time directing a film in this iconic series. He does full justice to the franchise and ensures that the elements that made the series so popular are present in abundance – simple, relatable moments, characters that touch your heart and loads of entertainment and thrill. His biggest victory is that he has effectively mirrored the reality of screen addiction. A scene in the film involves Jessie looking from a rooftop and realizing that all the kids, and even adults, in the neighbourhood are glued to their devices. Also, it’s a natural progression of a series on toys to show that they are now facing competition and that they are now in a world where it seems like kids don’t need them. Another interesting plot point is the difficulty faced by kids in making friends despite being connected to each other all the time. Like most Disney-Pixar films, this one doesn’t just deliver a message; its primary focus is on entertaining the audience. The finale is nail-biting and also touching.
On the flipside, the focus this time is more on Jessie, and one has no complaints about it. However, this happens at the cost of the other toy characters. Shockingly, though Woody has his share of screen time, his character feels forced. Believe it or not, the film’s story would have progressed even if he were not there. Even Buzz Lightyear’s (Tim Allen) character has a limited contribution, though a parallel track of upgraded Buzz Lightyear toys adds some fun to the story. Lastly, the humans are depicted in a silly manner – Lilypad and the toys manage to pull so many strings behind their backs, and yet the adults and kids never even wonder how it all happened. This happened in the previous parts as well, but it dents the impact the most in this part.
Toy Story 5 Movie Review Performances:
Joan Cusack has the maximum dialogues and she puts her heart and soul into Jessie. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen may have insignificant parts, but they do very well with their voiceovers. Conan O'Brien (Smart Pants) is entertaining while Greta Lee, Craig Robindon (Snappy) and Scarlett Spears (Bonnie) lend able support. Mykal-Michelle Harris (Blaze) makes her presence felt. Scarlett Spears and others are fair.
Toy Story 5 movie music and other technical aspects:
Randy Newman's music goes well with the zone of the film. Matt Aspbury and J C Kalache's cinematography is cinematic. As expected, the animation is top-class while Jennifer Neysa Jew's editing is sharp.
Toy Story 5 Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, TOY STORY 5 is a relevant and entertaining sequel that works due to its timely message, entertaining moments and emotional scenes.