Pixar’s first entered our life with Toy Story (1995). It was a funny animated tale about the secret lives of toys that focused on a battle between a cowboy doll and a new spaceman action figure. Underneath that is a story about a young boy named Andy and his vivid imagination.  

31 years and four films later, Pixar is back with Toy Story 5 – another story about a child and her imagination. This installment focuses on a young girl named Bonnie (voiced by Scarlett Spears) and a tablet being introduced to her via Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee). 

A young 8-year-old Bonnie is struggling to make friends, so her parents get her a tablet called Lilypad. She starts adding friends to the chat and begins to ignore her toys. Sensing their impending doom, Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack) leads a charge to help Bonnie make friends in real life. A series of unfortunate circumstances ends with Jessie and Bullseye on a family farm where they’re taken in by a young girl named Blaze (voiced by Mykal-Michelle Harris).  With the help of a toy hippo named Atlas (voiced by Craig Robinson), a camera named Snappy (voiced by Shelby Rabara), and potty-training tool named Smarty Pants (voiced by Conan O’Brien, Jessie attempts to connect Blaze and Bonnie so they can be real life friends.  

Like previous Toy Story films, this film is an all-ages comedy that delivers witty jokes, adventure, emotion, and will leave audiences with something to think about.  

The film’s trailers may lead people to believe the film’s message is “tablets are bad” but Andrew Stanton and McKenna Harris’ screenplay delivers something a bit more thoughtful. It does discuss the challenges of giving a child a tablet but does show how it’s not inherently bad. The story also encourages kids to have physical interactions, to communicate with other kids, and the power of your imagination – a lesson a lot of adults can use.  

It’s great to see the return of Toy Story’s core characters. Make no mistake; the film doesn’t have a lot of Woody and Buzz. Jessie is the toy at the centerpiece of this story. However, the star of the film is Smarty Pants. From the hilarious one-liners to the constant poop jokes, Smarty delivers some of the film’s biggest laughs. I hope he becomes a core Toy Story character. The film offers some great running jokes for adults like Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) going bald or Rex (voiced by Wallace Shaw) saying, “Extinction! Not again!” when faced with the possibility of them being sent to a landfill.  

The power of the Toy Story franchise is its ability to make you feel all the emotions. Watching an animated character struggle to connect with kids felt as real as watching a young actress on Broadway.  

Toy Story 5 is a delightfully funny comedy with a lot of great lessons for all ages. It serves as a reminder that online friendships aren’t always what they seem. It also reminds us that you’re never too old to play and use your imagination. It’s ok to put your device down and go outside.  Remember to be true to who you are, and you’ll find your people that share the hobbies as you.  

Grade: A