At the heart of Disney's latest installment in the Toy Story franchise, one message echoed in my head..."the age of toys is over." This is the thesis, the argument, and the problem of Toy Story 5. A commentary on how kids interact and engage with not just non-living products but, one another. The movie centers around Jessie (Joan Cusack) and her mission to help Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) connect with other kids. The main antagonist here is Lily (Greta Lee), a smart tablet for children, that begins to dominate all of Bonnie's attention. Hilarious adventures ensue while Jessie and her trusted steed Bullseye get separated from the rest of the toys and end up back at her childhood home were she meets the daughter (Blaze played by Mykal-Michelle Harris) of a new owner. The movie leans heavily on sentimentality and nostalgia while arguing a real issue parents are facing, technology. Screen time plays a major role in this film and it makes the newest Toy Story alarmingly topical.
I find it fascinating that Toy Story, a franchise entering its 31st year as of this November, was willing to explore these areas of mental health. We watch Bonnie's relationship deteriorate not only with her toys but, with her parents too. As she grows more attached to her new device, she exhibits all the signs of anxiety and frustration many sociologists have been warning about for years. What interest me the most is the timing of this film. We have just left Generation Alpha and crossed over to Gen Beta, kids born in 2025 and on. Generation Alpha was affectionately coined as the "iPad baby" generation. This is important context to as this is the first generation born post the introduction of the iPhone. The distinction is important because there were smart phones prior to the introduction of the Apple product but, Apple's phone marked the first time people were interacting with their screen. Suddenly, an entire generation of children grew up with a remarkably different relationship to technology, one that required different skills to access and use but also, one that affected them mentally. We watch a transference of objects and the significance we assign to them. I was five when the first Toy Story came out, we did not have in home internet yet but, we had America's biggest and newest craze, Beanie Babies. I remember playing with my childhood best friend who grew up in a house right behind mine. We would stage these epic, arthurian tales, battles, war, death, you name it. These lifeless, polyester bead filled, animals were endless conduits for our growing creativity. That is the heart of this film, to hold on to that childlike sense of wonder and creativity. To let it be stifled by endless games with daily log in bonuses designed to keep you on your handheld devices.
The movies message is slightly undercut by the fact that Lily (played by Greta Lee) is redeemed. She's in fact, one of several tech/toys that ends up helping Jessie on her quest to connect these two girls. Scene stealer Smarty Pants (Conan O'Brien), a potty training toy that Blaze had, is accompanied by several other ostracized tech/toys that help Jessie out. Disney can sometimes waver on a hard villain and being that this is a kids movie, redemption seems an appropriate enough theme. Even so, audiences should take this conversation seriously. There are some good, important areas of focus raised around children's use, attachment to technology, self-efficacy, and cyber-bullying.
The b-plot involves with a series of reactivated Buzz light year figures making a trek across time to find star fleet command. They even lob a joke about that abysmal origin film (sorry Chis Evans). While this movie is topical, it almost arrives a few years too late. Generation Beta's problem won't be screens, it'll be generative A.I., an issue we've already seen impact school performance and the arts. It's even becoming a growing controversy with recent film releases such as Adam Shankman's spoof comedy Stop! That! Train!, a posthumous appearance of Val Kilmer, and best picture winner The Brutalist. It seems like the challenge for Toy Story 6 is already written in code.
A fantastic film with that signature Disney sincerity. This one you'll want to bring your whole family and a tissue with you too. In fact, I found it very refreshing that a children's movie was willing to be direct about a contemporary issue parents faced. In a landscape where so much of children's programming is under attack, it's good to see the biggest studio on earth raising awareness on something that affects childhood development. This film is a total knock out and a must see. Toy Story 5 is out in theaters June 19th.
A fantastic film with that signature Disney sincerity. This one you'll want to bring your whole family and a tissue with you too. In fact, I found it very refreshing that a children's movie was willing to be direct about a contemporary issue parents faced. In a landscape where so much of children's programming is under attack, it's good to see the biggest studio on earth raising awareness on something that affects childhood development. This film is a total knock out and a must see. Toy Story 5 is out in theaters June 19th.
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