Toy Story 5

You’ve got a friend in screens. Or do you? That’s the question at the heart of Toy Story 5. Rather than regurgitating previous narratives around growing out of childhood interests, the fivequel explores something more timely: the ubiquity of screen time, which has replaced traditional toys. This, of course, spells big trouble for the gang.

The unprecedented way in which Gen-Z and Alpha are growing up is illustrated through Bonnie’s (Scarlett Spears) inability to make friends, being the only child on the block, still clinging to her cherished toys as opposed to a device. This makes way for a thoroughly modern antagonist: an advanced tablet named Lilypad (voiced by a fantastically villainous Greta Lee). Bought by Bonnie’s parents in a last-ditch effort to help her make friends with the other screen-addicted kids, Lilypad quickly replaces Jessie (Joan Cusack), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the gang. With Bonnie now in a permanent doom-scroll trance, Jessie sets out to find her a real friend and prove that toys still have a place in our digitised age. Now a poncho-wearing, balding, middle-aged cowboy, Woody (Tom Hanks) returns to join the cause.

It’s refreshing to see the narrative led by Jessie for a change, and Cusack does a fantastic job as always. Wittier than ever, the script is packed with relatable nod-along moments, such as Jessie lamenting that Bonnie and her new “friends” don’t meet IRL, instead interacting solely through a screen. Having grown up with the original film, Millennials may find themselves fighting back tears as they watch Jessie wistfully longing to preserve those analogue days of entertainment sans devices. Instead of being a passive user of apps, there’s an emphasis on the importance of children taking agency over their playtime; unique to the long-running film series, this is illustrated through dreamy cartoon reenactments of the power of Bonnie’s imaginative play.

There may be a few too many characters for its own good; Bad Bunny as Pizza With Sunglasses, for instance, utters a few words before being forgotten about. We also hear little from the original gang, such as Rex and Ham. But ultimately, the emphasis isn’t on the old characters, but on embracing unfiltered creativity over smart technology.

It’s a wry commentary on the state of our disconnected tech-supremacist era, but imbued with that quintessentially whimsical Toy Story touch. This marks a return to form for the beloved film series.