FILM REVIEW: TOY STORY 5 (PG) ESP RATING: 4/5
- sharonmcallister28
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
The fifth instalment in any franchise has no right to be this good.
While the Toy Story trilogy was nicely wrapped up in 2010, it’s no surprise that Disney/Pixar keeps milking this cash cow – and you could be forgiven for thinking the series may break at some point.
The fourth movie didn’t quite shine as brightly as the first three – even though perfectly solid in its own right – so how would this prevent a potential decline?
By making it poignantly topical – and with heaps of heartwarming moments that will make you smile. Simply put, this was an absolute joy. The perfect summer animation. Familarity is its only nemesis.
Eight-year-old Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) – struggling to socialise with kids due to her awkward shyness – is given a frog-themed tablet, named Lilypad, by her parents in an attempt to remedy the situation.
She then gets hooked on the device, and begins to neglect her toys – primarily Jessie (Joan Cusack) and her trusty steed Bullseye – leading to the cowgirl confronting Lily in fear of losing Bonnie’s affection. But the new tablet menace instead sends friend requests to several of her classmates, which ends up with Bonnie heading for a sleepover – and Jessie/Bullseye stowing away in her case.
But when Bonnie’s new friends – also heavily addicted to tech – mock her for still playing with toys, her ex-favourite playthings are thrown into the back of her Dad’s car, who then escape via an opened window.
Picked up from the pavement by an elderly couple, they spot an address on Jessie’s trousers, which sends the duo back to the farmhouse home of her original owner, Emily.
Here she ends up in the shed of forgotten toys – including a discontinued potty-training device called Smarty Pants (Conan O’Brien) – and eventually in the hands of young girl Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris) – who is as socially awkward as Bonnie – and with the help of her new pals, Jessie aims to bring the two girls together.
In the meantime, the two sub-plots involve a unit of hi-tech Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) toys aiming to find Star Command; and cowboy Woody (Tom Hanks) – now complete with bald spot – still trying to find homes for abandoned toys. By multiple set-pieces all three stories intertwine, and via several truly emotive interludes, really forms together into another slice of Pixar ingenuity.
This is without doubt a predominantly Jessie story on this occasion – with Woody and Buzz refreshingly relegated to secondary players – but director Andrew Stanton and his team deserve immense praise for keeping the franchise relevant after more than thirty years.
Smarty Pants is the outstanding support act – providing the majority of stand-out humorous moments – but Jessie is undoubtedly the MVP as Toy Story shows no signs of breaking yet.
And proves it still has the ability to go to infinity and beyond for future generations – potentially for decades to come.
ESP Rating: 4/5
Gavin Miller
Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough & Odeon Luxe Peterborough, Out Now
Voice Cast: Joan Cusack, Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Spears, Greta Lee, Conan O’brien, Shelby Rabara, Craig Robinson & Mykal-Michelle Harris
Running Time: 1 Hr 42 Mins
Director: Andrew Stanton
Film Review Venue: Showcase Cinema De Lux Peterborough
For all the latest film information & showtimes at Peterborough’s Showcase Cinema De Lux & Odeon Luxe Cinemas go to www.showcasecinemas.co.uk and www.odeon.co.uk
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