Review: Toy Story 5 blends cutting-edge CGI with heartwarming themes
The toys are back in Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5, and this time around it’s Toy meets Tech. Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the gang’s jobs get exponentially harder when they go head to head with this all-new threat to playtime. Directed by Andrew Stanton, co-directed by Kenna Harris and produced by Lindsey Collins, Toy Story 5 delights audiences of all ages, once more.
Toy Story 5 is packed with meaningful character interactions and fun set pieces, strung together by sequences that move with purpose. This latest version presented a timely take on how screens have increasingly replaced children’s toys in recent years. And our aging heroes now face the reality of being forgotten which they quickly realize is possibly more painful than burning up in an incinerator.
Jessie (Joan Cusack) takes center stage here, with the current crisis being devised through the lens of her abandonment issues (first introduced in Toy Story 2). Combined against her strong distrust of technology is Jessie’s overall determination to live up to Woody’s legacy and do right by their owner, Bonnie (Scarlet Spears). Along the way, Jessie is about to encounter a trio of gadgets that will test her patience.
As expected, Pixar ups their animation game, adding details and wear to the classic characters, while seamlessly weaving new creations into their now-31-year-old(!) toy box. The film also introduces a whimsical, watercolor-inspired treatment to illustrate Bonnie’s playtime sequences, further distinguishing how her imagination differs from (the toys’ previous owner) Andy’s.
The first Toy Story hit big in 1995. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios, it would be the first full-length computer-generated 3D animated film in history. Released the same year as Disney’s Pocahontas (just one year after The Lion King), the debut adventure of Buzz (Tim Allen), Woody (Tom Hanks), and friends would become one of 1995’s biggest hits, captivating critics and audiences alike.
Disney (previously as Pixar’s distributor) would acquire Pixar in 1999, complementing the overwhelming success of that year’s Toy Story 2. Blending cutting-edge computer-generated imagery (CGI) with a story grounded on themes of friendship and a fear of being replaced, Toy Story ushered in an animated technological shift whose effects are still being felt.
Toy Story is recognized with Academy Award® nominations for Best Original Song, Best Original Score, and Best Original Screenplay—the first time an animated film is recognized for screenwriting. John Lasseter receives a Special Achievement Oscar® from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his “inspired leadership of the Pixar Toy Story Team resulting in the first feature-length computer animated film.”
Pixar Animation Studios, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is an Academy Award®-winning film studio with world-renowned technical, creative and production capabilities in the art of computer animation. The Northern California studio has created some of the most successful and beloved animated films of all time, including “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars,” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” among others.
Reference: Review: ‘Toy Story 5’ is a compelling continuation of a beloved franchise
