'Toy Story 5' Could Have Been More BOLD and Less BALD (Spoiler Review)

Toy Story 5 is out in theaters. No spoilers just yet, but I have seen it, I like it, and I consider it a good movie. However, it is my least favorite of the five films.

Non-Spoiler Thoughts

What it does right is it shifts the focus to Jessie. She is very much the main character here. She and the toys are trying to help Bonnie make friends, and they fear that devices like the Lilypad and such are replacing them and perhaps not approaching friendship in the best way. It is a type of plot that feels like it should have been done years ago, and I do recognize that their plight to help her make friends is similar to Inside Out 2. While I do think Inside Out 2 was the better film, I was still invested in these characters whom we have come to know and love. And Jessie also has to reckon with how she ultimately feels about her past friendship with Emily, something we have known for years she is been broken up about. All of that generally worked for the film.

Where the film fell short for me, however, was in forcing Woody’s presence into this story, and giving us more Buzz than this plot really required. While some people were heartbroken about Toy Story 4 separating them, one must admit that it is a bold and admirable ending. That film also worked really as a character study for Woody. Fans often claim that Toy Story 3 was undermined by Toy Story 4 because Bonnie does not pay attention to Woody. But she is a very young kid. So, of course she is going forget things and gravitate more toward Jessie. Now, Toy Story 5 showing that the separation was not as permanent as fans thought? There is a case to be made that this undermines the ending of Toy Story 4 more than that film undermined Toy Story 3.

With some of these Buzz and Woody elements, it felt to me like there was too much going on in Toy Story 5. It could have been streamlined had the team behind this film fully committed to this being Jessie’s movie. It definitely feels like Jessie’s movie first and foremost, but it also feels like Disney, Pixar, and perhaps a good chunk of the audience, simply cannot let go of the idea of Woody and Buzz being the permanent faces of the franchise. There are even fans who want the toys returned to Andy or making their way to his kids or grandchildren in a future installment, which all just feels less creative.

While my focus in this article will be more on these issues, I just want to be upfront and say I still think this was a good movie. My score for it at the moment is an 8/10, though I’d include an asterisk noting that my score could go up or down a quarter over time. So, without further adieu, let’s get into the spoilers.

SPOILER ALERT

Some of us were already aware that the army of Buzz Lightyears idea would be in this movie. But it was surprising that the movie began with this idea. The concept was discarded from development of an early version of Toy Story 3 about two decades ago. So it is somewhat humorous in hindsight that we see these Buzz Lightyear toys who look literally tossed aside as the storage container carrying them has washed upon a shore. One might also not help but look at this as a metaphor for the disappointment that must have been felt over the box office performance of 2022's Lightyear.

Also of note, there is a moment in which our Buzz tells the other Buzzes that Zurg is their dad. This, coupled with Zurg saying as much in Toy Story 2, is a bit confusing in light of the Lightyear movie going a different direction with Zurg’s identity. Was there a sequel made quickly after the 1995 Lightyear film that reveals another Zurg who is actually Buzz’s dad? On the surface, this moment in 5 almost reads like Pixar telling the audience to forget the Lightyear movie. Honestly, I kind of would have preferred for the army of hi-tech Buzzes to look more like the Lightyear movie Buzzes, if they absolutely had to be included in this film. That at least would have been a different flavor. Some more detailed, more movie-accurate Buzzes. Kind of like the Star Wars Black Series figures. It is kind of funny to imagine Pixar thinking something along the lines of, “Lightyear didn’t work. The twist didn’t work. What works better? Oh! Having MORE Buzzes than even that movie had!”

Pivoting my thoughts to a horror movie franchise for a moment, this reminds me of the army of Chuckys idea alluded to in the Child’s Play 2 novelization, during the factory scene. This is an idea that would not be revisited until the seventh Chucky film Cult of Chucky in 2017, and the 2021 Chucky TV series that followed. Without spoiling, the gist is that they start with a few Chuckys, and then the army of Chuckys idea is squandered in the end. It is not as large scale of a thing as you might think. (By the way, a while back, I spent each day of October recapping and reviewing each Chucky movie and episode. Go check that out later here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQoxEXeTOopqbLjFibyYv-7XK6Mw4KQgd)

The army of Buzz Lightyears idea similarly feels wasted here as well. They do take part in the climax, but I feel that the flying sequence could have been done with some other high-tech toy that would not have needed such a grand introduction. It is baffling to me because this is an idea that was toyed with (See what I did there?) 20 years ago, and it was brought back because this film touches on tech-related toys, and there is this tenuous connection with the Buzzes being hi-tech. But that connection does not really link into the themes in as meaningful of a way.

This movie could have been done without the army of Buzzes. It is not a bad idea on its own. I actually thought the shot on the shore of the Buzz looking for the other Buzzes was beautiful. I loved seeing them learn about themselves, how they freeze when humans are around (which I suppose solves a Toy Story 1 question), and how they bond with animals and humans. This could have been a short film or TV special all on its own. Instead, the film forces this connection with how they follow Star Command, then follow the shining star in the sky and sail across the water, ending up somewhere not too far from the setting of the rest of the film, meeting up with the rest of the toys because they conveniently see the listing about Jessie and Bullseye being lost and found toys, thus leading to them going toward those characters because of the star badge Jessie wears. It just all feels too convenient, and very much a kitchen sink approach with all these ideas thrown together.

And that is one of the strange things about this movie. It kind of had some conveniences that felt too convenient. Emily’s home is not too far from where Bonnie lives, which also isn’t too far from where Andy lives? I suppose it makes sense that when Jesse was donated, she would have ended up somewhere Al McWhiggin is not too far from. But there are ways he could have acquired Jessie from further away.

We also learn that Jessie has had Emily’s address written on her this entire time, throughout all these films. This has a bit of the same energy as 2004's Seed of Chucky, another fifth movie, in which Chucky is shown to have the words “Made in Japan” written on his wrist. This was never alluded to or shown previously. Though, to be fair, this could be from one of the doll parts used to rebuild Chucky in the fourth film, Bride of Chucky.

But getting back to Toy Story continuity, did Al McWhiggin just never notice the address on on Jessie's outfit? If he is selling the Round-Up gang to a museum, wouldn’t he want to somehow remove the writing or cover it up in order to increase the value? Or was he just too lazy? In Woody’s case, Al didn’t try removing Andy’s name right away. It was not until Geri was called in to fix Woody up that he painted over the name. But maybe this was always going to happen, given the rip in Woody’s shoulder. So, it may be safe to say the added detail of Emily's address is kind of a hole. If one wants to imagine a solution, perhaps one can say Al was not observant enough in this case.

As far as conveniences go, though, I appreciate that this film refutes the fan theory that Emily is Andy’s mom by mentioning she had a daughter named Jessie (who is obviouly not Andy). I do admit that there was a part of me that kept waiting for Jessie to reunite with Emily. Exploring this element of Jessie’ backstory certainly feels like Pixar were trying to give the fans something they always wondered about. But I also kept thinking that, with all the coincidental crossing of paths happening, maybe this would be too much. Ultimately, I like that there was restraint in this, at least. While some fans might be disappointed that there was not a full-on reunion between Jessie and Emily, it felt realistic to me. Sometimes, we do not see our friends again. But that does not mean we meant nothing to each other. This is especially evident when Jessie learns that Emily named her daughter after her.

Not to minimize this revelation, but for me, it did not hit as hard as was perhaps intended. I have already seen this sort of thing in Futurama and a Seth Rogen movie from over a decade ago. However, I recognize that I am an adult, and this could be a younger viewer’s first experience with this type of revelation. It could be more impactful to them. I do really like how it conveys that even if you are no longer in a friend’s life, they can still remember you afterward and be thankful that they knew you for the chapter of their life in which you were present.

This theme could have been further emphasized had the film been bold enough to make Woody absent from this adventure. This could have been a parallel element, with the toys remembering Woody fondly and missing him, but ultimately thankful that they knew him for the time he was with them. Ultimately, what did Woody’s presence even add to Toy Story 5? It was just an excuse to see him and Buzz have a frustrating argument, and some wish fulfillment of having him present for these sentimental moments where Buzz tries proposing to Jesse and then they do the wedding ceremony. And I suppose to do the bald joke. I don’t mind that joke in and of itself. I am balding, I am fine with that sort of thing, but the marketing in retrospect makes it feel like this was the main reason to have Woody return.

And I get it. You have to throw Woody into the marketing so that some who are hesitant are willing to go see the movie. Thankfully, his presence did not overshadow the focus on Jessie. But that further adds to how his presence was not as meaningful. What they could have done was include a flashback where he and Jessie solve a problem, and then that could somehow tie into how Jessie approaches things in the present day events. Then there could have been another scene of him toward the end in present day. Not present near Bonnie’s toys, but just a cutaway to him and Bo Peep doing their work helping lost toys, and maybe they have a bit of dialogue where they remember their friends but feel confident that they are doing fine, especially with Jesse and Buzz keeping an eye on things. Instead, we see that they are just a walkie-talkie call away, which lessens the impact of Toy Story 4.

The way this movie handles technology could also be seen as kind of a gray area. We are in an age where there are concerns about AI replacing people, and yet we have these movies like Toy Story 5 and The Wild Robot where the audience is expected to feel for these tech characters in the end, with the lesson here being that everything can stick around as long as used correctly. Jessie’s hostility toward tech toys and eventually learning to co-exist could potentially feel like a lesson about bigotry. It feels strange to do this with these devices while we are in the middle of grappling with AI issues. While I do like the device characters in the story itself, and I know it is just a movie, I cannot help but ask questions about the intentions here.

Conclusion

While I did spend a lot of time on my negatives and headscratchers, I still generally like the direction that this film went in with Jessie and the friendship plot. And I really enjoyed this cute subplot where Buzz wants to propose to Jessie and they get to tie the knot. Kind of strange that it took so long for them to finally kiss for what I assume is the first time, but it was cute.

Speaking of kisses, earlier in the movie, we get Buzz doing mouth to mouth CPR on Rex during playtime. And I really appreciate that this film did not do the low hanging fruit joke of having them be like, “Ew, we’re guys, and we kissed.” You know, we’re past that, or should be, at least. They never really address the moment. So, props there for being respectful. There’s definitely room for Pixar content to be more progressive, but at least they did not punch down here.

While previous Toy Story sequels left audiences feeling that they may have seen the toys for the last time, there is instead this ongoing feeling of inevitability that there will be a Toy Story 6. Talks have appeared online about how it could conclude the Bonnie trilogy like how 3 ended the Andy trilogy. While I am not completely opposed to the idea of a sixth film, I would hope that it makes more bold choices and does not play it safe the way 5 did by including Woody and giving us more Buzz Lightyears. If franchises have to go on, they need to evolve and condition audiences to be prepared for change.