What you didn't realize while you were drying your eyes was that it was really only the end of Woody's (Tom Hanks) story. Not that they can't go right back to that well; there are plenty of lost toys for Woody and Bo Peep to help find owners for over the course of a future full-length animated feature. And Woody does play a supporting role in Toy Story 5. Let's not get ridiculous thinking they put him on the Toy Story 5 movie poster for no reason. But rest assured, Woody is not the main character in Toy Story 5.
Jessie (Joan Cusack) is the main character, now the leader of the toys owned by eight-year-old Bonnie. And everything is going well. The toys are being played with, Bonnie is being creative, and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) is trying to work up the courage to propose to Jessie. I know - I forgot that last one was a thing, too, even though it goes all the way back to Toy Story 2. I blame the Lightyear movie for erasing that plotline from my brain.
Jessie's chief concern is finding a way for Bonnie to make friends. Bonnie is really shy and "plays different" than other kids. Bonnie's parents recognize Bonnie's struggles and decide the answer is to get her a Lilypad (tablet computer) so she can more easily connect with other kids. Jessie becomes alarmed when some discarded toys in a backyard tell her that screens will be the end of Jessie's play time. That night, Jessie notices a screen glowing in the bedroom window of every house she can see and resolves to prevent Lily the Lilypad (Greta Lee) from taking over the room.
At this point, the story follows a similar path as Inside Out 2. A girl is trying to fit in with others by doing things that aren't necessarily healthy, but definitely familiar to every one of us who still remembers childhood. It also provides all parents with a bit of affirmation by showing typical behavior from kids when on their screens/devices. Kids staying up all hours of the night, can't leave a room without the device, have to answer text messages immediately, nodding that they heard you when you asked them a question. I looked directly into my son's eyes during this sequence and he looked right back, but with mischief in his eyes. Oh, he heard me alright. He heard me every...single...time.
In addition to the perceived evils of screentime, the movie also tackles a fear that we all can relate to - a fear of being useless or forgotten. This existential crisis drives Jessie to do risky things and causes her to get lost and end up at another girl's (Blaze) house. There, Jessie meets some discarded toys that she looks down upon because those toys are in fact devices. Just like Lilypad. Dun-dun-dun.
As a parent and former child, I can relate to all this and that is the power of the Toy Story franchise. In a word, nostalgia. In fact, that's what Taylor Swift wrote about in the film's featured song "I Knew It, I Knew You" (it plays when the end credits roll). It's not just about looking back and being afraid of being forgotten. It's about looking back and realizing you mattered to someone and they mattered to you. And boy does this song threaten to make you cry if the movie doesn't do it first.
Suffice it to say the storytelling is, once again, top notch, and that's not all. As with the entire franchise, the film delivers a ton of laughs, some fun action scenes, and sprinkles in toys we all remember or currently trip on in the backyard. There's also a new feature in the film that adds a fun dimension to the storytelling. When Bonnie or Blaze is playing with their toys, the animation style changes to the kind favored by the Spider-verse films. It looks like it's still sketchy, but also manages to be have some real depth and color to it. It's a great compliment to the typical animation that Pixar is known for. And all of which adds up to a movie that will definitely keep Disney's kids fed.
Rating: Don't ask for any money back, but maybe a tissue or three.
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