Toy Story 5 Review: Controversially, it's my new favorite
I'm a big fan of the Toy Story series, even if I think it's a little overrated in the grand scheme of Pixar's filmography. I'm not nearly as high on the original film as most people, but 2 through 4 are all fantastic films, in my opinion. The conclusions of both the third and fourth films were incredibly fitting, and making another simply left me worried. That is, until the first trailer dropped, when I was instantly sold because of its message and felt it was an important enough story to tell that it was worth the risk. Most of my cynicism came from Woody returning, but, thankfully, this film leaves him in a situation where he's more of a real sheriff who just helps people he can, so it doesn't discard his great arc from Toy Story 4! Anyway, just wanted to get that out of the way for anybody worried. Thank you all for joining me here on The Reel Ranker today, and I hope you enjoy this article!
Let's get into the negatives first, as always. First, this is the least focused and streamlined entry in the series. The main story is a little more scattershot, following Bonnie, Jessie, Blaze, an army of Buzzes, the toys at Bonnie's house, and probably a couple I'm forgetting. I actually love films that have different points of view and switch a lot, because they make the story feel grander and more intense to me, but I had to point this out for those who prefer more focus. Secondly, while probably the most clever instance of it in recent memory, this film does resort to some potty humor that felt jarring to see in a Pixar film. I hate potty humor, but this wasn't horrible. Still, I would have preferred that a certain character be replaced with a different, less mediocre gadget.
Third, if you're looking for an ending on the level of Toy Story 3 or even 4, this will be a pretty major disappointment for you, since it's not even attempting to hide it—there will be a sixth film. The film does a good job of concluding its self-contained story, but it feels like there are diminishing returns when it doesn't end as neatly as the last two films did. However, I will admit that the ending of this film still made me tear up and gave me a huge grin. The ending is still better than those of the first two movies, in my opinion. Fourth, and finally, some of the toys deserved a little more time on screen, such as the legendary Duke Caboom, Bo Peep, Rex... Like, were the Potato Heads even in this? I can't remember! I get why they wouldn't have voice roles, but it's getting to the point where adding more toys feels a tad hollow when we haven't fully developed the iconic ones from before.
All that being said, even though this film probably has the most kinks it could iron out, I’ve got to be completely honest: as a defender of 4 who thought 5 would be worse, I can confidently (and controversially) say that this is my favorite of the series. And it’s not recency bias, I can assure you, because I’ve got all the concrete evidence to tell you why its high highs supersede its rough edges. My favorite aspect of the fourth film was that it struck a perfect balance of the fun of the second and the emotions of the third. However, Toy Story 5 does this even better.
This movie made me laugh and tear up more than any previous Toy Story film. I didn’t think anything could beat the 1-2-3 punch of Jessie’s backstory, the incinerator, and the Gabby Gabby final sequence for me, but there’s one scene in this film that is on the level of Up and Ratatouille for me. It’s the scene regarding Jessie's name, to say without spoilers for anyone needing clarification. And this is indisputably a top-three funniest Pixar film for me now, just behind Inside Out 2 and Hoppers. I don’t know what it is with Pixar’s recent comedy hot streak, but I’ve been getting some incredible diaphragm workouts.
This film's themes are the most potent, timely, and relevant of any Toy Story film, and some of the best commentary on Pixar’s extensive resume. It has more of the themes of growing up that were on full display in the last two films, while incorporating a holistic look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of tech. I was surprised by how it really made Bonnie the second most important character in the story, for once.
Most previous films had little emotional context for the human characters, so seeing Bonnie front and center really elevated the emotional stakes for me. Also, the score for this film is my favorite so far! The original vocal songs are definitely better in the previous films, but the background music for the Buzz army was equally hilarious, epic, and incredible. The animation in this one also finds new ways to innovate and look way better than the last movies, without forcing any new style that doesn't work, like Shrek's fifth outing. There's also a surprisingly hilarious and potent romance subplot, too!
But best of all, Jessie is the main character! She's always been underutilized, in my opinion, and I've always liked her a good bit more than Buzz or Woody. Not a slight to them, but her spunk, accent, and everything make her my favorite character of the series. This may not be my favorite if it were anybody else's perspective. But, then again, that would pretty fundamentally change the movie...
The Reel Ranker Verdict
Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 95%
Letter Score: S+
Star Ranking: 5 out of 5
Toy Story 5 might be rougher around the edges than previous entries. Still, with my favorite story of the series, wonderful humor, and some of the biggest, most consistent emotional stakes in Pixar history, this is one of my new favorite Pixar movies and my favorite Toy Story movie so far. It just took all my favorite elements of previous films and some things I've always wished these movies would tackle, marrying them in a way that justifies the whole film's existence.
Interested in checking out some recent reviews for some other animated films? See them below!
Brighton Nelson
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