Toy Story 5

Given today’s sequel-infested Hollywood, the Toy Story franchise has been uniquely able, against all odds, to keep its stories fresh. But it’s been 30 years since Woody, Buzz and Jessie (Tom Hanks, Tim Allen & Joan Cusack) first charmed us, and the central idea of a toy’s perspective on the world may have peaked. 

First the good parts. It doesn’t rest on its laurels. The movie is most comfortable when tuned in to the franchise’s familiar sentimental rhythms. The gang has survived their owners’ growing up, greedy used-toy dealers and other threats to inanimate but beloved objects. 

The film gets points for its genuinely scary, real-time villain that threatens adults as well as kids, referred to simply as “the screens.” It laments how electronic time-sinks are sapping children’s imaginations and turning them into uncommunicative zombies, forgetting how to “play.” Also points for making its central character a shy little girl who finds it hard to make friends.

Bottom line: not peak Pixar, but an enjoyable enough time at the movies, adapting to how the world has changed in the past three decades, and worth your time and money. But it’s easier to like than to really admire. Being the fifth best Toy Story is hardly a criticism with this franchise. (102 min)