The Filmscape Reverie

By: Maria Cieslarczyk

Note: Spoilers ahead!

Toy Story 5 is an eye-opening film about what it really means to be a kid in today’s day and age…all while still having the special Disney magic that everyone loves. 

The film centers around Jessie, Buzz, and our classic crew as they notice that their kid, Bonnie, plays differently than the other kids in her neighborhood. She still prioritizes her physical toys rather than tech-savvy devices, which her parents think may be causing a delay in her forming critical friendships with the other kids. Behold: the next day, arrives Lilypad…a smart kids’ iPad full of online games that Bonnie can play with the girls in her dance class. Bonnie becomes obsessed, and – with the help of Woody – it’s up to Jessie, Buzz, and the other toys to navigate that line of online play vs. still being a kid at heart. 

Soon, after a sleepover conundrum, Jessie and her beloved horse Bullseye are accidentally returned to Jessie’s old address with her first kid, Emily (who is now all grown up and moved away). The new owners of the house have a young girl Bonnie’s age named Blaze, who also values playing horses and her classic toys over technology.

I love how we see that although the rise of technology can be a spooky thing in today’s day and age, there is a purpose being served here as well. In the film, Blaze’s first tech-savvy toy is a battery-operated potter trainer named Mr. Smarty Pants. We see his relationship with Jessie transform from chaotic and combatative to understanding and respectful. Mr. Smarty Pants and the other tech-based toys also just want to be played with and ultimately, want what’s best for their kid, Blaze. 

Toy Story 5 is a tale of how sometimes we think people don’t notice us but that is the opposite – we actually have a huge impact on others’ lives and they do care. For example, Jessie thought that her first kid, Emily, stopped caring about her but towards the end of the film, we see that Emily actually named her own daughter after Jessie, signaling how important her time was with her. Yep…I did tear up at this scene! Jessie realizes that her role in kids’ lives actually does matter quite a big deal, even if she spent a long time debating her own self-worth.

The ending is a great way to tie these themes of transformation and technology together. We had initially viewed the main anatagonist, the kids’ iPad, Lilypad, to be selfish and uncaring but we see that she has regret once she realizes that she had caused Bonnie to be friends with the wrong girls who ended up bullying her for still playing with physical toys and using her imagination. Jessie, Woody, and Buzz team up with Lilpad, Mr. Smartypants, and the other tech-based toys to connect Bonnie and Blaze together and create a real friendship, which leads to everyone getting played with in the end.

It makes me reflect on my own childhood and how sometimes kids have resources that help them mature faster. I definitely enjoyed playing outside and had a collection of toys that I loved (Webkinz, Barbies, even fantasy animal figurines etc.) that I would create elaborate games with (oftentimes recreating epic fantasy battle scenes like from Narnia or Pirates of the Caribbean…yes, I was obsessed back then!) However, as technology advances, it’s impossible to keep kids from getting access to technology. The important thing is to not lose sight of what truly matters, and to find a way to balance technology with play to create healthy childhoods for today’s kids.

This film healed my inner child because a wave of nostalgia hit me as I was watching it in theaters. The first time I watched the original Toy Story, I was a young child barely entering kindergarten and now here I am, at 26 years old, having lived so much life and still feeling lost sometimes too! 

Toy Story 5 is a beautiful blend of diving into relevant modern topics while also paying tribute to that old-school nostalgia from the original films. It’s now playing in theaters everywhere and I highly recommend watching now for some good ol’ fun! So go “ride like the wind, Bullseye!”