Thirty-one years later, the TOY STORY toys still melt families’ hearts. I went in with low expectations for another sequel. They vanished the moment I realized I’d watch this one through my four-year-old’s eyes on Father’s Day. One of us cried. You can guess who.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane. My kid’s first movie in a theater was almost two years ago today. And that movie was the original TOY STORY. The Buzz and Woody toys that he brought to the theater were my original from the 1995 film. I had the timing down perfectly to do a bathroom break during the Sid scenes and was worried it would be too much. Yet, at two years old, he looked at me, upset, and demanded to go back in and finish the film. With that, a future TOY STORY fan was created.
Cut to this past weekend, where we sat on the couch together and watched TOY STORY 2, 3, and 4. He loved them, and when he asked me what I wanted for Father’s Day, I told him I just wanted to see TOY STORY 5 with him. He loved it. I asked him which one was his favorite, and he said he loves all of them, except number one (probably because the animation doesn’t hold up as well). I’m hopeful that these core memories will stick for him, but if not, they will be in my soul to infinity and beyond.
The films have stood the test of time. In number five, the toys leap into the tech world and square off against Lilypad, a clear iPad spoof. The world is bigger here, too, with far more on screen to animate, and Pixar fills every frame. TOY STORY 5 doesn’t fly as high as 2, with its devastating Sarah McLachlan song, or 3, with the franchise’s most emotional ending. But it beats 4 and convinced me this series will keep flourishing. Something is fitting about a movie that pits beloved toys against a glowing screen, when the kid beside me chose a worn-out Buzz and Woody over his devices at home.
The series finally pivots from Buzz and Woody to the strongest member of the roundup, Jessie. I thought her arc closed with “When Somebody Loved Me” back in 2. Watching how much of her story remains here is inspiring. I wouldn’t dare spoil it, but know that Jessie should’ve gotten a starring role well before the instantly forgettable Pixar film, LIGHTYEAR.
Final Thought: Toys are still for play, and someday my son will be too old for his. When that day comes, I’ll have five films, and the memory of the boy who used to put play above tech.
It’s available now in theaters.
