Bonnie and Jessie star in ‘Toy Story 5’

Category: Movies

The long-awaited fifth film in the Toy Story franchise is now showing in theaters. The hype for this film has been enormous. So, does Toy Story 5 live up to the expectations? Pretty much.

The story revolves around Bonnie and Jessie. Bonnie is now eight years old and still loves playing with her toys. Her imagination is endless. She is a fun-loving little girl but also very shy. She does not have any friends except her beloved toys.

Seeing the sadness in their daughter’s eyes, her parents buy her a Lily Pad tablet. Wow. A fun new game and a chance to connect with others. And Bonnie does just that. She joins a group chat and immediately feels like one of the gang.

But Jessie and the other toys see something wrong with this new setup. Bonnie has abandoned her toys in favor of the Lily Pad and the connections she made through it.

Jessie has been trying to help Bonnie make new friends, but this is not what she had in mind.

Through some mishaps, Jessie and Bullseye end up at the farm where Jessie started her life. This dilemma sets up several scenarios getting them back to Bonnie.

While Jessie is trying to understand what happened to her through the years, she realizes she is at the house where she and Emily, her first child, had so much fun. When she grew up Emily donated Jessie who then ended up with Andy, and subsequently with Bonnie.

Jessie does not want to experience that abandonment another time. What has her life added up to? 

Besides the toys we all know and love, another side story is happening. A cargo of Buzz Lightyears fell off the ship and the Buzz’s ended up on an island. They immediately set about getting back to civilization.

Bonnie eventually understands that her new “friends” from the group chat are not really her friends. They have bullied this poor little girl. Bonnie is basically adrift until she meets Blaze, who lives in Emily’s old house and through circumstances now has possession of Jessie and Bullseye.

By combining low-tech (some of Blaze’s old toys) with high-tech, Jessie and the group figure out how to help little Bonnie.

There are many touching scenes in the film. And keep an eye out for plenty of Easter Eggs.

Jessie is now running the show as Sheriff, with Buzz as her deputy and Woody returns to help his old friends.

This film takes on a new look when Bonnie plays with her toys.  Her imagination is shown as watercolor-style  drawings, which give the scenarios a more inventive style, much like her inventive mind. She is undoubtedly very creative and loves putting her toys in various situations. 

Ultimately, this is another sensitive and endearing story with Bonnie, Jessie, and the entire family of toys.

NOTE – The filmmakers expect audiences to forget about the short Toy Story films. They are not supposed to be in the timeline of the feature film franchise. However fans of the Toy Story stories might find that difficult.

In Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014), Bonnie had a friend – Mason. She and Mason played video games together. So this kind of changes the scenario that Bonnie has no friends and has not played with any tech toys. 

Audiences definitely need to put that storyline aside in order to enjoy this new film. 

Toy Story 5 is rated PG for some thematic elements and rude humor.

To learn how the film was created, check out The Art Of Toy Story 5 book. And for more fun with the toys, there is plenty of great merchandise.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.