Let me preface this by stating animated movies are one of my favorite genres and are right up there tied with comedies. When I was a child I saw Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and others, all of which were Disney movies. We would put on plays in our garage reenacting the story-line. I wrote the lines, produced, directed and starred in them. We invited the whole neighborhood, charged admission and served refreshments. I, being the older sister, gave myself the starring roles and my younger sister the supporting roles. I fell in love with the genre and have ne’er steered away from it.
In 2019, my whole family went to see Toy Story 4. We were led to believe, both through the promotion of the film and the story itself, that this was truly the end. With Woody and Bo Peep moving on, it felt like a heartfelt goodbye that left my daughter and I sobbing like newborn babies. (Why, when you laugh out loud in a theatre is it acceptable but when you cry out loud is it not?)
There is no law against NOT liking a Disney movie… or is there? I feel like it goes against the whole magical theme of everything Disney. I walked in there still recalling the 2019 Toy Story 4 that ripped my emotional heart to pieces. I was thinking how could it get more heart wrenching than that and it absolutely did not. I did not feel a connection to the characters, the story-line or the delivery. Sure, it was good to see them all back but I felt that it just was too fragmented – with little emotion. I love when they add a new character into one of the installments and they become the breakout star, but that did not happen. There was one scene where I cried a bit but this movie just didn’t do it for me.
Always after a movie that I have enjoyed, I talk about it with my friend(s) or family right after and continuing out to the lobby and sometimes beyond. I spoke not a word about it and I think one of the reasons was I think my two family members I went with did like it so did not want to spoil the moment(s) for them.
A MINOR SPOILER ALERT: The movie basically was ‘toys vs. tech’ and how children began using tech instead of traditional toys. The ‘moral of the story’ / ‘message’ was to not rush out of your childhood – to keep that creative, imaginative way of playing with toys making up stories as you go along. But it also showed how addictive tech is and I heard that loud & clear as an adult. We all need to put down our devices and really listen and witness our own real lives and not those of strangers. Maybe we don’t need to go back in time, but we could all benefit from rediscovering the imagination and wonder that existed before our lives revolved around screens.
Toy Story 5 may be a perfectly good animated film, but it never made me feel the way a Toy Story movie should.
the bluezy redhead
Principle Cast: Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusack (Jessie), Greta Lee (Lilypad), Tony Hale (Forky), Conan O’Brien (Smarty Pants), Craig Robinson (Atlas), Shelby Rabara (Snappy), Scarlett Spears (Bonnie), Mykal-Michelle Harris (Blaze), Matty Matheson (Dr. Nutcase), John Ratzenberger (Hamm), Wallace Shawn (Rex), Blake Clark (Slinky Dog), Jeff Bergman (Mr. Potato Head), Anna Vocino (Mrs. Potato Head), Annie Potts (Bo Peep), Bonnie Hunt (Dolly), Melissa Villaseñor (Karen Beverly), John Hopkins (Mr. Pricklepants), Kristen Schaal (Trixie), Ernie Hudson (Combat Carl), Keanu Reeves (Duke Caboom), Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (new character), Alan Cumming (new character).
