Mixed reviews for Toy Story 5 but critics agree tech-reliance warning important

By Carla Feric, Press Association Entertainment Reporter

Toy Story 5 has divided critics, but many have agreed that its message about the impact of technology is important and topical.

The franchise first began in 1995 and is an animated comedy about a group of toys, starring Tim Allen as superhero action figure Buzz Lightyear and Tom Hanks as a pull-string cowboy doll named Woody.

Greta Lee joins the star-studded cast as a Lilypad smart tablet for the latest instalment, who forces the toys to work together to try and save their owner Bonnie from electronic devices.

Critics have agreed that the film addressing children’s use of technology comes at a topical time, given that earlier this week British prime minister Keir Starmer announced a social media ban for under-16s.

However, the film has been met with mixed reviews – with many debating how powerful the message really was, as well as questioning whether the franchise needed another instalment.

The Independent gave the film two stars, saying that it is “certainly topical” but it is “the worst in the series”, adding: “While this is topical, there does come a point in any franchise where the natural momentum dies.”

It continued: “With Toy Story 5, Pixar’s 30-year-old franchise has finally started to show its age.”

The Guardian shared the same sentiment and also awarded the film two out of five stars, calling the Toy Story franchise “played out”.

The Telegraph on the other hand gave it four out of five stars and praised the “promotion to lead” for cowgirl doll Jessie, played by Joan Cusack, as the film focuses on her character’s emotional journey while revisiting her first owner.

The review also says the film “is another parable of parental crisis dressed up as a brightly coloured family adventure”, telling a “cautionary tale about online childhoods”.

However, it went on to say that the film “pulls fewer punches than might be expected” in regard to its commentary about technology.

Empire Magazine also gave it four out of five stars and hailed its powerful theme in contrast to Toy Story 4, and called it “a welcome return to philosophical form as well as being funny, warm-hearted and largely — perhaps overly — optimistic”.

The Times shared the same rating and said that “Sir Keir Starmer will love it”, adding that its message about technology is “a sign of turning tide or an audacious act of self sabotage”.

It continued: “A touchy-feely third act seems to argue for a shaky compromise of the toxic tech debate (group chat = bad, non WiFi-enabled tech toys under supervision at certain times = tolerable).

“Yet in the end, Toy Story 5 cannot shake the lingering sense that it’s not only the age of toys but childhood itself that is over.”

The Financial Times awarded the film three stars, noting that it paints a “portrait of tech rendering the young both sadder and meaner”.

The reviews adds: “There are flashes of wit and charm (2000s digital gizmos are now relics too), but a certain mechanised whirr is also never far away in a film that feels oddly cold about most kids, and a little thin on plot.”

USA Today also agreed with the three-star rating, and hailed the film for exploring “tech, kids and friendship in a thoughtful way that feels fresh and relatable for youngsters and parents alike”.

It added: “Somehow, more than 30 years later, Buzz and Woody haven’t worn out their welcome.

“It also doesn’t hurt that Jessie lassos our feelings like never before.”

Toy Story 5 will be available to watch in cinemas from June 19th.