Copyright Screen Rant
A teaser trailer for Toy Story 5 has been unveiled, revealing Woody back with Buzz and the gang after his departure in Pixar's previous installment. In stark contrast to most long-running movie franchises (even those under Pixar's reputable umbrella) Toy Story has an excellent record in terms of quality, delivering four very strong films over the course of 24 years. While such consistency is encouraging for Toy Story 5, it also sets lofty expectations. The Toy Story 5 teaser outlines the basic plot of Woody and Buzz's new adventure. Still living with Bonnie, the toys are horrified when their owner unwraps a shiny, sleek, stylish Lilypad. Evidently, Toy Story 5 will explore the complexities of technology as a plaything, and how the introduction of gadgets into children's lives impacts more traditional toys like cowboy dolls and Space Rangers. The only problem is... haven't we been here before? 4 Out Of 5 Toy Story Films Use The Same Basic Premise Back in 1995, Woody enjoyed a comfortable existence as Andy's undisputed favorite toy. His world came crashing down with the arrival of an all-action upgrade sporting flashing lights, electronic voicebox, and modern plastic casing. The entirety of Pixar's first Toy Story movie was Woody overcoming the sensation of being replaced by something new. That theme was less prominent in Toy Story 2, but still played a significant role. This time, it was Jessie dealing with rejection, as the haunting "When Somebody Loved Me" sequence showed Jessie's owner abandoning her after becoming more interested in makeup, music, and the kind of things older kids gravitate toward. Whereas Woody's story was one of jealousy, Toy Story 2 approached the issue with a more traumatic slant, as losing Emily pushed Jessie (and, ultimately, Woody) toward rejecting the idea of being loved as a toy. Toy Story 3 took that process to its logical conclusion, as Andy went to college and the toys really did have to move on. Their search for a new purpose almost ended in tragedy before Bonnie stepped in as their replacement owner. On each stage of the journey, Toy Story's main crew faced the same question: "Is our time over?" Was their time over when a technologically superior toy came along? Was it over when their owner started puberty? Was it over when Andy literally became an adult and moved out of his childhood home? Now, in Toy Story 5, is their time over when the gadgets start arriving? The toys' fear over Lilypad plays out almost identically to Andy unwrapping Buzz Lightyear 30 years ago. Is Toy Story Returning To The Premise It Knows Best? Toy Story 4 represents the only time Pixar's franchise has strayed from the idea of toys becoming obsolete, focusing less on a toy's relationship to its owner and more on a toy's relationship with itself. There was no replacement, no threat of losing value - just Woody looking inward to figure out his true desires post-Andy. Toy Story 4 is also, arguably, the weakest movie in the series. It's still very, very good, of course. For context, Toy Story 4 has the franchise's lowest score on Rotten Tomatoes... with 96%. That speaks to the amazing consistency and continued brilliance of Pixar's flagship brand, but also highlights how a certain special something was missing in the 2019 movie. Perhaps it was the carnival setting that made Toy Story 4 feel more like a spinoff than part of the main franchise. Maybe it was the increased focus on Woody, with Buzz getting sidelined. It also didn't help that Toy Story 3 already gave fans a perfect ending, which its successor tried to match with its own devastatingly emotional finale.
