Toy Story 5(2026)

When Toy Story 4 came out in 2019, I remember being very skeptical, but decided that it was more than good enough to justify its existence. 7 years later, I feel the same way about Toy Story 5. If you liked the the first four movies, this one, at the very least, will not bore you.

I was just telling someone this week about how IP and franchise films, while the easiest thing to make profitable, are the hardest thing to make well. Well, it’s hard to think of any other franchise whose financial value has been maximized as tastefully as this one. They made sure to 1) focus what the series does best, 2) builds upon it to add at least a little nuance every time and 3) most importantly, not to do it too often. Their restraint is what allowed this universe to grow with us as we matured without us souring on it.

From its very inception, this series that started from a seemingly childish idea, that toys have their own lives when we are not watching, has had a bittersweet theme at its very center all along: all good things come to an end. It is perhaps because the creators understand the central message of their films that they've been able to make deliver on this increasingly more difficult game of Jenga that is to add one installation to a beloved franchise after another. As with toys that we ultimately retire, this film's job is to make most fans of the series happy here and now. Maybe it doesn't elevate the franchise in artistic value, but what does it matter?