17. Toy Story 5

Toy Story 5 isn’t any more “necessary” than Toy Story 4, but as long as these movies keep making money, Disney and Pixar will keep making them, probably. Though this Jessie-centric sequel does prove that the well of the “secret life of toys dealing with their fickle, aging owners” is running dry, as it largely covers the same ground as previous movies but with a “these kids always be on their damn phones” filter applied, it has a pretty sensible handle on some of the challenges kids are dealing with in the modern age. It starts with a heavy-handed message that “screens are bad,” ostensibly because staring at one keeps kids from the more imaginative and stimulating experience of playing with toys, but it actually ends up using this as a springboard to discuss how toys don’t have to be a lifelong obsession for children, and that they can still be important to them at the right time…just like every other Toy Story does. Yeah, okay. Toy Story 5 has some standout moments that will get you teary-eyed and I really adore the dreamlike “playtime” imagination sequences in which the movie transitions from Pixar’s usual house style to a more dream-like, almost 2D presentation, but it is mostly more of the same. Though Jessie takes the lead role in stride, I do fear these movies are running out of material, as the last two have felt more like elongated, meandering shorts than full feature films in a series that once felt like it had more profound things to say. — KS