I’m Trevor with the Sasquatch Movie Minute with a look at TOY STORY 5, directed by McKenna Harris and Andrew Stanton. Jessie and the gang must deal with the introduction of tech to their human child, Bonnie.

4 out of 5

Man, they just keep knocking these TOY STORY movies out of the park, completely justifying their continued existence! This is a beautiful, empathetic movie; and the truly wonderful advance here is that this movie is for and about girls. Jessie is the lead and there is a strong focus on Bonnie and her struggle to make friends. The real villain here is not tech, but social media and how that distant anonymity can so easily lead to bullying. Woody was really unnecessary here, thrown in as a story crutch. As a parent with children Bonnie’s age, I was annoyed at the lack of thought the parents put into children tech introduction. There were some tech overlord ideas about privacy and sharing that were a bit creepy to consider. And the C-story about a bunch of Buzz’s was clever, but unnecessary. I do love that they finally corrected a 20-year old plot hole about why Buzz acts like a toy when he thinks he is a Space Ranger!

Best Scene. The 2 big Bonnie decision scenes were tense and heartbreaking, mining so much soul and empathy, I was on the edge of my seat, completely caught up in Bonnie’s feelings.. I also loved the animation style of the Bonnie fantasy sequences.

Best Performance. Greta Lee was excellent as the ipad; her full range of snark and humor and deep heart were all on display here. A game Conan O’Brien acting his way through low batteries was hilarious.

This is a deeply emotional film; opening the series formula to new fans.