First Toy Story 5 Trailer Sees Woody and Buzz Battle a New Technological Villain
“Toy Story 5,” eh? Well, why not? All the way back in 2010, “Toy Story 3” closed out its trilogy on a note so emotionally enthralling and satisfying that it made “The Return of the King” look like Ridley Scott’s “Hannibal.” The thing about perfect conclusions is that they rarely call for any manner of sequel or follow-up, but nine years later, “Toy Story 4” was released and became a smashing critical and financial success.
Now “Toy Story 5” is slated for release this coming June. It must be said that its newly released teaser trailer has done its job very well, building a surprising amount of intrigue for a central plot conflict that is very topical and promising.
The Gang Is All Back
Trailer for “Toy Story 5”, Courtesy of Pixar Animation/Disney
“Toy Story 5″‘s 49-second teaser, which dropped on YouTube on November 11, takes place in the room of Bonnie, the child who adopted all of Andy’s toys at the end of “Toy Story 3.” All of those toys are back, as is “Toy Story 4” newcomer Forky (Tony Hale), the plastic spork whom Bonnie fashioned into a toy by gluing on googly eyes and makeshift arms and legs. Bonnie’s second handmade toy – a decorated plastic knife named Karen Beverly (Melissa Villaseñor), who was introduced post-credits in “Toy Story 4” as a love interest for Forky – is present beside him.
Lilypad – A High-Tech Threat to Toys As We Know Them
All of these toys are shaking in their plastic when a package arrives for Bonnie. Many of them can’t even stand to look; Mr. Potato Head considerately snatches his wife’s eyes out of their plugs. The teaser itself vindicates their terror by flashing across the screen an announcement worthy of a “Toy Story” Sauron: “THE AGE OF TOYS IS OVER”.
The invading Dark Lord of “Toy Story 5” is Lilypad (Greta Lee), a frog-themed tablet which Bonnie is overjoyed to possess. The new electronic toy seems similarly eager. “Let’s play!” it proclaims brightly as its screen lights up. We can thus infer that the old toys are about to feel their age – to discover soon that Bonnie is more entertained by Lilypad than by any of them.
A Timely Premise with Endless Possibilities
The notion of our decades-old favorites in danger of being forgotten in favor of Bonnie’s new gaming tablet is a brilliant starting point for “Toy Story 5.” The best thing about it is the way that it merges one of the franchise’s most well-trodden sources of tension with a theme that is both new to “Toy Story” and very appropriate for the 2020s.
The first three “Toy Story” films are all variously concerned with the threat of the toys being forsaken by their beloved owners, whether on account of being damaged (2), outgrown by their owners (2 and 3), or overshadowed by a cool new toy (the original film, and evidently the upcoming one). The repetition of this theme in such diverse guises isn’t a mark of creative bankruptcy; it has worked poignantly every time because being played with is the toys’ very purpose for existence, and thus being neglected is their most fundamental fear.
“Toy Story 5″‘s Lilypad brings this fear into the modern world, tying it into a society in which our multitudinous digital devices have permeated the minds of our children (and just about everyone else, for that matter) and profoundly changed the way they think and spend their time.
The precise nature of Lilypad’s character is not revealed in the teaser, and this provokes even greater curiosity: is she maliciously deliberate in her takeover of Bonnie’s playful attention, or merely another toy who currently has the good fortune to be popular? Will “Toy Story 5” be a tale of her integration into the gang, or does she intend to usher in the end of their age? Either option has the makings of a fresh and compelling storyline to carry on Pixar’s most venerable franchise.
