While absurdly popular, Pixar’s animated films are hit-and-miss with me, but the Toy Story series is consistently excellent.  The only one I haven’t loved is Toy Story 3, and that one is at least pretty good.  I’m back to being amazed at how emotionally powerful this series can be, connecting very animate toys with humans (mostly children) in ways that are fundamentally essential and exciting.

Andrew Stanton and Kenna Harris’ film finds the traditional toys (Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and all the rest of the familiar gang) being replaced by “tech” — i.e. electronic gadgets that eliminate interpersonal activity in favor of texting and scrolling by oneself.  Naturally, the toys want their children back, and not just for their own attention; they realize that kids need to socialize and use their imaginations.  When shy Bonnie rejects her toys in favor of connecting with kids she has never met online, the toys try to get her back to reality, and find her a true friend.

Watching this story tap into this timely trend and try to solve it is both heartrending and heartwarming.  I have long believed that all this “social media” push is actively anti-social because it separates us more than it brings us together, and this film certainly supports my belief.  Yet it is very optimistic; even the tech toy LiliPad eventually realizes that kids need to socialize in-person or harm can result.  This story looks at loneliness as a side effect of the way we live now, and that it can be mitigated by getting in touch, physically, with each other and with nature.  That if unchecked, loneliness can lead to depression and behaviors that are too dark for a kids movie to explore.  The hints are there, beginning with the bullying that Bonnie experiences.  This is a cautionary tale that posits that imagination and play can help, especially if one finds someone with whom to share those things.

I prefer live-action filmmaking over animation yet I can see why so many people love the format.  It is amazing how psychologically powerful good animation like this can be as it brings human emotion to characters that aren’t human and situations that are utterly make-believe.  Humor helps, of course, and I laughed plenty during this story.  But I also became emotional seeing what these toys meant to the characters that love or loved them, and how comforting and meaningful such connections can be.  This movie, like most of this series, is once again unexpectedly magical.  ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2.  16 August 2026.