Movie/TVThis really gave me a lot of hope for the Toy Story franchise. I watched this for the first time today because I completely refused to see it in theaters. I remember thinking, “Oh my God, how many stories do we need?” I genuinely thought they should’ve stopped at Toy Story 2. But I ended up really enjoying this. Growing up with Toy Story, I always shipped Jessie and Buzz, so seeing them finally get together almost made the story feel complete for me. Complete spoiler ahead, but one thing that really got me was Bonnie finally making a real friend after being rejected a few times by the other kids in her dance class. Her friend, Blaze, is a brown-skinned girl, and that representation hit me way more than I expected. I’m usually not someone who gets super caught up in a character being Hispanic, Egyptian, or from any particular background, but seeing a brown girl in Toy Story with her hair texture and features, and getting a decent amount of screen time even as a supporting character, genuinely made me excited. It was everything. I was also really nervous after seeing the Toy Story 5 trailer because I haven’t loved the direction of some of Disney’s newer animation. Movies like Elio and Hoppers just didn’t have animation styles that really clicked with me. But Toy Story felt like Toy Story. They didn’t drastically redesign everyone or lose the look and feeling of the characters. I really didn’t expect them to maintain it this well, and I’m so glad they did. Another thing I loved was the whole iPad versus toys conflict. At first, the iPad felt really intimidating, like it represented everything that could replace the toys. But by the end, everyone came together and treated it as a tool instead of something that was destroying a child’s mind. I really liked the way they showed how helpful technology can actually be, especially for communication. That hit me on a deeper level. Another spoiler, but the whole Emily storyline got me too. Jessie and Emily basically reunited through a photo, which gave Jessie some reassurance and helped her give the other toys some really good advice. I also wasn’t expecting Woody at all because I didn’t notice him in the photo at first. Then there were little details like the credits showing Bo Peep shading in Woody’s bald spot. There were so many small things like that that made me emotional. It sat with me so well and gave me this overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. I wish all Disney sequels and reboots were handled like this. I’m usually the person complaining about how many sequels we really need, but this story worked so well that I’d genuinely be fine with Toy Story 6. I especially loved all the callbacks to the previous movies. There were moments that reminded me of the first Toy Story, with Buzz and Woody chasing after the moving car through the construction area, and Toy Story 2, when the toys crossed the street using construction cones to hide themselves. So many things tied back to the older movies without feeling forced, and I loved that. I’d honestly call this perfect. A lot of people might disagree with me, but I criticize everything, especially sequels and reboots. This is probably one of the best continuations of an older franchise I’ve seen. Everything felt connected, the characters still felt like themselves, and the attention to detail was exquisite. There are a few things I wish had been included, but nothing big enough to take away from how much I enjoyed it. The animation, story, plot, inclusion, nostalgia, and attention to detail all worked for me. They maintained so much of what made Toy Story feel like Toy Story while still giving the story somewhere new to go. I’m very into this.