Toy Story 5 hit theaters this weekend, and it might be the most pointed statement the franchise has ever made. The new villain isn’t a jealous toy or a forgotten favorite. It’s Lilypad, a sentient AI smart tablet voiced by Greta Lee, who shows up in Bonnie’s life and slowly convinces her that screens are simply more fun than Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang gathering dust in the toy box. Director Andrew Stanton hasn’t been shy about the thesis either, he recently spoke to Empire Magazine that when technology shows up, “it wins.” That’s a heavy line for a Pixar movie to hang its hat on.
And that’s where things get extremely ironic for me. Pixar is the studio that took a sledgehammer to traditional animation thirty years ago, trading hand drawn frames and stop motion rigs for groundbreaking computer generated imagery that the entire industry eventually followed. Toy Story 1 was the technological disruption of its era. Now Toy Story 5 is using the most advanced rendering, lighting, and animation tools the studio has ever had access to in order to tell kids that technology might be stealing something important from them. The studio that replaced the old ways made a movie mourning the old ways, using the new ways.
I want to be clear about something. I love Pixar. I always have, and nothing about this takes away from how incredible their work is or how much craft goes into every frame of this or any of their films. That’s actually what makes the irony so much fun to sit with. This isn’t a case of hypocrisy or a studio not understanding its own message. It’s just a wonderfully self aware moment where the most technologically advanced animation house on the planet gets to have it both ways. They get to warn us about screens while putting on the best screen based show in the business.
Maybe that’s the real point hiding underneath all of it. Technology itself was never really the enemy in Toy Story 5, and it isn’t the enemy in real life either. It’s how we use it and what it replaces in our daily lives that matters. Pixar didn’t abandon storytelling or imagination when it picked up computers, it just found a new way to tell the same heartfelt stories. So is Lilypad really the villain, or is she just doing exactly what Pixar itself did decades ago? What do you think of the irony here? Let us know in the comments.
You May Also Enjoy: Pixar Gives Fans a Behind-the-Scenes Look at Toy Story 5 Recording Sessions
Mouse Fan Travel® an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, has been planning and creating magical Disney vacations since 2005. Their mission is to provide premium service and expert advice to help you get the most for your vacation time and dollar. Their Disney Travel Agents operate with the highest degree of integrity and will handle your family vacation, reunion, honeymoon, corporate incentive trip or getaway, as if it were their own. They pride themselves on expertly representing and advocating for you – their client.
The next time you and your family are planning a Disney vacation, visit Mouse Fan Travel for your no obligation quote or to answer any Disney vacation questions you may have. Are you looking for a beach vacation, tour or cruise to destinations across the globe? Visit MEI-Travel for exceptional expertise with ZERO agency fees.