Quick pop-culture quiz: What do the following have in common?
Tarzan. Sherlock Holmes. Bulldog Drummond. Charlie Chan. Andy Hardy. Ma and Pa Kettle. And a talking mule named Francis.
Well, if you love classic movies, you probably already guessed that these are all film franchises; and I picked ones from the Golden Age — because fans of older films often lament the modern onslaught of sequels and prequels; yet this is nothing new.
From 1938 to 1950, for example, there were no less than 28 movies based on the “Blondie” comic strip — all with the same cast! And of course, like the “Thin Man” films with William Powell and Myrna Loy, some are better than others; but no one complains that they made too many — because we love the characters and enjoy spending time with them.
All of which is my long response to curmudgeons who feel bugged by a fifth Toy Story. While this new one is not quite as grand as the first three, it’s still so much fun that as far as I’m concerned, they can go on making them forever.
In the capable hands of writer-director Andrew Stanton — who worked on earlier TS films, along with WALL-E, Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo — Pixar delivers another dandy blend of whimsy, action, catchy eye-candy and heart-tugging emotion.
In this latest — which frontlines Jessie and Bullseye — the toy-box gang squares off against an unexpected but genuinely up-to-date nemesis: devices!
Whether it’s cell phones, laptops or in particular, pads that inculcate kids into cyberspace, these new gadgets are threatening not only classic toys like Woody, Rex and Hamm, but even the very nature of old-fashioned hands-on play — with its greater level of imagination and creativity.
The main human character here is the shy and friendless eight-year-old Bonnie, whose parents hope to get her more socially connected with the aforementioned “Lilypad.” At first, of course, this backfires badly; but then — in typical Pixar fashion — the script goes where we don’t expect, showing that if anything, these newer gizmos go obsolete even faster than a Slinky or Potato Head.
This idea is conveyed by introducing several abandoned electronic toys, including the hilarious “Smarty Pants.” Shaped liked a toilet-paper roll and nicely voiced by Conan O’Brien, this is a hand-held device used for potty-training — and it flushes out a comical stream of mild-mannered bathroom gags.
Alongside this is a delightful parallel plot involving a wayward box of Buzz Lightyears — and then eventually, the notion that even electronic toys can be part of the interactive, hands-on gang, if used correctly.
Happily, TS5 returns most of the classic vocal cast (Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, etc.), along with a terrific incidental score by Pixar veteran Randy Newman — plus a tuneful new closing-credit song from Taylor Swift. Along with all that, there are just enough references to the earlier films to keep long-time fans fully engaged.
Speaking of which: For me, the movie’s only misstep is its gratuitous throwaway scenes featuring my favorite character from TS4 — Duke Caboom, whose appearance here is far too brief.
But that’s a quibble.
A long-time fan of the Thin Man and those early Tarzans, I left the theater more convinced than ever that franchises can be a really good thing.
Especially if later entries are as good as this one.
