Toy Story 5 Recasts Jessie as Lead, Echoing Inside Out 2 Themes
Updated
Updated · Looper · Jun 26
Toy Story 5 Recasts Jessie as Lead, Echoing Inside Out 2 Themes
3 articles · Updated · Looper · Jun 26
Summary
Looper calls “Toy Story 5” an uneven but charming sequel that shifts the series toward Bonnie’s emotional life and frames Jessie as the story’s new leader after Woody’s exit.
Jessie’s attempt to protect Bonnie from Lilypad—a multi-use device that becomes her favorite companion—drives the plot, ending in a compromise between traditional toys and technology.
The review argues that dynamic makes the film feel like a thematic cousin to 2015’s “Inside Out” and 2024’s “Inside Out 2,” with Jessie paralleling Joy and Lilypad resembling Anxiety.
Bonnie’s struggle to fit in, including hurtful Pond group-chat messages and her bond with Blaze, gives the child character unusual narrative weight for the franchise and ties the film’s message to real-world social pressure.