Raise a Happy Girl
Will Kids Understand the Message of Toy Story 5?
Picking up where Woody, Jessie, Buzz and the crew left off, the newest installation of the Toy Story franchise is out in theaters (and the Taylor Swift song from the credits is everywhere). It’s proven to be the biggest opening weekend of any movie so far this year. So if your kids haven’t already seen Toy Story 5, there’s a good chance they’ll be asking to see the movie soon.
Pixar is known for movies with big messages, and this one is no different. Talking about the role of tech in kids’ lives—and debating its benefits and drawbacks—has been going on for decades, but this is the first time the Toy Story world has dealt with how the digital world affects children head-on.
When Bonnie has trouble making friends, her parents buy her a tablet named Lillypad (voiced by Greta Lee). At first, it seems as if the tablet will help connect sweet and curious Bonnie to other kids and fun new adventures, but it doesn’t take long for online bullying to rear its ugly head—causing Bonnie to question who she is and what she loves.
No big spoilers here, but Lilypad, who serves as the “villain” in this movie turns out to be not so bad. She means well, and she can help likeminded kids connect so they can have fun and play together IRL. The magic in making it work seems to be balance. When we use tech as a tool to help us solve life’s problems more easily, we can jump into to the fun, creativity, and bonding of imaginative play faster.
There’s no doubt the themes of digital everything, group chats, and childhood loneliness are relevant to today’s girls, but will kids understand Toy Story 5’s nuanced message of finding a happy balance when it comes to tech? You can make a difference by discussing the movie with them. Try asking your girl these questions to get her talking and thinking about the role of technology in her life.
- Bonnie has a lot of big feelings in the movie. She feels nervous about talking to other kids, excited about her new tablet, sad when she gets made fun of, and even embarrassed about playing with her toys. Did you relate to her at any point in the movie or have you ever had feelings like she does?
- In the beginning of the movie, there’s a lot of talk about how tech is bad, but later, Lilypad the tablet is friends with all the other toys. Do you think tech is the “bad guy” of the movie? What is the movie trying to say about technology?
- Jessie meets some new friends when she goes to Blaze’s house, and has fun playing a video game with them—but she makes a point of saying there’s a difference between playing a structured game like this and playing with toys. What do you think the difference is?
As always, spending time watching TV or movies together with your kids is a great way to bond, but having conversations about what you’ve just seen can make the experience all the more memorable, and meaningful.
