Toy Story 5

Toy Story 5 is a movie for everyone. But if you're feeling down, if the world seems overwhelmingly bleak, or if you just need a reminder that your heart can still be touched, then forget the chores and see it.

Five is arguably the first new “Toy Story” film to be both watched and understood by the kids of the 1995 original’s millennial audience. That shared experience is very moving all by itself.

Above all, watching the tightly plotted, satisfyingly joke-dense, and startlingly thoughtful Toy Story 5, I felt grateful for a franchise sequel that doesn’t settle for relying on the affection built up for its characters over the past 31 years.

Toy Story is one of the most consistently incredible franchises around, and the impressive fifth installment not only justifies its existence but feels like a necessary response to how much the world has changed in the past three decades. Toy Story 5 expertly stays true to what audiences love about the movies while adapting to the modern age, blending iconic characters with charming new additions. It’s sure to be not only one of the best family films of the year, but one of the best films of the year, period.

It does explore tech, kids and friendship in a thoughtful way that feels fresh and relatable for youngsters and parents alike, and also gives Conan O'Brien the insecure toy he was born to play.

It’s fine, pretty and amusing, but if no one’s heart seems in it, perhaps it’s time to make way for other toys.

In a year where Disney gave us the utterly darling, and original, Hoppers, Toy Story 5 feels like a reheated lunch.