This Friday I saw the new installment of Pixar's most famous franchise, a great animation firm acquired by Disney 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
Pixar released \"Toy Story\" in 1995, becoming a huge success with a formula that wasn't new:<\/strong> toys that come to life (it was, in fact, the plot of a 1940 Disney classic: \"Pinocchio\"). Many children who saw the film 31 years ago likely have children of their own today<\/strong>, and Pixar's creators now face an obvious dilemma: how to make a film about toys in a society where fewer and fewer toys are being sold?<\/strong><\/p>\n Today there are fewer children than 31 years ago, and unfortunately, toy stores have become an endangered species<\/strong>. Vigo's largest toy store, \"Toys R Us\" (for me, it was a must-visit every Christmas), abandoned its building in 2019<\/a> (it's now a Lidl hypermarket) after its parent company declared bankruptcy in the United States in 2017. The most famous Galician toy store franchise, Centroxogo, closed its last store in Vigo in January 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n New technologies have unintentionally contributed to this.<\/strong> Children of my generation played with Famobil figures (the Playmobil brand didn't exist in Spain back then), with construction sets like Tente and Lego, and with traditional toys like marbles and spinning tops. Today, at the same age some of us had toys, my friends' children already have cell phones.<\/strong> Add to that video game consoles, computers, and tablets. Toys are losing by a landslide. That's what \"Toy Story 5\" is about: children are spending less and less time with toys and more and more time with screens.<\/strong><\/p>\n I thought I was going to see a children's movie (including for those of us who are still children several decades later, but not so short anymore), but \"Toy Story 5\" has some dramatic and thought-provoking moments<\/strong>, especially regarding the problems caused by the rise of new technologies in childhood (and I say this as a big supporter of them, but in due time). With the usual characters and some new ones, Pixar has created a film that appeals to adults<\/strong> (that is, to many children who saw the first installment of the \"Toy Story\" saga in 1995) and who now have children of their own.<\/p>\n I really like computers and mobile phones, but I've always been clear about this: children need to play with toys for various reasons<\/strong>, and the main one is to help develop their imagination, a skill they either acquire at their age or they'll never have. There will be time for new technologies when they're older. The earlier they start \"playing\" with mobile phones and video game consoles, the sooner they lose their childhood.<\/strong> I certainly thought it was going to be a weaker film, but I liked it a lot, also because of the message it raises. Of course, children will enjoy it too, because it helps them understand what they're missing.<\/strong> But if you doubt my word, I can tell you the opinion of the real experts: Bilbo and Sam loved it<\/a> (I always take them to the cinema with me and this time I managed to get them to stop thinking about Spiderman for a couple of hours, hehe).<\/p>\n Here's the trailer for this movie: <\/p>\n
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