What Is Making Us Happy

In the fifth installment of the Toy Story franchise, playtime is so over, and screen time is in. Jessie Buzz and the rest of the crew face yet another existential crisis but this time the threat is not the arrival of a shiny space ranger or a kid going off to college . Nope, it's du Dun d ac. And with that comes the introduction of new and colorful characters voiced by the likes of Greta Lee and Conan O'Brien. Can analog and digital coexist? We'll see. I'm Stephen Thompson. And I'm Alysha Harris, joining us today on NPR's Pop culty Hureour happ Virgin a Barber. She's a host and reporter for NPR science podcast Shortwave. Hey Regina. Oh my gosh, I'm the only non pop culture happy hour person here. I am so honored and I'm so glad that I am your animation person , basically. You're more than just our animation person, Regina. Aw , yes. You got a friend in us. Yeah. Yes, you've got a friend in us. Yeah . Well, enjoy story Vibe, we are revisiting all of our friends and at the start of the movie, much of the gang are still together , including Cowgirl Jesse and Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Joan Kusak and Tim Allen. Now they're happily fulfilling their playtime duties with their eight year old kid Bonnie, who's voiced by Scarlet Spears . That is until Bonnie is given a tablet called LilyPad and remains glued zombified to its screen. Lily Pad is voic ed by Greta Lee. Jessie instantly becomes a very vocal opponent to everything tech and won't accept this sudden abandonment without a fight. But a series of events separates her from Bonnie and the rest of the forgotten toys. It's going to take a lot to get Jessie back where she belongs with, of course, some help from Buzz and Woody, voiced by Tom Hanks, but she's also going to need to begrudgingly work with some new smart toys she meets along the way, including a quirky potty training gadget. Didn't even know that those existed, but that's cool. And a bubbly digital camera. Toy Story five is in theaters now, and Stephen, I'm gonna start with you, Bud . We did and our listeners helped us rank the Pixar movies last year. And I'm not going to ask you to put this Tory Story five, like I'll give you a little more time to think about where you might rank this overall in the Pixar Uvre . But I am curious , did you at least have a good time at Choice F Darryive. Does it still feel if not fresh, at least still delightful to engage with? I think so. I enjoyed myself enormously. I fully laughed, fully cried, had a great time. I think it's really interesting when we talk about the fifth installment in a franchise. You start to get into this mindset of where does it rank ? Not only like among other Pixar movies, but among other toy st ory movies. And I think if you were to rank, particularly four and five, the ones that kind of come after that initial trilogy , it's really easy to sort of view them as less than instead of just viewing them as pleasurable viewing experiences because is it the best Toy Story movie? Of course it's not. It's the fifth one , but it still is working with a very, very, very sturdy metaphor and still working off of just sort of like the many challenges and existential crises of childhood . And one thing that really occurred to me watching this film kind of even in comparison to the other Toy Story movies , all of these movies are built around metaphor, but it had never really been quite so clear to me how much the Toy Story movies are metaphors not for childhood, but for parenthood And how often these films are fixated on obsolescence going all the way back to Toy Story two . Obsolescence is a really, really key ache that runs through these films . It's interesting. You know, part of it is like as you get older, you're going to kind of have different relationships with these films and kind of view them from different perspectives. This film in particular, I found it a little cluttered , we now add'veed so many characters that trying to juggle them all is a fool's errand and so many of the characters introduced in Toy Story four are almost completely sidelined here in part to make room. And so I have a bunch of qu ibbles with some of the B plots and some of the clutter in this film, but I found its central story very moving and I was entertained throughout. Yeah, not to mention like a hundred more buzz light years. Buzz light. I was like clapping in the theater. I was actually sitting next to Stephen and I was like, yes Clapping like a train seal. That's right . I love the point you make, Stephen about parenthood and the metaphors that are cours ing through this series. I would even say that I would argue that the first toy story is also about lapsalism it's woody. It's woody feeling as you here comes Buzz Lightyear. He's an old fashioned cowboy with a pulcord. It's almost as if these stories make an arc, you know? Yes. Well, Regina , please, I know you loved the mini buzzes. What do you think of the whole movie? Yeah, I'm gonna go in the absolute opposite direction, E Steven and just be like super judgy and I am going to actually rank them and I'm gonna be less meaningful because those kids, those mean girls were dumb and I did not like them. I had like PTSD if from when my like daughter had like bullies, you know? Unquote friends, they're really friendies of Bonnie, who we see in the movie. Yeah, yeah. Right, right. And I actually thought that this movie, Toy Story five , was equivalent to Toy Story three because I'd watched them all again recently and I was like, wow, this is I think just as good. My partner was like, he even thought it was better than three 'cause like I said, I'm judgy and we rank. , yeah. It's not too wild here. I thought it was really tight. Unlike Steven, I didn't think it was too cluttered. I didn't know it was Conan O'Brien until the very end and I was like, this is amazing. As the potty trading . Sartmy Pant iss his name, the potty trading gadget, thingy. It's just the role he was born to play, you know? And there's a scene in the movie where his character is like they're playing make believe and his character has like fake hair and I'm like, that kind of looks like Conan O'Brien and then at the end I was like, oh , but I like the idea of these kids finding a friend and what a real friend is . But we walked away also thinking , did that movie just shame just a ton of kids that are screen kids? And I was like, So what? It shame me. I stopped looking at my phone that day. A lot more so. I mean, I mean these whole movies are centered on the anthropomorphization of objects. And if you were a neurotic anxious person, I was a very neurotic and anxious child . I'm a neurotic and anxious adult to feel guilt about the way you handle your toys is a byproduct of this franchise . Yeah. I pulled out my childhood teddy bear that night, like literally hed. How did you feel ? Well, look, I am on record, I think, as like being very skeptical of sequels. Yeah, I do think that three was a perfect number. It ended perfectly and I'm not sure we needed four. Same I can confidently say I would rank four as the least of the Toy Stories in my opinion. Same. I like four a lot, but go ahead. I really enjoyed myself at this. Like one of my notes at the end of it was just like cute . It's very cute. Yeah. And I don't mean that in a shady way. I mean that in like I was delighted. I had a good time . Given that like I don't think any of the Toy Story movies, even four, which I'm not very high on like, it's toy story . And so far, I think they've proven that even if they keep returning to this well , they're going to find at least some creative ways into it. And as you kind of alluded to, Regina, like, what I liked about this is that it's, yes, it's about tech taking over kids and playtime and interrupting playtime in a way that is maybe a little concerning. What I also appreciated about it is the way that it also is not to like part of the other underlying thing that's happening here is not just that Tech has taken over and Bonnie is obsessed, but it's also the idea that she's having trouble making friends because she is still imaginative and wants to play with to ys and that's the bullying, right? That comes out. Yeah. She's like invited to a sleepover, and the girls all have their lily pads. Yeah. She has her lily pad too, voiced by Greta Lee, but then she also brings Jessie and Bullseye, the horse, Jessie's horse. And the way that one of the girls says to her, Oh you still play with toys ? Yeah , it reminded me of being five or six years old. I was in kindergarten and then I moved like midway through the year and moved off to first grade . In between all of that, like all the transition, whatever, I was still into Barney. Yes, this was the early nineties, Barney was the thing. I was still into Barney and I got teased for that because I was still into Barney. All the first graders were not. And I was like, No , no , I'm still in kindergarten at least emotionally, if not, you know, academically. And the way, oh, you still play with toys, it hit me . And that is the thing about these movies, right? That is the thing about Toy Story is that they're gonna get you, I'm not a parent, but they are gonna get you regardless of where you sit on somewhere. They'll hit your kid self, they'll hit your adult self . They'll hit your anti self , they'll find a way in. Yeah. I really just adored those moments and appreciated how yes, is it a cash grab? Yes, is it playing very hard on nostalgia, but also the creators of this have found a purpose in a way even if it is rehashing aloud the same themes that we've seen over and over again. I want to echo what you said Ayisha. I was made fun of in middle school for watching Batman the Animated series. So this was in the nineties as well , but they're like, You still don't watch cartoons and I was like twelve . One, this is a very good cartoon. Like, okay. But yeah, no, I mean, it's the same thing of this bullying for kids. And it's so funny 'cause they're like, these kids are a little different . What they actually mean is that these kids are actually creative and not boring . And I was just like, I love how this makes like kids who don't have imaginations feel like maybe they should. Yes, yes, especially the playtime scenes where we're inside Bonnie's head, the animators deliberately . They're so good. The way it's animated is so beautiful. It's like such a gorgeous job. I love it. This sort of pastel chalk looking . And so those moments are just really vividly rendered. Yeah. And there's there's such energy to the animation in those scenes that does a great job making kind of imaginative playtime seem way more fun than it actually is. Do you know it was kind of reminiscent of Princess and the Frog when she has that scene where she's thinking about her restaurant absolutely it's kind of like art deco and it's like brighter almost there. Yes the song. Yes. It was kind of like that and I really liked that. Yeah, yeah I do want to ask though I both lo thisved but, then I also kept wondering, was this movie too late? I was also thinking that is it too late to save the children I'm really glad that you asked this question because I did, even watching the commercials, I had this feeling of like , are we railing against the leap pad learning system? It was like my kid. She's seventeen. Yeah. She had a little keyboard. They had different devices and our kids had the leap pad learning system. It's like, I'm DJ Leap. And I was like, I feel like these movies could have made it clearer how annoying some of this deck is for the parents who I think are well represented as like well meaning and kind of trying to do right by their kid and help their kid hold on to childhood , I definitely had these feelings of like, this film should be against AI , not tablets . It was kind of the feeling I had is that it's a little bit behind. It wasn't totally against Habling No. I do want to just like push back a little bit. I was surprised on how it was nuanced. It was like, hey, like this is a good device to help connect with people with people you do want to connect to It straddles the line of like where is tech useful and where does it suck you in and all those scenes where the kids like are looking at the screens in the blue light? I think that's still very, very apt right now. Yeah, it's apt. It just feels also a little like not that it's too late because there's always gonna be new children in the world. I hope even when I was a kid, like I remember I did have like a toy, at least one toy that was like a te aching toy. Like it had it was a robot. It was the sixties idea of what a robot might look like. And then by the time I was eleven, I had a tamagotchi. So like it does feel as though obesoles , again, I don't know how many more existent crises these stories can have. I think limitless . It's about childhood and parenthood and those are completely universal things. As you said, there are always new children being born and there are always new forces encroaching on and trying to shrink our childhood . And that is absolutely universal. That was true, even in the before times when I grew up in the land before time twenty five. We played with triceratops, not plastic dinosaurs, but actual dinosaurs. Real ones. He rode them at Arlo. And the other kids rode is like ride the dinosaur. And it's like, No, I'm still too small. Right? I definitely felt watching this more than I did with four. I felt watching this like, oh, there's room for more sequels. I thought that too. To me, I'm just like, bring them on, give me more of them. Do I have quibbles along the way? Did I need a B plot about Buzz wanting to marry Jesse? No. No , no . I thought it was cute. I like the buzzes . I mean, it was cute. I mean, it was funny a little bit, but I don't know if I needed like the full on Bambi sequence with like the multiple Buzz Lightyears in the woods where like you hear love is a song like the instrumental of love is a song from Bambi, but then it turns into the o minous man theme when a family is it was theatrical. Well, it was theatrical, but it also felt like it was leaning a little too hard into let's reference other Disney movies . Oh, I hadn't even thought of that. And it's not that they haven't referenced them in the past, but they were usually a little more subtle. Like it might be like you might see a flash of like a toy or a keychain or something. A keychain or something that's referencing a Disney movie or another Pixar movie. It did feel as though this is like where we're coming up on like, okay, we're a franchise now so like we have to bid a little bit more self referential. I will say the one thing that kind of like became clear to me just to like go back really briefly to this idea of like the children and parents. There's also a moment where Jessie is just really kind of desponded and like almost about to give up because that's what's gonna happen before they save the day again. But she says something along the lines of like, I can't keep doing this. Like, I can't love another kid just to find out I never really matter. And then I was like, this is not just a metaphor for childhood and parenthood, it's also a metaphor for like anyone who's had who like is having a really sucky time at trying to find a romantic partner or trying to find like friends and like oh God do I have to start over yeah yeah the whole like starting over part and again I don't know how many more times I need to see them keep learning how to start over at the same time if, we're going to keep doing it, I think these same creative impulses, they are finding interesting ways into it. And I do think that the choice to focus so much on Jessie and kind of let Buzz and Woody kind of take a backseat was kind of exciting. Like Joan Kysek is so she's just really good in this role. There's also a very funny visual gag about Woody. Yes, yes . I think is so funny. Yeah , yeah. Before we leave this conversation though, Aisha, I don't know if you were gonna ask , but I do think we need to discuss the song. Oh, the Taylor Swift song . I remembered I loved you, came back when it metered I saw you standing there in the light of the window wearing that same smile and it's been a while , but I knew it, I knew it . I heard it during the credits and then I instantly forgot about it. I'm gonna plus one that or I should . But let's be real. The Toy Story franchise , you've got a friend in me, obviously a classic. When she loved me is one of the best movie songs ever. When she loved me is a banger, and we get a little bit of that in this movie too. We hear that. This movie is just a movie length extension of that song. Yes, it is because Emily true Jesse's owner is very much looming over this entire movie. But Steven, tell us what do we think of the Taylor Swift song? What is it called again? I forget . I knew it. I knew you. It's fine. I was a little surprised going in because there had been a lot of discussion about how the song might be integrated into the film. In the past, a lot of the Toy Story songs are integrated into the film. You've got a friend in me as part of kind of a montage. When you think about when she loved me, like that is central to Toy Story two, that is the central poignant, most poignant moment in Toy Story two. I can't let you throw yourself away from Toy Story four. Oscar nominated Randy Newman song about Forky constantly throwing himself away. That's integrated into the film. I was lightly shocked when this song just like rolled harmlessly over the closing credits and wasn't integrated into the film at all like a tumble weed. And to me, that made the song seem slighter. And I was I had listened to the song a few times in kind of the run up to seeing the film just because I'm in the world. And I'm like, This is nice. But I wanted to see it kind of gather a little bit of kind of narrative heft, and this movie does not let it do that. It also seems strange given it's Taylor Swift and she is like a walking autobiographer when she is writing songs. So she's nothing if not full of lore. Yeah, so it does seem a little strange that this would be one of those songs that just plays at the end and it does kind of make it feel more just like, okay, this is her shot at getting an Oscar nomination and eventually getting an EGOD. That's why someone like Terrace with these women. True. But we really we really like Choy Story five as a whole. You should definitely go check it out and ideally in the theaters because it looks gorgeous and you will have a good time . And up next, what's Making us happy this week ? And now it's time for our favorite segment of this week and every week, What's Making us happy? Regina, we're gonna kick it off with you. Yeah, and I am going to break the rules and always talk about two. I am so sorry. I watched my first K drama ever. It's called Bonapetite, Your Majesty, and it's on Netfl ix and it's about a chef that goes back in time to the fifteen hundreds in Korea and it is ridiculous and funny and also super bloody . I loved it. Super blood y. Okay, yes, go, keep going . And it's like, you know, great food. And my daughter, my seventeen year old daughter is make me watch an anime called Hi Q and it's about Faudy Ball. That's all it's about. These kids are failing school because all they care about is volleyball . And it is incredibly compelling. And I had no idea you could do this. Wow. It's also a Netflix. Okay , so that is Bonapete, your Majesty. Yes. The K dram a. And then what is the other one? Hi Q the anime on Netflix . It's about volleyball. That's it. Volleyball anime . And they're both on Netflix. All right , thank you, Regin a for that . Steven, what is making you happy this week? What is making me happy this week is the new mixtape from the wonderful Philly rapper and singer Tierra Wack just announced just like a couple weeks ago, out for june teenth, if you don't know Tierra Wack, just endless, endless wellspring of weird ideas. I fell in love with Tierra Wack when she put out this kind of quote unquote album called Whack World, which was a fifteen minute album, fifteen one minute songs and you just got a sense of just ideas just springing out of every second of her music . She's kind of gone on to perform what I think is one of the all time great tiny desk concerts which includes a cameo appearance by the Philly Fanatic. Why desktop her music is best accompanied by her videos, which are just like wildly inventive and fun to look at , just full of bright colors and wild imagery . This new mixtape will also be accompanied by videos. I have not seen them yet. I've only heard the songs and I will say the I'm sure the videos will only add to just the wild technicolor geyser of ideas that is her new EP Let's actually hear a little bit of the song Wiggody Wack Say my name with enthusiasm. I got kids where I refuse to have them. I stopped flexing to produce the spasms bigger than you im wouldag ine going to Forte . I bet I will be trapped. Like the game, it must be played. The elevator was crowded, so my success delayed. No ex cuse just hear that like warped arrangement kind of wobbling underneath her nineties . She continues to just be a wonderful, wonderful font of creativity. And I'm just delighted that she's got this new record out for june. That's Tierra Wack. Her new mixtape is called Wax Museum. Love it. Thank you so much, Steven. I'm gonna keep it in the musical realm. Underscores is an artist who's new to me because musically speaking, I tend to be late to everything except Charlie Xi X. I was on that bandwagon way before everyone else . But Underscores has a new album, a new alb isumh came out a few months ago called You and I am just obsessed with this. This is like drill, hyperpop, EDM songs that zig and zag and start in one place sonically and then evolve into different movement by the end of it. It's the type of music that I want to actually listen mostly to in my headphones because you want to hear the many harmonies and the stacked vocals and this empty space that punctuates some of these songs . Some of my favorites on this album are music, lovefield, which sounds kind of like a spiritual successor to, I think, to Janet's velvet rope album. It could have been on like the velvet rope in the nineties. Do it, which is really kind of Timberland and Justin during like the Future Sex Love Sounds era. But I think my favorite at this moment is probably the piece that's PE . And it's just kind of like this song about an unhealthy attachment to another person as told through sharing a smoke with them. And let's actually hear just a little bit of that song. I don't speak unless I'm talking I don't smoke unless you spoke I just want to say that be sweet Yay Yeah, I love the emptiness and the chopped harmonies and the spareness and all of that. You just listen to that sample and my pupils are darting all over the place. I that's good. What was the name again? The name is Underscores. That's the artist and she's actually from the Bay Area, but that song was the piece and the album is You. It's just the letter you . Very prince like. So yes, that is what is making me happ this week. And that brings us to the end of our show. Regina Barber, Steven Thompson. Thanks so much for being here. I love that we all enjoyed Toy Story fired because we did this. Yeah, we need it. Right. Thank you. This episode was produced by Hafsa Bathama, Liz Medger, and Mike Katsuff and edited by our showrunner Jessica Reedy. Hello come in, provides our theme music. And thank you for listening to pop culture happy art from NPR. I'm Aisha Harris and we'll see you all next week