‘Toy Story 5’ Finds Franchise Threads Starting to Fray

Latest installment introduces tech but lacks the conviction of a full-throated critique

Toy Story 5 is quintessential Toy Story: a heartwarming story about the innocence and inevitable loss of childhood. Young viewers share in the joys and smiles, while their parents laugh at the inside jokes and secretly wipe away tears.

But as the story pushes into its third decade and electronics invade the play space, cynicism has finally reached the se…