It’s time for children to step away from their screens and indulge in creative pursuits. Adults, too, have much to learn from Toy Story 5, writes Afreen Zehra…
opinion
Released in 1995, the original Toy Story made cinematic history as the first fully computer-animated feature film, revolutionising animated storytelling with its emotional depth and universal appeal. Each sequel continued to push the boundaries of computer animation, raising the bar for digital filmmaking through advances in textures, lighting and character movement. The latest installment, Toy Story 5, has become a major box office hit, emerging as the highest-grossing film of 2026 so far.
The bond that the Toy Story franchise talks about is real. Kids who grew up in the ’90s, before that, or even after that share a creative connection with the toys they played with, whether they were from a major movie franchise or were figurines of popular sports celebrities. In the ’90s, my brother and I used to roam around the fancy malls of Karachi looking for action figures of wrestlers because we both grew up watching WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). One day, we found a miniature wrestling ring in a neighbourhood bazaar and it became our favourite battleground. We organised tournaments and made our action figures go crazy.
All those figures are now ornaments on a shelf and my brother refuses to part with them. In fact, during my many ‘spy on him’ episodes, I still catch him holding a few and enacting some imaginary contest. I think he waits for his wife to go shopping before taking them off the shelf. I have serious doubts that my little nephew will be allowed access to this minefield of entertainment.
This preamble is hardly an argument against technology. I consider myself as far from being a Luddite as possible, yet the detrimental effects of screens remain anybody’s guess. Even if we call it screen playtime, a child has to be developmentally ready for it. While cognition is now closely intertwined with technology, the objective should be brought back to creativity, character, clarity and comprehension, free from the psychological caveats that may eventually become hindrances in the future.
Talking of psychological issues, online chatting forums do a splendid job of compromising security, privacy and the freedom to be who you are. Being ‘as carefree as a child’ is a thing of the past because children now suffer from anxiety and depression almost as frequently as they catch coughs and colds. As parents, the responsibility lies in understanding the technology they are buying for their children so that they are better equipped to control or regulate its use.
In Toy Story, Bonnie, the adorable young girl, makes toys from literal trash, which is an incredible skill for a child her age to have. I can relate to this because I used to make jewellery and other items from almost anything that was broken around the house. Those skills proved invaluable in my adult life when I worked as the art director on my short film. I decorated the entire set using maximum creativity and a minimal budget.
I write today because I feel that adults need to learn so much from Toy Story 5. Constantly keeping our necks bent over mobile phone screens is causing us to lose so much of our creativity. Creativity comes from human interaction, random observations, being bored, making real friends through small talk and touching physical objects that we can turn into role-playing and storytelling.
People have stopped truly living life physically, just as Jessie says, “actual real friends”, rather than simply being users responding to each other online.
It is alarming how online conversations can ignite feelings of humiliation, shame and judgment about personal or social life choices, hobbies and other aspects of one’s identity. Many people do not realise how much negativity can arise from doing things out of peer pressure rather than genuine passion. This can gradually erode mental health and self-esteem. The consequences often include poor relationships, weak communication skills, disturbed sleep patterns and unhealthy lifestyles.
All epic art forms are considered epic because they tell stories in their own unique way and at their own pace. The world of imagination feeds on energy, emotion and time; together, these elements form a narrative that today’s generation calls ‘long-form’ content, whether it exists on paper or on a screen.
Decreasing attention spans are one of the biggest creativity killers of the current era. The stories in Bonnie’s mind are depicted through pencil animation, exactly the kind of drawings children make while their mothers wait for a doctor’s appointment, while they play in their rooms, or during an art class.
In addition, the film beginning and ending with a wedding story delivers a peak nostalgia hit because almost all of us have, at some point, organised a grand Gudda Gurya Shaadi. Those funniest and most beautiful moments now live on our screens, while countless others have been pushed away into the dark corridors of digital storage.
Meaningful friendships are built on understanding, not conformity, for children and adults alike. Even if they feel different from an early age, children eventually find one another. There is a unique kind of joy in being understood and accepted exactly as you are.
A doll on the shelf, a teddy bear to hug and talk to, a set of construction blocks, a mechanic’s or doctor’s kit, or a game of Ludo or carrom - these are wonderful tools for enhancing cognition, nurturing understanding and fostering friendships, not only with the world around us but also with ourselves.
Afreen Zehra is an independent filmmaker and a creative media professional from Pakistan. She frequently writes on society and culture. She can be reached on X @In_a_Pickel
