Tech could erase kids' playtime forever, warns celebrated children's author
Traditional toys could soon be banished as technology takes over to 'infinity and beyond', a leading children's author warned yesterday. Frank Cottrell-Boyce said he was increasingly hearing that children no longer played with toys. The Children's Laureate previously warned that the government must give children access to more books because of 'a recession of happiness' from a lack of reading. Reflecting on the theme of the new Toy Story 5 film – recently revealed in a trailer 30 years after the first movie – Mr Cottrell-Boyce, whose books include Millions and Cosmic, said: 'Toy Story 1 was the first completely computer-generated animation story – it was the magical curtain up on the digital age.'
In This Article:
- Toy Story 5 hints at a future where children ditch toys for screens
- Toy Story 5 shifts from coming-of-age to a digital era
- Lilypad and the digital future: is infinity and beyond real now?
- Directors say the new film is about reflecting the present, not villainizing tech
- A six-year gap, a $3.3 billion milestone, and a franchise that endures
Toy Story 5 hints at a future where children ditch toys for screens
The films are the story of what happens when one child grows out of his toys, but more and more I am hearing the phrase, 'children don't play with toys any more – they have ditched their toys for screens'. In the film, due in UK cinemas next June, a green frog-shaped tablet called Lilypad is delivered to the play room – terrifying the traditional toys. The hugely successful franchise introduced generations of children to the adventures of wooden cowboy Woody and the space age superhero toy Buzz Lightyear. But Toy Story 5's trailer suggests it will reflect the modern era rather than being a coming-of-age tale like the original.
Toy Story 5 shifts from coming-of-age to a digital era
The moment in Toy Story 5 when Buzz Lightyear and Woody are shocked when at realising children are not playing with toys the same anymore. Instead, in Toy Story 5 the creators wanted to reflect society and introduced a green frog-shaped tablet called Lilypad to show a shift from traditional toys. Referencing Buzz's famous catchphrase, Mr Cottrell-Boyce told BBC Radio 4 yesterday: 'Are we on our way to a digital toyless infinity and beyond?'
Lilypad and the digital future: is infinity and beyond real now?
Six years have passed since the last Toy Story film, and Toy Story 5 is positioned to reflect the era we live in. In the film, the Lilypad tablet is used to illustrate a shift away from traditional toys toward screens. Referencing Buzz's catchphrase, Mr Cottrell-Boyce told BBC Radio 4 yesterday: 'Are we on our way to a digital toyless infinity and beyond?'
Directors say the new film is about reflecting the present, not villainizing tech
Six years after the last film, the studio says Toy Story 5 is simply about reflecting where we are in society, not about making technology the villain. Toy Story 5 director Andrew Stanton said the latest instalment was 'simply trying to reflect where we are'. He told Empire magazine: 'It's not even really about a battle so much as the realisation of an existential problem – nobody's really playing with toys any more.' He added: 'Technology has changed everybody's lives, but we're asking what that means for us – and to our kids.'
A six-year gap, a $3.3 billion milestone, and a franchise that endures
It is six years since the last film in a franchise which has netted $3.3billion (£2.5billion) for Pixar and Disney. The hugely successful franchise has introduced generations of children to the adventures of Woody and Buzz Lightyear and continues to shape the conversation about play in a digital age.
