It’s been a studied phenomenon for some time that when “times are good”, new and novel media reign. A boom of original content fed a growing pop culture engine from the early 80’s into the 90’s. Economic hopes and an end to the Cold War, perhaps. Studios were taking big risks and making original blockbusters galore. The works of Lucas and Spielberg in that era alone are an inspiring collection. Not to mention the nearly constant stream of big, ridiculous action flicks like Rambo, Red Dawn, Big Trouble in Little China, The Terminator, Die Hard, Con Air, and all the ensuing franchises. Music was exploding in a million directions. Fashion was as unique and singular as ever. It was a good time for pop culture.

By my count, this came to a climactic peak at the end of 2001 with the release of the first films in both the Harry Potter series and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. They hit theatres in November and December, respectively. Just weeks after 9-11, these two films were among the last big bets on something new and different, albeit both coming from book adaptations. The sequels of those first two installments survived, but most new, original, over-the-top material quickly went away.

There are very few new, original movies or TV series that have been released in this century that don’t point back to some source material from 2001 or before. That’s no conspiracy – everyone has seen it. The comic book movie renaissance. Remakes, reboots, and prequels. Jurassic Park turned into Jurassic World. Even the original Fast and the Furious – which spawned an unbelievably long franchise – came out in early 2001. But since then, we’ve suffered protracted wars, economic uncertainty, COVID, and political upheaval. As the other side of the “times are good” theory introduced above, when “times get tough”, nostalgia takes over. People want familiar and safe, and studios aren’t willing to take the same risks as all those Stallone, Schwarzenegger, or Seagal shoot-‘em-ups of yesteryear.

And so it was that when my oldest brother and fam arrived from out of town for the 4th of July holiday week, the entire extended family ended up at the theatre watching yet another Toy Story – number 5 to be exact. A safe bet for sure. I had already heard from friends that it was good, and the preceding films have garnered Rotten Tomato ratings of 100%, 100%, 98%, and 96% in order. Number 5 is clocking in at 93% so far, and I would agree that it is that good relative to the rest. The first half really struggled with the message, though. They waited until 2026 to cover the “epidemic of too many screens” storyline? And it was delivered in the most ham-fisted way possible. Firstly, Bonnie is 8 now. Her parents did not need to rationalize her concern with the new kids across the street not wanting to be her friend in such a dramatic way. They made it an instantaneous family crisis. And then their answer is to get her a tablet? Worse yet was Jessie’s overt, whining outrage at all these kids on their darn devices! It was laid on so thick, it made me want to go out and buy a new iPad out of spite. To be fair, the second half of the movie really did pick up, but with “the trouble of too much connectivity” having been done before elsewhere, this really felt like they were going through the motions. That’s a secondary issue with too much nostalgia: the creators know that we know that they know, so they just rush through the message and meaning without the genuine magic and craft found in the original.

Speaking of misinterpreting why your first success was lightning in a bottle, one of the most egregious offenses I’ve seen in a long time was one of the previews before Toy Story 5. The upcoming live-action Moana looks beyond unoriginal. It looks poorly done and unoriginal.

Based on the preview, it appears to be the exact same movie as the wonderfully original 2016 film. Just 10 years ago! And I’ll give the original Moana kudos for breaking the rule above – maybe those years were ok. But here they just…aren’t trying. It’s Dwayne Johnson reprising his exact same role, and he and the gal playing Moana just look like a couple of people in bad wigs standing in front of green screens while the world around them is animated. Same songs. Same jokes from the giant talking crab. What…what is the value added here? The original 2016 Moana’s Rotten Tomato score: 95%. The new live-action remake? Current Rotten Tomato rating is 37%! What is Disney doing? Who’s asking for this?

With the heat in Hormuz turning back up, there’s no end in sight for our need for nostalgia. So, what are we to do? Remakes and sequels are fine. Toy Story 5? Nothing novel, but it was well done. It was fun, and there were genuinely unique and creative choices. Give us more of that. But another shameless live-action rinse and repeat of some bygone Disney classic – let’s give that a courtesy flush instead.

Matt Hebert is an engineer and self-published author. His dopamine-fueled creative pursuits have spanned from chicken keeping, sand sculpture, acting, and public speaking, but writing is nearest and dearest to his heart. He lives in Bellevue with his wife and two daughters. You can find him on Instagram at @jerkofalltradeshebert or email him at matt.hebert.books@gmail.com

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