Actress Atsuko Maeda appeared at a promotional event for the latest installment in the Disney & Pixar animated film series, "Toy Story 5" (directed by Andrew Stanton and co-directed by Kenna Harris, released on July 3rd), held at SHIBUYA109 (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo) on June 24th. Maeda, who says she and her 7-year-old son are both big fans of "Toy Story," revealed, "I don't know whether my son said 'Mama' or 'Woody' first, but 'Woody' was the first word he ever spoke," and added with a motherly smile that her son also has many of the toys and used to call them "Andy."
Diamond☆Yukari, who sings the iconic song "You've Got a Friend" that symbolizes the series, also made an appearance and performed the song in the heart of Shibuya. After finishing the song, he seemed satisfied, saying, "That felt good."
"Toy Story" was Disney & Pixar's first feature film, with the first installment produced in 1995 and released in Japan in 1996. The story of a boy named Andy whose toys come to life and go on adventures when humans aren't looking, and the full CGI that brought toys like Woody and Buzz Lightyear to life, became a worldwide hit. The second installment was released in 1999 (2000 in Japan), the third in 2010, and the fourth in 2019.
In the latest installment, "Toy Story 5," Jessie, a cowgirl doll who has taken over as "sheriff" from Woody and is now the leader of the toys in Bonnie's room, has watched over the growth of the imaginative and shy girl, Bonnie. When Bonnie's parents, worried that she is struggling to make friends because the other kids are moving on from toys and are engrossed in tablets, her life changes drastically when they give her a state-of-the-art tablet, the "LilyPad." Worried that Bonnie's radiant smile, which used to shine when she played, is fading as she becomes absorbed in the screen, Jessie asks Woody for help. Teaming up again with Woody and Buzz, Jessie rises to the challenge of winning back Bonnie's spirit...
