What Toy Story 5 Taught Us

Went to see Toy Story 5 expecting nostalgia. Left with a blog post for ketch-Up. Typical!

Here's the setup: Bonnie's turning 8, struggling to make friends, and her parents hand her a tablet called Lilypad. It comes with its own social network ("The Pond") built to help her "catch up" with the other kids. Jessie - the actual toy who knows and loves her watches this happen and is not into it. What follows is basically a 100-minute case study in real connection vs. performative connection.

So, naturally, here's what I took from it:

1. The algorithm can't replace the actual moment

Lilypad promises Bonnie friends. What it delivers is group chats and a crowd of kids who make her feel more behind, not less. The real connection with Blaze, a kid who plays differently, too, only happens through messy, unscripted, low-stakes imaginative play. No app, no icebreaker games, just two people in a room being a bit weird together.

That's the whole point of ketch-Up. Small group, no performance, just show up and see what happens 🫶

2. You don't need everyone to get it - just your people

Bonnie gets side-eyed by the "cooler" kids for still playing with toys. It stings. But she doesn't need those kids. She needs the one kid who's also a little out of step. That's it. That's the whole friendship.

Not every meetup is for everyone, and that's the point, not the flaw. We're not optimising for the room liking us. We're optimising for the two or three people who leave feeling actually seen.

3. Moving on doesn't erase what was real

Jessie's biggest fear isn't being replaced - it's that Emily growing up means their bond never really counted. Then she finds proof, years later, that it did. It just didn't need to last forever to matter.

Some people show up to one meetup, and you never cross paths again. Doesn't make it any less real. A single meetup of genuine connection is still a win. It was never about building a permanent friend group, just about one good moment where people actually showed up for each other.

And maybe that's the whole point of Toy Story!

Play over performance. Your people are above everyone. And showing up matters more than you'll ever get proof of.

None of it requires forever. It just requires actually being in the room!

So if you've been meaning to come to a ketch-Up meetup, consider this your nudge.

No pressure, no big commitment. Just show up, play a little and see what sticks.