Toy Story 4

Voices of: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Madeleine McGraw, Christina Hendricks, Jordan Peele, Keanu Reeves, Ally Maki, Joan Cusack, Wallace Shawn, Jay Hernandez, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, Timothy Dalton, Jeff Garlin, Bonnie Hunt, Kristen Schaal, June Squibb, Estelle Harris, Laurie Metcalf, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Betty White, Carl Reiner, Bill Hader, Patricia Arquette, Carl Weathers, Timothy Dalton, Jeff Garlin
Directed by: Josh Cooley
Rating: G
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the rest of Bonnie's toys go on a roadtrip with her, and her new favorite toy, Forky (Tony Hale).

Review:

Tim: After concluding one of the greatest animated trilogies of all time, Toy Story came back for a fourth film. There might have been some trepidation with this movie- was the decision to make this movie cash-based, or was there a legitimate reason to continue the story? Fortunately, it's worth trusting in Pixar, because this is another effective story that continues the adventures of these incredible toys. It feels like a worthwhile sequel- one that dives deeper into the characters, entertains, and manages to tug the heartstrings a bit as well. Toy Story 4 is every bit as good as the original trilogy.

These stories have always been about a couple of things. First and most visibly, they're about these iconic toys and the adventures they have. However, each of the movies has had a much deeper emotional pull. They were about childhood, growing up, being needed, finding your purpose. That's what truly differentiated these films. The story here continues that tradition. The toys might now be with Bonnie, instead of Andy, but there's still heartfelt lessons to be learned. I was quite impressed with the story- it got the toys away from the house and allowed them to have some great adventures on a road trip. It challenged the characters and allowed them room to learn and to grow. It's ultimately a story about letting go, about moving on with your life (as hard as that can be). It's a worthwhile, thought-provoking story packaged up with these incredible characters.

Now, I'm a huge Tom Hanks fan, so I really enjoyed that this film focused mostly on him. It took an interesting spin by reintroducing Annie Potts' Bo Peep. She has undergone a number of changes by becoming a "lost" toy. It was fun to see those changes. I'm absolutely certain this was a major push- to give this series a strong female lead. Bo Peep serves that purpose. It might have been a tad obvious what they were doing, but it's not a bad move. So much of this film revolves around Woody and Bo Peep. The other main focus is Tony Hale's Forky. I am a bit torn about these new "toy". On the one hand, I get it- kids love him. My four year-old son absolutely loved Forky. He was running around the house saying, "Trash!" and running to the garbage. I get the appeal of him. It was a brilliant marketing move by Pixar (and you better believe we have a Forky toy). I can't say I loved the character personally, especially because so much of the film focused on him. When you add up the screen time for Woody, Bo, and Forky, it doesn't leave a whole lot of time for the other characters. It feels like Buzz is especially shortchanged, which is a limitation of this movie. He doesn't spend a whole lot of time with Woody. Four movies in, that's probably okay, but I do wish he had a bigger role in the story. The other toys we know are relegated to the periphery. I hope this was a story decision, not one based on selling new toys.

On the other hand, it was fun being introduced to some of these newer toys. Keanu Reeves' Duke Caboom is definitely a standout. I wasn't a huge fan of Ducky and Bunny, but I did enjoy Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele's collaboration there. Gabby Gabby was pretty decent and the dummies were surprisingly frightening (my son really did not care for them at all). Still, as a whole, it was fun seeing a mix of the old and new characters in this latest adventure.

It's impressive that this was the highest-grossing film in the franchise. That speaks volumes about these characters and the job Pixar has done protecting the property. Each installment has been strong, entertaining, funny, and emotional. It also suggests there is a lot of life left in the franchise. I hope they don't rush future movies, but it makes sense to continue the story. I don't know what a fifth film would look like (this movie does suggest a conclusion, but so did the third film). I personally would love to see them continue to make these movies, as long as the quality stays where it is.

It's amazing when you think about how influential, how incredible this franchise has been. On a personal note, this is the first film my son ever saw in a movie theater (the dummies were too scary for him, but he powered through, on my lap). You know how much I love movies and how much they mean to me, so you can guess how important my son's first movie in theaters was to me. I had no doubt that he'd be in good hands with Toy Story 4. It continues the franchise in a strong, memorable fashion.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, The Polar Express, Wall-E