Toy Story 4 is the surprise sequel to the then conclusion of the trilogy, Toy Story 3. In this film, the toys have a new kid named Bonnie. Bonnie is having a hard time fitting in at Kindergarten, so she makes a friend of her own; a spork named Forky (Tony Hale). That toy becomes really important to Bonnie, and when Forky unexpectedly comes to life, Woody (Tom Hanks) must do everything in his power to make sure he's there for Bonnie. However, things go awry when they get caught in an antique store next to a carnival. They must figure out how to break free, as Buzz (Tim Allen) goes on his own adventure to bring them back to Bonnie. They meet a bunch of new characters (Keanu Reeves, Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key), as well as some familiar faces (Bo Peep, played by Annie Potts), as they navigate their way back home, learning about themselves in the process.
The Toy Story franchise is one the greatest film series of all time, animated or otherwise. The three movies have become known for pioneering CG animation, as well as being charming, fun adventures with great writing, characters, and heart. And with Toy Story 3, the series got wrapped in a neat little bow, perfectly ending a great story. And then Pixar announced a fourth installment.
I, like many others, was worried about this film. Sure, the past two Toy Story sequels were great, and Pixar makes some phenomenal movies, but this company isn't perfect. They have made a few misfires, and they came out not so long ago. And none of the films in their sequel cycle have been amazing. Sure, I enjoyed Finding Dory and Incredibles 2, but they were not great, and neither stacked up to the original. And Cars 3... well, I haven't seen it, but I think my argument still stands. And as I expected, Toy Story 4 is about as enjoyable as the past few sequels Pixar has made. There's a lot to love in this film, but I believe it is undeniably the weakest of the Toy Story franchise.
Let's talk about the good stuff first. Obviously, since this is a Pixar movie, the film is gorgeous. The colors are beautiful and vibrant, the characters are very expressive, and the toys all have amazing designs. The toys look better than ever here, as the textures of their bodies have improved immensely since 2013. You can see every piece of fur on the stuffed animals, every particle of dust on the silk cape, every weave of yarn in Woody's costume, every piece of felt in Forky's pipe cleaner arms, and more. The plastic and ceramic toys even have a shine on them to make them look like plastic and ceramic. It all looks stunning.
Like the previous Toy Story films, the writing is great. There are some hilarious moments of comedy, melded very well with some emotional drama. It manages to find a nice balance, and it sheds light on some familiar characters, as well as new ones. The characters are all highly entertaining, with brand new toys stealing the spotlight. They are all full of comedy, and they each add something to this film.
So why did this movie not grab me like the previous films? If the animation and writing are so good, why do I not find myself loving this one? Simply put, I think it's because this is a fourth installment of an already wrapped trilogy. As a result, there are times where this film feels rather inconsequential and uninteresting. There are some great moments in this film, both comedic and dramatic, but a lot of them felt too familiar. It seemed like the Toy Story writers have done almost all of this before, tackling similar themes. I think the previous films tackled those themes better.
On that note, I think that what could have made Toy Story 4 better is if it pushed the boundaries further with its comedy and drama. Now don't get me wrong, both of these elements are done very well, and they each make the movie quite compelling. However, neither element seems like they are fully capitalized on. While the comedy has a lot of clever and witty moments, there are a good chunk of them that are a little dull, or too "kid friendly." There's nothing wrong with kid friendly humor, and none of the comedy I found to be groan worthy, but I thought some of the jokes didn't have much of a punch because they were punching under their weight. And while the drama is effective, it seems like there is a level of severity that the film isn't reaching for. And yes, I know, this movie is an animated Disney Pixar movie, and they wouldn't go super far with that kind of emotion. But here's the thing; they did, and that was a whole Toy Story film ago. I'm not talking so much about the ending of that film, but more of the serious, dark undertones the film presented. Toy Story 4 had those, but they didn't feel substantial enough to fully draw me in. Like I said, neither the comedy nor the drama is done bad, but I think both elements could have had more bite to them.
My next big criticism is definitely more of a nitpick, but I do think it is important to comment on. I wasn't crazy about Buzz's subplot. His whole ordeal about "following his inner voice" wasn't that funny. It seemed more forced than anything, and it felt like an afterthought. It was like the writers wrote this great story involving Woody reuniting with Bo Peep, but then they were like "oh yeah, Buzz is a main character!" and they wrote what was presented here. It wasn't awful, but it could have been better.
Now, I must reiterate- Toy Story 4 is not bad by any means. It's actually very good. Like I said, the animation is gorgeous, the characters are all great, and the new additions are highly entertaining. All the performances are marvelous, and the way they all play off each other is fantastic. I love the music, I love a lot of the comedy, I love some of the drama... I love Forky! There is so much to appreciate about this film, even if I personally think it's the weakest. The lack of thematic risks and Buzz's side story bog down what is otherwise a very good film. If you like the previous Toy Story films, I think you'll definitely enjoy this one. This film might even grow on me with more viewings. But as is, I still had a blast. Don't miss this one.
Score: 7/10 (Good)
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