★★★★
When a new toy called "Forky" joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.
Classification: U
Toy Story 3 had a perfect ending, so perfect in fact that mere idea of a sequel seemed blasphemous so after nine years since we left Woody, Buzz and the rest of our favourite toys are glad to seem them again?
Yes, oh very much so. While Toy Story 4 may seem like an unnecessary sequel it quickly establishes itself as an epilogue to one of cinema's greatest characters. This is very much a story about Sheriff Woody and him coming to terms with the decisions he made in the previous film and what his life is like since leaving Andy. Tom Hanks probably delivers his best performance as the beloved character yet and Disney-Pixar's animation captures a new layer of emotional resonance. The return of Annie Pott's Bo Peep is a large part of that as the love story between the two characters is rekindled when they reunite during the adventure and Woody begins to question his priorities as Bonnie's new toy.
The Toy Story franchise has always been layered deep with themes of existentialism and Toy Story 4 is no different with its plotline drawing from similar storylines in the previous films. The addition of "Forky" a sentient spork who is now Bonnie's new favourite toy is reminiscent of Buzz Lightyear's own misunderstandings of his existence all those years ago. There are missions to rescue toys, ticking clocks about when the humans are leaving and another great sequence of toys hijacking a motor vehicle for their grand plan. Toy Story 4 is a greatest hits montage at times but its the poignant new story Woody must face that deserves its place as its own story. In the last three films, his actions have centred around what is best for Andy and while at times his actions may seem selfish or flawed, Woody would always do what was right for the child. Toy Story 4 begins with this but begins to ask a new question, not what's best for the child but what's best for the toy?
The adventure the filmmakers take us on has us meet a great new cast of characters, a band of lost toys who reside near an RV park and accompanying town. Bo Peep is our guide into these characters but they all quickly become scene-stealers from Key and Peele's stuffed animal duo Ducky and Bunny, Ally Maki as Giggles McDimples to Keanu Reeves as the glorious Duke Kaboom. Their comic relief is incredibly satisfying especially since the performers own comedic stylings are utilised in their characters especially with Key and Peele, whose "Plush Rush" sequence was comic gold. The new characters are a great little troupe for Woody, Buzz and Bo to interact with but they don't hide the most prominent issue with the film.
Toy Story 4 suffers from the sidelining of our beloved gang of toys. Jessie, Bullseye, Rex, Slinky, Hamm, and the Potato Heads are left in the RV for the majority of the runtime. In some cases this can be understandable, Don Rickles the voice of Mr Potato Head passed away in 2017 before recording any new dialogue so the character is brought to life through archival recordings. The new characters while great don't make up for the fact that our classic heroes seem to be an afterthought to the filmmakers, cutting back to them every once in a while in the exact same spot. Even Buzz Lightyear seems to have been dumbed down, with his subplot having him come across as a simpleton and not the brilliant tactician of films previous. After the crucible, these characters faced together its a real shame not to see them have this last adventure together.
However, that is in part because Toy Story 4 is a film about Woody and that the addition of Buzz and the rest feels like a courtesy instead of narrative necessity. The narrative similarities to films past serve as an insight for Woody to reflect on his whole journey. You seem him make conscious changes to what he has done before, from his mentorship with Forky, his interactions with the film's main villain and most importantly his relationship with Bo. Andy was the most important part of Woody's life, now that they've parted, what is the most important thing to Woody now?
Beautiful, hilarious and heartwarming, that will most likely leave its audience without a dry eye, Toy Story 4 is a worthy epilogue for a character we have loved so much. Pixar continues its tradition of making gripping animated adventures for all ages and any trepidation one may feel about this film is unwarranted. We thought we had said goodbye for good nine years ago but to be given one more chance to see our favourite toys delivers a cinematic experience that celebrates all of what came before.
Thank you Woody, thank you Buzz, thank you for every great memory you gave us.
To Infinity and Beyond.
Director: #JoshCooley
Cast: #TomHanks, #TimAllen, #AnniePotts, #TonyHale, #KeeganMichaelKey, #JordanPeele, #KeanuReeves, #ChristinaHendricks, #MadelineMcGraw, #AllyMaki, #JoanCusack
Release Date: June 21st 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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