Toy Story 4 (2019) review

In 1979, George Lucas’ production company Lucasfilm launched a new division that specialized in computer graphics known as The Graphics Group. This division would go on to be responsible for developing some of the groundbreaking visual effects work for films like Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Young Sherlock Holmes, though it was ultimately spun out into its own separate corporation in 1986. Now named after its revolutionary computer system known as the Pixar Image Computer, Pixar would begin to create a bunch of computer-animated short films that earned them much critical acclaim. This included the likes of Luxo Jr. and Tin Toy, and in 1995, what was originally conceived as a made-for-TV special/sequel for the latter ended up becoming Pixar’s first-ever feature-length film, Toy Story, and it goes without saying that the film was a massive hit upon its release. Critics loved it, audiences loved it, and it effectively jumpstarted Pixar’s legacy as one of the top animation studios in the industry. This tale of toys who come to life when their owners aren’t around would end up getting two follow-ups; Toy Story 2 in 1999 and Toy Story 3 in 2010. And against all odds, both sequels ended up attracting just as much critical acclaim as the original, with the latter providing fans of the franchise an emotionally cathartic finale to the adventures of their favorite toys. It also grossed over $1 billion worldwide and became the third animated film in history to earn a Best Picture nomination at that year’s Oscars. As it turns out, however, this wouldn’t be the end of the adventures of Sheriff Woody, Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear, and their friends. In 2014, Pixar announced that a fourth film was in development and despite much skepticism from fans of the original trilogy, this new film ends up being yet another masterpiece full of emotional poignancy and lovable characters.

It has been two years since Andy Davis gave away his beloved toys to a young girl named Bonnie Anderson (voiced by Madeleine McGraw), and ever since, the toys have happily readjusted to their new lives. When Bonnie begins Kindergarten, Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) sneaks into her backpack to try and help her deal with the overwhelming stress of the situation, which eventually results in her crafting a handmade toy during arts and crafts that she names ‘Forky’. But to Woody’s surprise, Forky (voiced by Tony Hale) ends up coming to life and immediately starts attempting to get thrown away since he believes that he’s only trash. Thus, when Bonnie and her family end up going on a road trip, Woody now finds himself tasked with ensuring that nothing bad happens to Forky since he’s quickly become Bonnie’s new favorite toy. Eventually, though, Forky manages to jump out of the family’s RV, resulting in Woody having to leap out as well to get him back. And when the two find themselves in an antique store, they are confronted by Gabby Gabby (voiced by Christina Hendricks), a 1950s pull-string doll (like Woody) who looks to obtain Woody’s voice box since hers broke several years ago, thus preventing her from getting a new owner. She and her ventriloquist dummy allies then proceed to take Forky captive, effectively putting Woody and Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) in a race against time to get him back before Bonnie’s family leaves without them. In the process, the two even reunite with their old friend Bo Peep (voiced by Annie Potts), who had left the gang several years prior when the Davis family gave her away. And thanks to Bo’s newfound outlook on life, Woody soon finds himself re-evaluating the idea of what it truly means to be a toy.

Every Toy Story film has had a well-layered plot with strong themes, from the jealousy that Woody experiences when Buzz starts to steal his thunder in the first film to the simple fact that nothing lasts forever as exemplified in the second and third films (especially the latter given its rather infamous near-ending in an incinerator). The same can be said for Toy Story 4, which mainly grapples with the concept of finding one’s purpose in life. Whether it’s Forky trying to understand why he’s even alive in the first place or Bo Peep’s new characterization where she’s much more open to the ‘lost toy’ lifestyle, the film effectively continues the franchise’s brilliant knack of deftly finding the humanity within its various toy characters. And, of course, as one would normally expect from a Pixar film, Toy Story 4 more than delivers when it comes to its emotional gravitas. It’s quite arguably up there with Toy Story 3 when it comes to being one of the most emotional installments of the franchise, right down to an ending that shook both Tom Hanks and Tim Allen to the core. And yet, as is always the case with these films, all these great emotional moments are primarily meant to bolster what is already a delightfully charming animated adventure complete with Pixar’s always excellent animation. In fact, given that Toy Story is the franchise that made Pixar what it is today, these films serve as perfect benchmarks that truly highlight how much their animation style has evolved since 1995.

Now if there’s one aspect of this film that may disappoint fans of the franchise, it’s that most of the Toy Story gang ends up getting limited to minor supporting roles. Simply put, this film primarily focuses on Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep, and Forky, meaning that the rest of Andy/Bonnie’s toys spend most of their time with Bonnie and her family in their RV. They’re not outright ignored, for the record, but because of their limited screen-time, that means that you don’t get a lot of Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack), Hamm (voiced by Pixar’s lucky charm John Ratzenberger), Mr. Potato Head (voiced by the late Don Rickles via archival recordings), etc. For what it’s worth, though, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are just as fantastic as they’ve always been in these films and their wonderful camaraderie continues to make Woody and Buzz one of the best lead duos in recent film history. The two also get some great new material to work with in this one, with Woody having to overcome his frustrations of being neglected by Bonnie to ensure that nothing happens to Forky and Buzz trying (and somewhat struggling) to understand what it means to ‘listen to his inner voice’. Annie Potts, meanwhile, makes a very welcome return to the franchise as Bo Peep, who hasn’t played a major role in these films since Toy Story 2 two decades ago. And while Bo’s great new characterization does allow her to play a more proactive role in the plot this time, she still maintains the same sweet persona (not to mention her great chemistry with Woody) that made her such a lovable member of the gang in the previous films.

As has always been the case with these films, Toy Story 4 also introduces plenty of great new characters, many of whom help make this one of the funniest installments of the series. I mean, to be fair, would you expect anything less when you have two characters voiced by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele in their first big collaboration together in at least three years? They play Ducky and Bunny, respectively, a pair of plush toys who get into a minor scuffle with Buzz when he inadvertently takes their spot as the top prize of a carnival game. Other major standouts include Ally Maki as Bo’s chipper new sidekick Giggle McDimples and the one and only Keanu Reeves as Duke Caboom, “Canada’s greatest stuntman” and a pitch-perfect personification of everything that has made Reeves the breathtaking figure that he is today. But at the end of the day, it’s ultimately Tony Hale who ends up stealing the whole show as Forky since the surreal existential crisis that this new toy goes through provides the film with plenty of its best humorous moments. At the same time, though, Hale also succeeds immensely in making Forky an instantly lovable character due in large part to his endearingly innocent nature. And lastly, the film also boasts an excellent foil to the main protagonists in its main antagonist, Christina Hendricks’ Gabby Gabby. Without giving anything away when it comes to how her role in the story pans out, she ends up being the most sympathetic of the franchise’s villains to the point where she even becomes involved in some of the film’s biggest emotional moments.

When this film was first announced, it goes without saying that the internet didn’t exactly react too positively towards it. Simply put, many felt that this was an outright terrible idea as Toy Story 3 provided a satisfying conclusion to the original trilogy, and if my past reviews of Pixar films weren’t enough of an indication, Pixar fans can be very strict when it comes to the idea of the studio doing sequels to their previous films. But lo and behold, Pixar ultimately manages to deliver yet another masterpiece that continues to emphasize why Toy Story is undoubtedly their definitive franchise. Just like the three films that came before it, Toy Story 4 boasts a phenomenal script that provides great new material for its wide array of characters, from those who we’ve followed for years to those who haven’t been seen for a while to the new characters that quickly become excellent additions to this legendary franchise. And through it all, the film maintains the same great sense of emotional poignancy that the franchise has always had, resulting in yet another animated adventure that’s 100% guaranteed to hit you with the feels. Case in point, this film’s ending does imply that it will truly be the final installment of the series (at least in terms of films, as a few spin-offs are in the works for Disney+). While it may have seemed like this was set to be the start of a new bunch of Toy Story films, its ending suggests otherwise, and all in all, it’s genuinely a wonderful place to end things. Whereas Toy Story 3’s ending concluded the story of the toys’ relationship with their original owner Andy, Toy Story 4 is ultimately the last hurrah for these characters that we’ve known and loved since 1995. And thanks to the four amazing films that they’ve appeared in, there’s no denying that the Toy Story films will forever stand the test of time or, to quote the franchise itself, ‘to infinity and beyond’.

Rating: 5/5!