Review

Pixar once again proves they are able to create a film both kids and adults will enjoy. Toy Story 4 is heartfelt, comedic, and overall an entertaining and engaging experience. I love the themes and the lessons our main characters learn along the way. There’s questions asked about purpose, letting go of the past, accepting who you are, and so much more!

Directed by Josh Cooley in his directorial debut, Woody voiced by Tom Hanks and all of our other favorite toys face difficulty when Bonnie’s new crafted toy, Forky wants nothing more than to be left in the trash. The toys consistently keep trying to prevent him from throwing himself away as this new toy is Bonnie’s favorite. The adventure centers around Woody and lots of new characters in an antique shop who slow Woody and Forky down from getting back to Bonnie. Bo Peep, her sheep, and new friends assist Woody on yet another exciting and emotionally-filled journey.

This is Woody’s movie. There’s several new characters that are fun but Woody is the character you are rooting for and he’s the most likeable that he’s ever been. His classic stubbornness and persistence is something I personally admire and there’s a lot of resilience that his character has. In fact, there’s one saddening scene where no one believes in Woody’s plan due to multiple times the plan has not gone very well, but he still doesn’t give up and persists at completing his mission. I am extremely drawn to characters who are so passionate about doing something that they feel is right even if that means that they might break a few rules along the way. This is why I liked Miguel from Coco so much and Woody is that way in this feature. I think this characteristic is a good one to have kids watch as they can learn that if their first attempt doesn’t work out, it is important to never give up, be creative, and continue to pursue goals you set for yourself.

We see the maturity Woody has undergone since the first movie when it comes to how he deals with not getting attention and feeling lonely. Bonnie does not consider Woody a favorite toy, as he is often forgotten about. Wherein the first Toy Story Woody is purposefully trying to get Buzz lost and verbally takes his anger out on him, in this film Woody will stop at nothing to ensure the safety of Forky because he realizes how much joy Forky brings to Bonnie and he’s come to terms, as painful as it might be, that he’s not the favorite anymore. However, he can still have purpose and that’s what he pursues. I think that’s such a complex issue that feels very real, hits you emotionally, and is great to see that change throughout this saga.

There’s more depth given to Bo Peep. The movie actually begins with a flashback 9 years prior to the present and we finally learned what happened to her and when you see her in the present you understand what she has endured and why she is the way that she is.

The antagonist is a classic doll named Gabby Gabby who has a believable motive an Alive-Toy might have and one of the saddest scenes involves something that happens to her near the end. A film that allows you to feel bad for the character causing havoc to the main characters has definitely done something right.

This movie has new Characters Ducky and Bunnie voiced byKey and Peele and also Doom Kaboom voiced by John Wick or Kieanu Reeves, same thing. These characters are good comic relief characters and they get plenty of screen time. However, I did wish we could have seen more of our classic characters. We don’t see Buzz, Rex, Slinky, and Mr.MrsPotato Heads as often as you’d think. They get time on screen but the film opts to have these newer characters get screen time and while what they do with them definitely works, as someone who is a long-term fan of the series I would’ve preferred if some of the old characters had more time on screen. At the same time, I can see the argument that it would have been cluttered and Pixar choosing to focus on the new ones allows more time to add depth to them.

The conclusion is emotionally stinging and I will not spoil what it is, but it is fitting, displays growth in our main character, and I can’t wait to talk about it more once all of you have had the chance to watch it!

Check out the ending of the video review above for my rankings/grades of all other Toy Story movies in the franchise.