Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 4 is yet another charming and funny hit from Pixar, even though it feels more like the start of a new franchise than a conclusion of one.
read more
The latest instalment in the much beloved Toy Story franchise, Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 4 is bold and exciting with charming new characters, while still retaining at its core what we have come to love about these movies: friendship, adventure, and what it means to belong.
The film continues after the events in Toy Story 3, with the toys now living with Bonnie after Andy goes off to college. On Bonnie’s first day of kindergarten, to cope with the new environment, she makes herself a toy out of a disposed plastic spork with mismatched googly eyes and pipe cleaners for its arms, and names him Forky (Tony Hale). Forky initially resists being a toy and keeps trying to return to the nearest trash can. On a road trip with Bonnie and her parents, Forkly successfully escapes. When Forky is held hostage by a doll named Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) in an antique store, Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) set out to rescue him, with the help of new friends and an old special one.
Even though Forky is the catalyst of the plot, Toy Story 4 is still very much Woody’s story. In the first three movies, shiny new toys come and go, but Woody remains Andy’s favourite. With Bonnie, he no longer has that position. The film toys (pun intended) with the question of what it means to be a toy. Toys are created to serve their kids. Those that don’t belong to a kid are considered lost toys. Yet, forgotten in Bonnie's closet and left to watch her play with other toys, Woody himself is also ‘lost’. An encounter with Bo Peep (Annie Potts), however, makes him realise there’s more to the world than a kid’s room. It is a cliché, but is executed with so much charm in the usual Pixar fashion that it still works.
It is also nice to see the filmmakers didn't reduce the return of Bo Peep to just a rekindling of an old flame for Woody. After being given away and left collecting dust on the shelf of an antique store, Bo Peep now enjoys a life of freedom and adventure without an owner. It is up for debate whether her new outlook on life and choice of the outfit are feminist enough. But feminist or not, this Bo Peep is undeniably more interesting and definitely steals the spotlight from Woody for the better part of the film. The new characters beside Forky - the miniature policewoman Giggle McDimples (Ally Maki), the humourous carnival prizes Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key) and Bunny (Jordan Peele), and the Canadian stuntman toy Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) - are quick to endear themselves to the audience. Yet, they are also quick to fade from memory as the film doesn't spend enough time developing them, rushing into actions in a plot that moves a little too fast. The lack of screentime for the old toys including Buzz is another regrettable outcome of having too many new characters.
Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 4 is yet another charming and funny hit from Pixar, even though it feels more like the start of a new franchise than a conclusion of one, and doesn't quite stand up to its predecessors. Still, it deserves credit for giving Woody a fitting and heartwarming farewell that ties up nicely his journey throughout the four movies. One sure hopes there isn't going to be a fifth one, though.
read less