Toy Story 4

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When I think back to seeing the first 'Toy Story 4' trailer, I remember feeling disappointed. I felt like Pixar was just doing the sequel thing again, and 'Toy Story' just plain didn't need a fourth title. I felt like the way 'Toy Story 3' ended was the perfect way to end a long-lived trilogy, and this felt like Pixar running out of original ideas. I'll admit, I pretty much just rolled my eyes at the idea. Along would come a second trailer that gave us a bit more, and I decided that if Pixar had ever taught me one thing, I probably shouldn't judge this book by its cover. There had to be something more to it than I was seeing. Thankfully, I was right to think that.

'Toy Story 4' continues Woody's (Tom Hanks) story under Bonnie's (Madeleine McGraw) new ownership. Woody and the gang are all in their element with Bonnie, and have all become friends with Bonnie's other toys; among Bonnie's mainstays are a triceratops named Trixie (Kristen Schaal), a unicorn named Buttercup (Jeff Garlin), an elegant porcupine named Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton) and and the aptly named Dolly (Bonnie Hunt). Taking a moment to rewind to 'Toy Story 3', I appreciate the fact that Bonnie owned a Totoro, who sadly doesn't come up here. But I'll tell you who does show up - Bonnie's toys she leaves in the closet; Carl Reineroceros (Carl Reiner), Bitey White (Betty White), Chairol Burnett (Carol Burnett), Melephant Brooks (Mel Brooks) and Old Timer (Alan Oppenheimer). Also, two fluffy carnival prize animals, Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key) and Bunny (Jordan Peele). I still don't even know if I've covered all the great voicework, but we must move forward.

The plot of the film starts with Bonnie's Kindergarten orientation. She's scared, so being the comforting toy Woody is, he sneaks into her backpack to keep an eye on her. Bonnie sits alone, not really knowing where to start on a class project. Instead, she finds some materials Woody tossed on her table without her knowing, and creates Forky (Tony Hale). I find this shines a light on a question I never thought of with these movies - if a kid creates a toy, is it alive. The answer turns out to be "yes", but Forky thinks he belongs in the trash, being that he basically came from there. Woody tries to convince him otherwise, and that he's potentially Bonnie's new favourite toy. Forky brought her joy when she was feeling sad and scared. I have to appreciate the analogy that sometimes we can consider ourselves useless and/or pointless, but there's someone on the side lines trying to steer us in the right direction, reminding us we're loved.

After Bonnie gets through her first day of Kindergarten, the family (Lori Alan and Jay Hernandez as the parents) decides to go on a road trip, allowing Bonnie to bring along all of her toys. During the trip, Forky jumps out and Woody goes after him, promising to meet at the RV park they were headed for. On their way over, Woody and Forky happen upon an antique shop where Woody recognizes Bo Peep's (Annie Potts) lamp. They go to explore, only to find themselves amid creepy ventriloquist dummies (Steve Purcell) and a doll named Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) who needs a new voice box if she ever wants to be enjoyed by a child - even if it means taking Woody's. As for Bo Peep, they do manage to eventually find each other after Woody escapes his situation, leaving Forky behind.

Bo Peep, along with stunt driving Canadian, Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) and a "Polly Pocket"-like character named Giggles McDimples (Ally Maki) help Woody try to get Forky back to Bonnie. As the plot unfolds, so does Woody's character development. While he remains used to the idea of playtime and loyalty to Bonnie (and once, Andy) he remains somewhat freaked out by the idea of being a lost toy. Bo Peep, on the other hand, tries to convince him that perhaps being lost isn't so bad. Her story is an interesting call-back to 'Toy Story 3' when Bo Peep is mentioned as a lost toy. Somehow, with the way Woody puts things in the scene, we all knew there was some untold story behind Bo Peep's disappearance. This movie fills in the blanks, namely with the opening scene.

I always found that each of these movies speaks to a certain aspect of the life of a toy, which is very interesting. The first deals with going missing, and having to deal with that cynical kid we all knew who loved destroying toys. The second one deals with being stolen as a collector's item, and finding out you're part of a set. It further deals with the idea of being grown out of, and what will happen. This is all answered with the third film, showing Andy having grown out of his toys, and moving on to college. It deals with being donated, and whatever the next step in a toy's life might be, which brings Bonnie into the picture. Finally this film deals with the idea of a toy she creates, and Woody taking care of him. He also wants to take care of Bonnie, as he's loyal, but for once the film asks why he doesn't take care of himself. So while they all have to do with escape/break-out, they all have very different stories going on through the escape/break-out.

'Toy Story 4' would go on to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar, earning Pixar Golden Statue #10 for the category. I have to say that speaking for myself, it was probably my favourite animated film that year, and above all else, a very pleasant surprise. I remember leaving the theatre, wondering how the hell they pulled things off so well. It even gets kind of deep in a way we might not ever expect. In all honesty, I was kind of surprised by the way it all ended. With a very solid four titles under its belt, all being pleasant surprises for their time, the 'Toy Story' franchise may very well be the best series (including all sequels) in the Pixar library. One way or another, my generation has grown up with these movies. For me, it started when I was 13, and ended before the, shall we say, terror of 2020. There's a lot of nostalgia here, and I'm happy to have these films to refer to when I need the boost.

5/5

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