Toy Story 4 Movie Review
Nathan Swank
June 21st, 2019
I love Pixar! Yes they’ve had a few that are definitely lesser than the rest but the studio is a steady youthful hand of greatness. TOY STORY 4 is another stellar induction into the elite Disney/Pixar library, making it easily one of the longest running movie series without a dip in quality.
I’ll be honest, I’ve always had a small hang up about the original 1995 TOY STORY. The writing, characters, and story are all beautifully told, however, I was always a bit bothered by the lack of female representation. Out of the ten or so lead toy characters, only one is female – Little Bo Peep. She didn’t have a lot to do other than sorta pine over Woody so to speak. Thankfully 1999’s TOY STORY 2 rectified that situation by introducing the rootin’ tootin’ cowgirl Jessie as one of the leads, who becomes an integral part of the entire TOY STORY universe. It took 11 years before 2010’s TOY STORY 3 came around and showed yet another deeply affecting aspect to the toys that we play with in our youth and the change as we get older. The film somehow showed our heroes in peril where even adult viewers cringed in their seats believing this would be the end, before eventually saving them in a lovely story where the now grown Andy donates his toys to a little girl named Bonnie. This seemed like a perfect ending…or so we thought.
Original, heartwarming and flat out funny, TOY STORY 4 proves there is more story to be told. Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the rest of the gang voiced by so many stellar voice performers return with Bonnie as the family ventures on an RV road trip. Newcomer Forky (hilariously voiced by Tony Hale), made from art supplies in Bonnie’s Kindergarten Orientation, is having trouble adjusting to his newly awakened life as a toy. Through uninvited circumstances, Woody reunites with Bo Peep (Annie Potts), who has adjusted incredibly well as a lost toy. Strong, confident, and decisively clever, Bo leads Woody and a new crew of toys, which include a couple of carny stuffed animals, Ducky and Bunny (Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele), a crashing motorcyclist Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves), and teeny tiny Giggle McDimples (Ally Maki) as they face off against a Gabby Gabby doll (Christina Hendricks) and her terrifying ventriloquist puppet henchmen at an antique store.
Surprisingly, outside of Woody, all the other usual friends take on much lesser roles. But their secondary storyline of trying to prevent Bonnie’s family from leaving before they retrieve Woody and Bonnie-made Forky (currently Bonnie’s absolute favorite toy) share in some of the film’s funnier moments. It also adds to the overall theme of working together without ego.
Perhaps it’s the fact that my daughter is the same age as little Bonnie, but the few emotional threads seem to hit a little closer to home. And like most Pixar films, the laughs play for both kids and kids at heart. You can even ask my five-year-old, whose giggling sounds could be heard throughout the theater when it wasn’t being drowned out by my own.
With richly layered characters and an intriguing story, TOY STORY 4 delivers a tender message about complexity and difficult decisions that are ultimately about helping others. The villains aren’t necessarily evil, simply misguided. At times even our heroes make poor decisions or have a narrowed view of their surroundings, until a situation arises that expands that view. I appreciate the TOY STORY universe, which is an appreciation that has only grown with each sequel. Not a lot films can say that. I pray that I can teach my children some of these powerful lessons so they might grow… to infinity and beyond.
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