Toy Story 4 is the newest installment of the signature franchise from Pixar and Disney, arriving nine years after the third film and nearly twenty-five years after the first feature. Josh Cooley (head of story for Inside Out) directs from a story by a raft of contributors including Cooley, Stephany Folsom, Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return as Woody and Buzz Lightyear, leading an expanded cast comprised of favorites like Joan Cusack, Wallace Shawn, and John Ratzenberger, as well as additions like Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Christina Hendricks and Keanu Reeves as the Canadian daredevil Duke Caboom. Annie Potts returns to the series in a twenty-year absence as Bo Peep, and Don Rickles reprises his role as Mr. Potato Head in a posthumous performance. The film is dedicated to Mr. Rickles and Pixar animator Adam Burke.
Our tale begins with the gang dealing with their new playmate Bonnie’s first day in school. Not allowed to bring toys, Bonnie makes her own out of a spork and names him Forky (Hale). Now imbued with the life of a toy and as Bonnie’s favorite toy, paramount to her childhood development, Forky is faced with an existential identity crisis. Determined to not let down Bonnie, Woody takes it upon himself to teach Forky the ways of a child’s toy during a road trip vacation. But when Forky decides to leave the gang behind in search of the safety of a trash bin, Woody has no choice but to go searching for Forky before Bonnie and her parents leave. Luckily, he comes across an old friend, Bo Peep, to help him along his journey.
The Toy Story films have long served as prime examples of Pixar’s ability to tap into our childhood joys and plumb the psychological depths of our being. Whether it’s the fear of being replaced (Toy Story), abandoned (Toy Story 2) or aging out of purposefulness (Toy Story 3), this series has managed to engage our hopes and worries to striking effect. The honest examinations that take place in the minds of these playthings allow us the audience to place ourselves in their shoes. Toy Story 4 continues this proud tradition, and is among the digital studio’s best, which is saying a lot for Pixar.
Of course, proper respect has to be given to the star-studded voice cast led by, as always, Hanks and Allen. Having inhabited these characters for the better part of 25 years, revisiting this group of toy adventurers is akin to being with old friends, even considering the regularity of the shorts and specials post-Toy Story 3. The added bonus is bringing back Potts as the discarded toy Bo Peep and beefing up the presence and prominence of her character. The gap from Toy Story 2 and now give hers and Woody’s scenes a certain weight; it truly has been that long. The effortless charisma and chemistry between the two keep the thematic undertone of becoming lost in the wilderness from getting too heavy.
Also keeping things light are the additions of Key and Peele as the hilarious duo of Ducky and Bunny, with their improv skills providing a comedic crackle to the film, and Keanu Reeves continuing his Keanusance as Caboom. Even Tim Allen’s long-running Buzz Lightyear gets some good gags in. All of these delightful, uproarious bits result in the funniest a Toy Story movie has ever been. That comedy and humor is much-needed because due to the aforementioned themes of existentialism and lost purpose, this is also the most poignant a Toy Story movie has ever been, with a note-perfect ending that hits like a ton of bricks.
Pixar’s story process is unparalleled, especially when it comes to the Toy Story films. Their characters have magnificent arcs, everyone’s motivation is clearly defined and delineated including the villains, and their setpieces are always character- and story-motivated. It’s why colleges teach classes on the Pixar method, and even though there have been some slight misfires (which still manage to be crowd-pleasers compared to other animated fare), the quality demonstrated in Toy Story 4 – which is baffling that this series is still this good; I honestly couldn’t believe it as I was watching it – is a promising sign of returning to the status quo. The Toy Story films are beloved for a reason, and everyone on the cast and crew were fully aware of what they were making and how high of a benchmark had to be cleared.
The team at Pixar, led by Josh Cooley, and the Toy Story cast have managed to create movie magic once again, delighting youthful audiences and the young at heart. There were many, including yours truly, that questioned the addition of a fourth film to a perfect trilogy. Well, it seems Toy Story 4 is the capstone to cinema’s first perfect quartet of films.
ABOUT DISNEY & PIXAR’S TOY STORY 4
Woody has always been confident about his place in the world and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that’s Andy or Bonnie. But when Bonnie adds a reluctant new toy called “Forky” to her room, a road trip adventure alongside old and new friends will show Woody how big the world can be for a toy. Directed by Josh Cooley (“Riley’s First Date?”) and produced by Jonas Rivera (“Inside Out,” “Up”) and Mark Nielsen (associate producer “Inside Out”), Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” ventures to U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019.
Hashtag: #ToyStory4
Website: https://pixar.com/feature-films-toy-story-4
Facebook: https://facebook.com/PixarToyStory
Twitter: https://twitter.com/toystory
Instagram: https://instagram.com/toystory
Toy Story 4 is in theaters June 21, 2019 in 2D, Real-D 3D, Dolby Cinema and IMAX with a run-time of 100 minutes, and is rated G for all ages.
