'Toy Story 4' Reinforces the Franchise's Standing as the GOAT

For me, Toy Story 3 was the perfect way of ending the series.  Nonetheless, when it was announced that another sequel was being made, I was immediately down with it, because: a.) it wasn’t as if Toy Story 3 was already the last we saw of Andy’s Bonnie’s toys, as they actually starred in a couple of TV specials and short films set after Toy Story 3, which essentially left the door open for another installment anyway; and b.) this was freakin’ Toy Story – the GOAT of animated film franchises.  So, from the very start, I was expecting Toy Story 4 to be extremely worthwhile.  And as it turns out, it absolutely is!

Toy Story 4 follows Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and the rest of the gang as they go on a roadtrip with Bonnie and her parents.  Also with them is Bonnie’s new favorite, Forky (Tony Hale) – a toy she made in her kindergarten arts and crafts.  Being essentially a spork, Forky finds it difficult accepting his new identity as a toy, and all throughout the trip, he repeatedly throws himself to the nearest trash can.  Woody, being Woody, takes upon himself the task of keeping an eye on Forky, and when the latter succeeds in running away one night, the former sets out to retrieve him.  This detour brings them to an encounter with an antique pullstring doll named Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks), who eerily takes an interest with Woody’s voice box, and a surprising reunion with Bo Peep (Annie Potts).

From the very opening scene – a powerful flashback – you immediately get the sense that it’s going to be an awesome film.  Any fears of it possibly sucking are quickly put out.

The animation, as what can be expected from a Pixar film, is stunning, vibrant, and insanely well-detailed; the camera work and shot compositions are magnificent.  And, as what can be expected from a Pixar film as well, it has an enjoyable, clever, funny, and heartstring-pulling story.  Its themes may seemingly be derivative of previous installments, but it actually delves deeper – albeit, for me personally, the emotional punch isn’t as impactful as Toy Story 3’s.  Playing a part is probably the fact that I predicted what the film’s biggest emotional development would be from piecing together details revealed in the trailers.  Nevertheless, as a whole, this film is simply superb, and kudos for first-time feature director Josh Cooley for doing a masterful job helming it.

My only tiny disappointment is that the script doesn’t focus more on Forky’s existential crisis.  In this universe in which toys are secretly alive, the concept of non-toys gaining life and sentience when children treat them as toys has intriguing, game-changing implications, and raises a lot of questions.  But the narrative simply grazes over these, as relatively early in the film, the possibility of Forky’s unique state playing an integral part in the plot down the line is quickly extinguished, and the character is essentially treated like a glorified MacGuffin from then on.

The spotlight of the story is clearly on Woody and Bo Beep.  The emotional core is hinged on them.  The antagonist, Gabby Gabby, also has an interesting arc, and also takes a major slice of the narrative pie.  The rest of the toys are basically just supporting characters of varying importance, even Buzz.  Nonetheless, none of the characters really feel underused, but this still depends on how much you are a fan of particular toy, like, if you’re a die-hard Jessie fan, you may be disappointed that she doesn’t take part of the central action.  In my case, I’m more of a Buzz fan than a Woody fan, but I’m mostly satisfied with his role in this adventure (though, of course, I wish he had more to do).

Aside from Forky, the other new toys are Duke Caboom (voiced by Internet darling Keanu Reeves), a Canadian daredevil toy; and a pair of carnival-prize plushies named Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key) and Bunny (Jordan Peele).  The most notable comedic moments definitely come from these three.  There’s even this one gag from Ducky and Bunny that is so Key & Peele hysterical that I busted my gut laughing.

In the end, I still think Toy Story 3 is the best film in the series (also, the best film of 2010).  Followed by Toy Story 2.   Third place is a tossup between Toy Story 4 and Toy Story.   Nevertheless, the fact remains that Toy Story 4 is brilliant.  It’s also possible that it’s just the nostalgia talking, and that when I get to watch all of them again, I will realize that Toy Story 4 is actually the best of the lot.   But this simply shows how outstanding this series is; there’s really no weak link.