Harry Situation Reviews: Toy Story 4

The toys are back in town.

Toy Story 4 is Disney and Pixar’s newest film and addition to the Toy Story franchise. Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and the gang are all back for another plastic adventure, once again featuring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cussack, Annie Potts, John Ratzenberger, Don Rickles, and Wallace Shawn reprising their roles while also adding Christina Hendricks, Tony Hale, Jordan Peele, Keenan-Michael Key, and Keanu Reeves (whoa) to the fun cast.

After the events of the third film when their first kid Andy gives them to a little girl named Bonnie, their kid makes a new toy out of a spork and names it Forky (voiced by Tony Hale), which comes to life on its own (don’t ask how or why). But Forky does not feel fit to be Bonnie’s toy and tries to leave during a road trip. So Woody and Buzz try to bring him back while running into a familiar face, Bo Peep (reprised by Annie Potts), meet new toys like Ducky and Bunny (voiced by Key and Peele) and Duke Caboom (voiced by Keanu Reeves), and try to avoid the clutches of a doll named Gabby Gabby (voiced by Christina Hendricks) and her ventriloquist puppet henchmen.

I greatly enjoy each of the Toy Story movies. I practically grew watching them from the beginning. This franchise is pretty much my childhood. This is everyone’s childhood a anyone born or grew up in the 90s. Toy Story was Disney/Pixar’s first film that kickstarted a 24 year streak for animation success for the company. The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature was practically made for them (although they lost to Shrek when one of their films was first nominated (true story)). And each film seem to get better with age, and each film in the series is better than the last.

So like everyone I was scratching my head at the idea that Disney and Pixar announced that there will be a fourth Toy Story. I mean the third one was perfect. Seeing Andy say goodbye to his toys and give them away was the biggest tearjerker of all of cinema. Regardless, it’s here, and it’s really good.

First positive, it’s nice to have the original cast back. I don’t think this film would be the same without Hanks, Allen, and the rest. Even comedy legend Don Rickles, who passed away two years before this film’s release, his voice can be heard in this movie like he’s still apart of this series. That’s how you pay tribute to a legend.

The additional voice cast is great too. I swear Key and Peele add-libbed their own lines into the movie. There’s no way they couldn’t have. There’s no way the screenwriters wrote all their dialogue because their lines were just too funny. And Keanu Reeves was a scene stealer here too. Everything he says is just a boatload of awesome.

Having all the characters from the previous films is a plus too. I like how they expanded on Bo Peep in this movie. I mean, in the first two, she was nothing more than a side character. Here, she's more fleshed out (sort of speak). She has a lot more to do and she's done so much between films. I will say that one downside is that most of these characters from the previous films sadly don't have a lot to work with. I get it. This is an hour and a half flick and there's only so many characters you can fit onto the screen.

And with all the new characters added in this you'd think there'd be one that would be annoying, right? Nope. I was not annoyed by any of them. I liked them all. I was suprised to have liked the character Forky in this movie. I thought he was going to be the most ear-grating thing in the whole movie but thankful that was not the case. I also really liked the portrayal of the villain, Gabby Gabby, in this movie too. She's not some twist villain at the end, and they actually made her very complex and sympathetic. I honestly hesitate to even call her a villain because while her motives are a bit self-centered, she's by no means trying to do actual harm to anyone. And there's a moment where I actually felt really bad for her. Kudos, Pixar.

The animation in these movies seem to get better with each film, and the animation in this film is top-notch. Very bright. Very vibrant. The details really shine on each character, setting, and background.

The humor is great too. This was a very funny Toy Story movie. Probably the funniest. You got Key & Peele. Of course the movie is going to be funny, and their characters are the ones that'll bring the most laughs.

But aside from the humor, this is also a very emotionally driven story too, much like the previous films. Most of the emotion comes from Woody now trying to figure out his place in the world, and it works brilliantly.

The only thing I can say that was a negative is all the little hiccups that happen along the way in the story. Meaning, there the main characters have a main objective to get to, but they get sidetracked with something else that pops up. This is only a minor gripe though. I get the reason why some of these events happen and they do work for this movie.

I won't say that this is the best of the Toy Story movies, at least in my opinion, but it is definitely worthy of being part of the franchise, and it is a fitting conclusion to the whole series. If you love Toy Story or Pixar or both, this one's for you. If you're hesitant to see this movie because you don't think that it's going to be all that great just because it sticks out from a well complete film trilogy, don't worry about it. This movie is worth your time and it does nothing but further build on the franchise.

Right now, it's time to say goodbye to this beloved series from my childhood. But don't worry, you’ll always have a friend in me.

Positives:

-Outstanding voice cast

-Amazing animation

-Old characters

-New characters

-Very funny

-Very emotionally driven

Negatives:

-All the hiccups along the story

-Most characters sidelined

Final Grade: A-

Also, I just want to say how nice to see a G-rated movie in theaters right now. I know, right. I thought G-rated family films were a myth these days.

So those are my thoughts on Toy Story 4. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts on it? Which one's been your favorite of the series? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check out more reviews here on Prose!

Best Quote:

Buzz Lightyear: “To infinity...”

Woody: ”...and beyond.”

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