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briangroth27 · 5 years

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Toy Story 4 Review

I rewatched the first three Toy Story films and the shorts before seeing this, and I was blown away by how perfect this series has been so far. Making one great movie is extremely difficult, but making a full franchise that's this good seems like it should be impossible, yet here they are. So, in addition to being one of my favorite franchises since my childhood, Toy Story 4 had a massive legacy and standard to live up to. Incredibly, it completely lives up to both!

Full Spoilers...

This is very much Woody's (Tom Hanks) movie and Hanks runs with it, bringing Woody's character through a familiar struggle that leads him to a completely new place by the end without ever feeling like we’re retreading old ground. At first, Woody's attempts to force Forky (Tony Hale) to accept his role as a toy despite his insistence that he was trash (since Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw) made him out of trash) felt like a weird message to send. Then I realized it was more like what he did for Buzz (Tim Allen) in the first film, albeit with more understanding on Woody's part; even though he was similarly replaced, that’s some nice growth from the old cowboy. It doesn't matter what the toys thought they were initially—with Buzz and the BattleSaurs, we've seen toys’ fresh-out-of-the-box personalities mimicking whatever they were built as rather than realizing that they were toys—and what really makes them who they are is what they mean to a child. Because of a kid's love, they can be more than trash; more than a space ranger.

It's a nice bit of cyclical plotting that Woody goes through this again at the end of his time in another kid's room, and watching him realize that there could be more to life than going from kid to kid and endlessly being discarded was great. Toy Story introduced the terror of being left behind, TS2 played with Woody’s acceptance of the fact that Andy would eventually leave him, TS3 forced him to actually deal with Andy outgrowing him (which is entirely different from acknowledging the concept), and this movie gives us a glimpse of what happens next, when Woody has to face the entire cycle again. I really liked his admission that all he had left to give was protecting Bonnie, even though she’d moved on from him (an interesting adjustment to his outlook, given how he used to see being replaced as the worst thing that could happen). Even if he couldn’t be the toy she adored and needed, he would supply that love no matter what problems or challenges it caused in the process. Woody’s drive verged on obsession more than a few times, leading him to take really irresponsible risks and I almost think he gets off a little too easily (which would be my one note for the movie). Bo (Annie Potts) gets to be rightfully furious with Woody for not listening to her much better thought-out plans and causing real damage to her friends, but since Woody is also unable to fully let go as the leader of Andy’s toys now that they’re Bonnie’s, it would've also been nice for Dolly (Bonnie Hunt) to be right about what Bonnie needs instead of Woody ultimately knowing what’s best. Either way, I would’ve liked an apology from him to Dolly, because that section’s really the one where it feels like Woody can do no wrong, even while flouting the rules of the new room (and even if it saddles him with Forky). I wonder if Forky jumping out of the RV window was an intentional callback to Woody accidentally knocking Buzz out of Andy’s window in the first film, since that also sent him on a journey of self-discovery about his place in the world and led to a toy realizing their true purpose.

Woody's reunion with Bo (Annie Potts) was great and she was absolutely outstanding! She was so cool and I loved that it wasn't some horrible trauma that made her the awesome adventurer she’d grown into, just an unwillingness to continue sitting on her lamp watching the world go by without her. What an excellent, inspiring, and unfortunately rare motivation for a strong female character! Judging by her attitude to being given away in the flashback, she was already more well-adjusted to the possibility of being discarded than Woody and it was very cool to see that evolve into the fearless and free doll she became. I feel like we got enough nods to her history and relationships here that I don't need to see a prequel that spells out her journey (though if they gave us one I’d watch it), but I would be totally up for a sequel about her continuing adventures. Maybe it was the CGI quality of the time, but it really looked like Bo Peep’s dress was part of her ceramic sculpt in the first two movies. If it not being part of her sculpt is a retcon allowing her to be more active in cloth clothes this time around, then that doesn’t bother me at all. Her reaction to her broken arm was pretty funny! I was surprised that Woody’d spent all that time dating Bo back in Andy’s room and didn’t know that Billy, Goat, and Gruff (Emily Davis) were girls (and didn’t even know their names!); even with the excuse that they weren’t Andy’s toys, it was pretty selfish of him to not know that (and selfishness is not a new flaw for him).

Buzz’s screentime felt significantly shorter than in the other three films, but it didn’t hurt the movie for me. With this being Woody’s farewell, Buzz’s more limited focus felt right (though maybe a talk between him and Forky about their initial senses of self would’ve been worthwhile). The subplot of Buzz learning to listen to his “inner voice” (misunderstanding what Woody said about his conscience) was really enjoyable (even if this movie took some liberties in giving both Woody and Buzz more sayings in their voice boxes than it seemed like there ever were before). That was a fun callback to Buzz taking everything about himself so literally in the first movie! I would’ve liked for more of the old gang beyond Buzz to have more to do than wait in the RV, but the script and the actors made the most out of limited screentime. I liked that Bonnie promoted Jessie (Joan Cusack) to sheriff and would be interested to see how she and Dolly run things in the room without Woody (at the end, I wondered if Bonnie took Jessie to school with her, if Jessie hopped in her backpack on her own, or if Dolly agreed to send her). Letting Woody have a moment to return his badge to Jessie was a nice way to give him a chance to willingly let go of his status and his past while relenting to and restoring the way Bonnie set things up. Whether given a few funny lines or slightly larger gags, all of the other toys got a chance to shine. Buttercup (Jeff Garlin) gets an especially odd and hilarious running gag of trying to get Bonnie’s dad (Jay Hernandez) arrested to halt the family’s trip and stall for time. It was also cool to see players from the Toy Story shorts like Combat Carl (Carl Weathers) and Old Timer (Alan Oppenheimer) get moments here. It’s always nice to see shorts like those remain part of the world instead of becoming unconnected extras to be forgotten.

I liked all the new characters too! Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves), Giggle McDimples (Ally Maki), and Ducky & Bunny (Keegan-Michael Key & Jordan Peele) were all really great additions to this world, representing a wide variety of toys with different goals, tactics, and dreams, which was refreshing: a lesser film would’ve had them pursing the same dream or wouldn’t have bothered to dig into their humorously tragic backgrounds (or imaginations) at all. Forky was funny too, as well as serving as an interesting peek into the imbuement of consciousness onto something by a kid. It was intriguing that even the other toys hadn’t seen something like that happen before (even with sentient chair Chairol Burnett (Carol Burnett) in Bonnie’s closet). His life gives credence to the idea that a toy’s purpose really is to be there for their kids while they need them, even if they don’t know it yet.

The movie’s villain, Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) was quite creepy and worked really well as a dark reflection of Woody’s own insecurities about losing his kid while acting as an example of a toy that had gone off the deep end by being discarded (at first). The body horror they came up with through her wanting to take Woody’s voice box—by force, if necessary—just so she could experience the love of a child was really effective. I liked that they found a way to bring Woody to a place where he’d willingly give up his voice box (to save Forky) rather than it be stolen and that Gabby Gabby wasn’t actually that evil; she could be redeemed. I was definitely expecting a turn where Woody fought to get his voice box back and I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t go that way. It was very cool that even after being abandoned by what she believed to be her one way out of the store and offered a chance to come with Bonnie, Gabby Gabby was still a good enough person that she chose to help another lonely and lost soul (Maliah Bargas-Good), risking abandonment again but finding a real home instead. With Woody failing to listen to just about everyone about the right way to do things, Gabby Gabby giving up the “sure thing” of Bonnie’s love to take a chance on something that felt more right was a cool way to stealthily foreshadow and parallel Woody making the same choice, just for himself rather than another kid. Gabby Gabby, even more than Woody, understood that the important thing wasn’t to be just another toy for a great kid, but to be the toy for the right kid at the right time. This is an especially cool parallel since Woody comes so close to being a contender for the villain role here too, given how obsessed he is with doing what he thinks is best for Bonnie. Gabby Gabby’s hench-dummies, the Bensons (Steve Purcell), were super-creepy! I wouldn’t have minded them taking the horror of those dummies a step further, but this worked perfectly as is. I know the Bensons have a very common ventriloquist’s dummy design, but I couldn’t help but wonder if their look was based off the book and movie version of Goosebumps’ Slappy.

At first I was skeptical that they had any full-length-worthy story left to tell in this universe and I was content for them to just continue doing periodic short films, but I was excited when I heard this would be a romantic comedy about finding Bo Peep. I’m not sure the romantic comedy vibe fully survived into the final version of the film, but taking us back to find Bo was certainly worth it and this turned out better than I could’ve imagined. The movie hit really strong emotional beats all the way through, with the flashback to Bo being given away, a very smooth recap of Woody’s life with Andy (Jack McGraw, John Morris) and Bonnie, Woody feeling left behind in Bonnie’s room, and eventually Woody nearly saying goodbye to Bo again…but changing his mind and leaving all his friends behind instead. I’m a sucker for goodbyes between family and friends, so both that one and Bo initially being given away hit me hard. Not quite as hard as Andy giving his toys to Bonnie in Toy Story 3, but they were still powerful moments. The knowledge that Woody and the gang from Bonnie’s room will probably never see each other again hurt, but I’m glad to know he’s off to find a new purpose for himself (finding homes for all the carnival toys and living his own life with Bo), rather than continuing to devote himself to someone who doesn’t need him anymore and has decidedly moved on (as I’ve seen others point out elsewhere).

The RV, carnival, and Second Chance Antiques store all provided a great variety of new locations for adventures. It was cool to see everyday settings like a store and a fair get the toy’s-eye-view treatment, transforming them into wondrous and danger-filled playgrounds. The action was great and made good use of not only the toys’ specific attributes, but tied their emotional arcs together really well too. CGI technology has improved a lot since the first film and these characters look outstanding in their latest (and last?) film. The writing and pacing were on point, while Randy Newman’s score brought a great familiar feel to the proceedings.

Toy Story 4 is an absolute delight and totally worth seeing in theaters! If they want to do another sequel and continue either Bo/Woody’s or Buzz/Bonnie’s Room stories (or both), I would definitely be down for that. I trust them to find a new story to tell with each movie and know that they’d make it fantastic, just like the rest of this franchise. However, if all we get from Toy Story is more short films, that’s OK too. And if this is the real end, then it’s a great one.

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

#toy story #toy story 4 #tom hanks #tim allen #annie potts #woody #buzz lightyear #bo peep #disney #pixar

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jihef03 · 5 years

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Thoughts on the Toy Story 4 trailer

okay, so I’m actually refering to the first two-minute slength trailer that got released a few weeks back, and it’s the french version, but I got busy so I couldn’t do it earlier. Therefore “ne perdons plus de temps!”

-The hype is real. I went Toy Story fan when I was three, and never got back. So happy to see the gang again.

-By the way, people were so pissed about a Toy Story 4, holy cow. I don’t get it. Are you people so afraid it’s gonna ruin “Toy Story 3′s perfect ending” ? Come on,at this point, it’s just like seeing old friends again. Sure, you can get a bit anxious at the idea that time has passed and you might not get along as well as before, but they’re your friends. You should look at the positive, and be happy at the prospect of meeting your pals back.

-Woody acting like a dad right out the bat, yes, this is content for me.

-Forky throwing himself out the window, probably triggering some PTSD for Woody and Buzz.

-Woody literally ready to risk his neck for a toy he’s only known for like only some hours/days, and he does it because Forky is Bonnie’s favourite, and no toy gets left behind. * wipes tear* I’m so proud of this cowboy doll guys, he’s grown so much.

-Buzz going “I’ve got to find my cowboy bro” is the sweetest, I did not expect less from him.

-Buzz botched acrobatics and Woody’s flopiness still getting giggles out of me after all this time. I’ve missed you guys..

-”Thank you, inside voice.”

-On that note, most of the french voice actors reprised their roles for the movie and I’m so happy. No offense to Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, but I cannot unhear Richard Dabois and Jean-Philippe Puymartin as Buzz and Woody. (Also, let me tell you : you experience some serious whiplash once you gotfrom Barbara Tissier’s Jessie to Joan Cusack’s Jessie, like wow, their voices have totally different pitches.)

-I do love myself some good ol’ color-contrasting ennemies, so good point for Bo and Gaby wearing opposite colors. Like, if Pete and Lotso were Woody’s villain, I think Gaby is gonna be Bo’s villain, and I like that. Maybe for turf war on the attraction park.

-On that subject , I wanted to say this for while now, but I really appreciate that the story is going to take place in an attraction park. The toys usually stayed in enclosed space in the trilogy, so this will be a nice change to see them a bit more on open space.

-On the “eh” side of things tho, I’m pretty sure this is gonna spark some debate on the future, but I doubt this Toy Story movie is gonna reinvent itself narratively speaking. It has shades of the second and third movie into it : “Woody is separated from the group!” “Buzz must search for Woody!”, “they all have to get away from some place to go back home!”. I think at this point it’s up to you to decide if those are “tired tropes” or “staples” of the franchise. I hope I’m just worrying myself for nothing over there.

-Still for the most part, I have good hopes for this movie. And I do think Pixar put care in it . I mean, it’s their master franchise, so they gotta play it good.

-I think the french trailer edited some stuff out and focused more on the “adventure/fun” aspect of it. Like Bo Peep is’nt really introduced in the trailer, she’s sort of “there” . I don’t really mind though, so I can experience the full gut punch of seeing her in the theaters once I watch the whole movie.

So yeah overall , I really like this trailer, it makes me excited, and I’m just happy to see my toy friends again. I like to think’ it’s gonna be a pretty solid movie and follow-up. Introducing Forky and the “what makes a toy a toy” is a good concept, and bringing back Bo is a good idea that hooks me up for more.

#toy story #toy story 4 #disney #pixar #thoughts #woody pride #buzz lightyear #french

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