Movie Breakdown: Toy Story 4

Pre-Screening Stance:

I want to be excited about Toy Story 4, and I am … to a certain degree.  I really feel like the series was given a proper sendoff with Toy Story 3, so it’s hard to shake the feeling that a fourth entry is unnecessary.  Plus it’s Josh Cooley’s directorial debut?!  And there’s a makeshift toy named Forky?!  Please be good.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Because of the way that Toy Story 3 wraps just about everything, I definitely went into the fourth movie feeling as though it was going to be more of a standalone entry.  Well, it’s not, and the film is all the better for it.

Like all of the previous entries in the franchise, Toy Story 4 opens with an action scene.  Unlike those other films though, this one is not tied to a child’s imagination.  There’s an actual storm, and Woody (Tom Hanks), Bo Peep (Annie Potts), Buzz (Tim Allen) and others are on a daring mission to save a toy that’s in danger of being washed away in a drainage ditch.  They’re successful, but it’s a short-lived moment of happiness, as Bo Peep then suddenly finds herself (plus her lamp and sheep) being given away to a new owner.  She asks Woody to come with her, but he can’t find it in himself to abandon Andy (he’s still a kid at this point in time), so he ultimately chooses to stay.  From here the film jumps back to just after where the third one ends, with Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang now belonging to Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw).  I could go on and hit further plot points, like Bonnie’s rocky start to kindergarten that leads to the creation of Forky (Tony Hale), the road trip that throws a wrench in everything, the reintroduction of Bo Peep and more, but those details are better left experienced in the theater.  All you really need to know is that Toy Story 4 is Woody’s story.  Now, just to clarify, this isn’t to say that this movie is only about Woody, what I mean is that it completes a full franchise-stretching arc for him.  If you didn’t realize this was a thing that needed to happen, that’s OK, because I didn’t either.  I will say this though, it makes for an immensely satisfying experience.  Kudos to Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom for a stellar script.

Toy Story 4 is a wonderfully layered, deep film about self-acceptance and finding your place in the world.  It’s funny, heartfelt, exciting and everything else you want out of a great movie.  Go see it as soon as you can.

One Last Thought:

There’s a character in this movie that does nothing but try to convince the other toys to send Bonnie’s dad to jail, and it’s incredibly weird and hilarious.

One More Last Thought:

I will forever find the gang of ventriloquist dummies to be super creepy.