The first image I saw from ToyStory4 was a character poster for Woody. Included in a 2019 Disney promo piece with the Dumbo remake, the Aladdin remake and the Lion King remake. I’m on record for openly disliking the current trend of Disney remakes, so seeing Woody return at the same time reduced the whole thing to “3 remakes and a 4th sequel: Can’t Disney do anything original anymore?”
It turns out that they can. They just did “Something Original” in a 4th Toy Story movie. Toy Story 4 is a much better film than the one I expected to see tonight. Let me discuss, as spoiler free as I possibly can.
The three previous Toy Story movies all walked down the same path “Toys, dedicated to their children, overcome obstacles to preserve the status quo and dedicate themselves to their children.” Three times that was re-examined. Three times the TS cast added new characters and worked hard to reunite Buzz and Woody with their kid. And they did. Three times. (And each one of them was a very enjoyable film!)
But the magic of ToyStory4 is that somewhere along the way, the writers at PIXAR asked a very important question, “Okay. So, then what?” What happens after each calamitous movie event? What happens to the characters who get exactly what they want, three times in a row? In a way, this is the 4th film in a 3 film trilogy. It’s “What Happens Next”.
Characters suffer setbacks. Leaving them to reinvent themselves.
Characters reexamine their way of living; their purpose in this world.
Characters go through a significant change and emerge changed by their experiences.
We see “what happens next” and for my money, it’s considerably better than the original premise of the film.
The toys from Toy Story are growing up too. And that is a massive breath of fresh air.
After three movies that fought so hard to re-achieve the status quo, this film tosses all of that out the window. In the most entertaining way possible. (Is it coincidence that five different characters literally jump out of window?)
The villain isn’t who you think they are.
The conflict between them and our heroes doesn’t end the way you think it would.
The ending is also entirely unpredictable and, I think, necessary.
I was dismayed about ToyStory4, because I wanted something new and authentic, but not a sequel. I got what I wanted. It just happened to be in the middle of a sequel.
Fine vocal performances throughout.
Direction is, as you would expect, superb.
The animation truly is limitless an flawless.
The film rewards folks who saw Toy Story 1 – 3 and cares about these characters.
SEE THIS FILM. In the best possible theater in your area. If you can, pop for 3D or IMAX or both. Stay through the credits until the very, very end. There are mid-credit scenes…
I could not refrain from commenting. Perfectly written!