Since the first movie was released, way back in 1995, the Toy Story franchise has proven to be one of the most robust, not to mention most lucrative, Hollywood franchises of all the time. The original film, a Pixar Animation Studios production released through Walt Disney Pictures, was a massive critical and commercial success, spawning a further two equally successful sequels, three theatrical shorts, two TV specials and a spin-off Buzz Lightyear movie and Saturday morning cartoon. After the fairly definitive conclusion of Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010), audiences could be forgiven for thinking that the series had run its course. As such, the prospect of a fourth entry seemed to many to be unnecessary, albeit not entirely unwelcome.
Toy Story 4 reunites Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the gang and introduces new character Forky. Forky, made by the toys' new owner Bonnie from a plastic spork, pipe-cleaners and other discarded items, is determined to throw himself into the trash where he believes he belongs. Determined not to let this happen, Woody places himself in charge of the spork, a decision which results in the pair becoming separated from Bonnie and their pals. As lost toys they encounter the sinister doll Gabby Gabby and her ventriloquist dummy cohorts and Woody is reunited with old flame Bo Peep.
Happily Toy Story 4 is a sequel which lives up to its mighty predecessors. First time director Josh Cooley and screenwriters Stephany Folsom and Andrew Stanton have created a movie that is by turns witty, exciting and ultimately moving, as viewers have come to expect from the series. Perhaps it is a little less dramatically involving than previous entries. While it has its moments of sadness, there is nothing as heartbreaking as Jessie's recollection of her former kid in Toy Story 2 (John Lasseter, 1999) nor as traumatic as the parting of ways at the conclusion of Toy Story 3. This is definitely Toy Story in lighter mode, but the movie suffers not because of this. Its message is certainly as poignant as others in the franchise and comes with a climax that that seems pretty darn final. Possibly not the conclusion that many fans would want, but maybe the conclusion that they need and one that arguably serves the story.
It goes without saying that the computer generated animation in Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 4 is beautiful. Inanimate objects brought to life with such believability is credit to the studios highly talented collective of animators and writers. Once again, the vocal performances, notably Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz, Annie Potts as Bo and Tony Hale as Forky, are exemplary.
This latest episode of the Toy Story saga thankfully does nothing to tarnish what is arguably the most consistent franchise of them all, while its finale suggests that this really will be the last we see of the gang. If this is the case then more's the pity, although Toy Story 4 definitely provides them with a high on which to go out on.
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