Review: After Toy Story 3 provided such a great ending for the series, many of us (including me) were skeptical when Toy Story 4 was announced. I am happy to say our skepticism was misplaced. This film provides a truly great finish to a series that has been dear to many of our hearts.
This is some ways is the most low key of the Toy Story movies. Most of the conflict is internal (though this can be argued to be true for Toy Story 2 as well) and there is no big physical suspense scene like the incinerator scene from Toy Story 3 or the escape from Sid's room in the first Toy Story. The closest scenes we get are either played more for laughs or more for emotion than the previous examples. This movie shows perfectly that the internal conflict can be just as effective as the external. What Woody goes through here is something that all of us have felt and can relate to. We know we shouldn't react to it as obsessively as Woody does, but if we are all honest with ourselves, it is the way many of us do react. The possibility that we are no longer useful is truly terrifying and a thought that I have struggled with many times. This made this movie possibly the most emotionally relatable Toy Story movie. I understand that this is because of who I am as a person, and scenes from previous movies might be more relatable to you. One thing that made me write off this movie in my head when I saw the trailers was the character of Forky. The idea of a living spork in a Toy Story movie, seemed like a terrible one to me. What shocked me watching this movie is that I actually ended up really liking the character. He made me laugh out loud many times, especially with his obsession with trash, and the way he described it to Woody. A mid-credits sequence featuring him was an especially huge laugh for me. Forky like Woody has more internal conflict than external here. It works perfectly. We have all had those moments when we wondered why we exist and felt like we don't belong. Forky personifies those moments for us, but in a way that has enough warmth and humor that it never becomes depressing. Gabby Gabby is an equally fascinating character, but I refuse to go into more detail to avoid spoilers.
As stated when talking about Forky despite all the internal conflict this movie's emotional moments are balanced out with a lot of great humor. Buttercup's plans, Buzz's inner voice, most scenes involving Ducky and Bunny, and much of Bonnie's interactions with her parents are really funny.
Naturally with this being a new Toy Story movie we get a new Randy Newman song. This song is fantastic and connects to what we are seeing on screen in both a humorous and emotional way.
This movie really is as good of an ending as a series like this can get and I can't recommend it enough.
P.S. I am extremely disappointed by the lack of an animated short before the feature.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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