REVIEW: Toy Story 4 is magical enough to justify its existence

The purpose behind any major motion picture is to make money. That’s it. Not to be cynical but it’s not about “art” or “emotions” or “having a message” or anything like that. You can find lots of movies that have something to say, filled with big emotional moments, and which can be considered art, but they were either self-financed as passion projects or the “art” just so happened to be wrapped in a package that was commercial enough to make money. If it’s not able to be packaged, then the art either is nixed or the whole project simply dies on the vine.

That’s not cynicism, that’s Hollywood.

Nevertheless, fair or not (and I guess it isn’t fair) I hold movies to a higher standard. It may be the case that a movie was released because its producers thought it would make them money, but I’m not going to be interested in seeing it unless it has something to offer. And especially when it comes to sequels, I need those movies to have a purpose for existing. It’s okay if that purpose is just “the continuing adventures of…” but there needs to be something that is offered, either to help the character(s) grow or to expand or conclude the overall story. If you can do that, I’ll put down my “there are too many sequels” pitchfork and cheer.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a perfect movie, but its sequels were justified in that they challenged Indy in different and darker ways (Temple of Doom) or brought closure to the character (The Last Crusade). Star Wars’ sequels are justified because there was more to the story after A New Hope, The Phantom Menace, and The Force Awakens.

But what about Toy Story?

Had there never been a Toy Story 2 you wouldn’t have felt like you were missing something but the first one certainly left you feeling like more could be told. By the end of Toy Story 2, however, the series felt like it had said all it needed to say. There was closure to it. Then Toy Story 3 was announced and everyone sort of furrowed their brows and said: “let’s not risk spoiling what is already perfect.” Ninety minutes later everyone was weeping and saying “okay, you win Pixar. We were wrong. That was the closure and finale the series needed.” And then Toy Story 4 got announced and everyone furrowed their brows again.

You’d think we’d learn to trust Pixar.

I confess to being a bit apprehensive about this movie, just as I was about Toy Story 3. I understood the financial argument: Toy Story is one of Disney’s most profitable franchises ever, due in large part to the toys they sell in stores year in and year out. There have only been three (now four) movies in the series, but kids have been buying Woody, Buzz, and the gang for almost twenty-five years running. There’s a lot of dollar signs and zeroes attached to Toy Story so I get why Disney would want to see the franchise continue.

As a movie-lover, however, I needed a film that deserved its place among the previous three. I needed a movie that wasn’t just good, or even great, but was a fitting piece of the overall story. Yes, I know these are kids movies about toys. It doesn’t matter. Movies are movies and the good ones earn a special and lofty place in the hearts of movie-lovers. With that lofty place means you either go out on a high note and don’t make any more (E.T.) or you roll the dice and hope the next one doesn’t sour your overall opinion on the series (eh hem).

Toy Story 3 was Pixar rolling the dice and scoring a Yahtzee. Inexplicably they rolled again; is Toy Story 4 a worthy successor? Is it good enough to stand alongside the previous three? Most importantly does it justify its existence or tell a story that feels like a natural follow-up to what came before?

Mostly yes.

Right off the bat, it has to be said that Toy Story 4 is not as good as the previous three. The story is a little too thin, the ensemble is a little too underutilized, and it moves just a little too slowly. That being said, it has some sharp dialogue, some great new characters, some absolutely stunning animation (there’s a house cat that you will swear is real), and—most importantly—it has story that feels like it belongs and works as a fitting follow-up to Toy Story 3, and provides genuine closure (once again) to the franchise.

Toy Story 4 is all about Woody, but when you think about it, the whole franchise is:

Toy Story 1 dealt with Woody’s insecurity as Andy’s favorite. Buzz was just there to service Woody’s story.

Toy Story 2 forced Woody to contemplate the possibility of not being needed anymore and to make a decision to be proactive or reactive. He chooses to be reactive and stay with Andy until the bitter end. With that his character arc from movie one is complete but as you can read, that arc ends on kind of a downer note. I mean, the second movie literally closes with Woody and Buzz basically saying “we’re with him till he’s through with us.” That’s kind of sad, no?

Toy Story 3 took the presumption of Toy Story 2 and made it a reality. Andy grew up and no longer needed his toys, specifically Woody. The movie seemed to end on a happy note as the gang was given away to a new kid. Thus the movie was about being replaced and learning to let go of one owner to be embraced by a new. In hindsight, that’s also kind of a sad ending, since Bonnie will eventually grow up, and so will the next kid, and the next. Are these toys doomed to a cycle of “acceptance, love, dismissal, acceptance, love, dismissal, etc” forever?

Thus Toy Story 4.

This movie is also about letting go but from a deeper, more personal perspective. Throughout this series, the one constant has been Woody’s determination to put his “kid” first. He’s been the workhorse, the go-getter, the selfless leader. But in finding Bo and realizing that he could be happy without a kid, coupled with Bonnie pulling an Andy and starting to grow out of her dependence on him, Woody makes the decision to let go…not just of his kid but of being a kid’s toy. He closes the loop and exits the circle. He takes the endings of all three movies and brings them to a fitting conclusion.

Along the way the movie offers some great moments, including a three-part gag featuring Key and Peele and a little old lady. Ironically, the scene that moved me the most had very little to do with Woody and was all about a sad little doll being united with a little lost girl.

Pixar knows how to pull the heartstrings better than any movie-makers today and though Toy Story 4 doesn’t reach the heights of perfection that the previous entries in the series achieved, it does succeed in providing closure to its characters and wrapping up every possible story arc that’s been present since 1995. So, for the third Toy Story movie in a row, I feel like the series has closure and can finally be done.

Which means Toy Story 5 will probably be great in five years or so.

Until then…

9/10 – Lower your expectations a bit, enjoy the characters, and go on the journey that Pixar has in store for you. If you do, you’ll find plenty to laugh and cry about in a movie that’s just worthy enough for the tremendous franchise it belongs to. You can’t ask for much more than that.

COMMENTS

Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

10 Comments

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Arabella

11 months ago

Toy Story 3 had the perfect ending to wrap up the story, so I figured it was a cash grab to produce another film for the franchise. I initially expected Toy Story 4 to be more of the same bawdy humour, but it was surprisingly moving and philosophical. The humour is there, but there’s plenty of depth too.

Snarky-Guru

I was disappointed in this one, probably because I expected it to be more hilarious than it was. It was more depressing than funny this time around.

Silver

Reply to Snarky-Guru

Sounds like you have the guilty conscience of someone who has abandoned a toy or two as she grew up. I’ve never been able to get into Toy Story, despite it being one of Pixar’s most popular films.

Reply to Silver

I should probably apologize to my Cabbage Patch Kids the next time I visit my mum (I think there’s still one in my childhood room). I enjoyed the first three films, but this one was just one existential crisis after another. It was exhausting.

You didn’t think Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as Ducky and Bunny were hilarious? Personally, I’d like to see those two characters get their own spin-off.

Reply to Arabella

Yes, I thought those two characters were funny, but it felt like they were providing comedic relief simply so that the audience could have a break from the tense moments.

murasaki

Ventriloquist dummies will never not be super creepy. Same with antique dolls with blinking eyes. I think they both freak me out more than clowns.

GabbaHey

Reply to murasaki

Are you talking about Gabby Gabby? I thought she was fine. But yeah, those ventriloquist dolls give off a Twilight Zone vibe. Almost too good.

Reply to GabbaHey

Actually, I was fine with Gabby Gabby. Her story line was good! I felt for her. The Toy Story series is great at portraying abandonment.

Mr.Jackalope2006

1 year ago

I like that you gave it a nine dad.

Cookie	Description
_pxvid	This cookie is used for detection of the browser and distinguishing whether it is a real user or malicious bot.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	This cookies is set by GDPR Cookie Consent WordPress Plugin. The cookie is used to remember the user consent for the cookies under the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	This cookie is used to keep track of which cookies the user have approved for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-preferences	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Preferences".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-uncategorized	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Uncategorized".
CraftSessionId	This cookie name is associated with the Craft web content management system, where is functions as an anonymous session identifier.
csrftoken	This cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
DSID	To note specific user identity. Contains hashed/encrypted unique ID.
JSESSIONID	Used by sites written in JSP. General purpose platform session cookies that are used to maintain users' state across page requests.
PHPSESSID	This cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
viewed_cookie_policy	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Description
b30msc
btc
CMST
cref
d
gpl
i
icts
ig_did
mdata
na_rn
na_sc_e
na_sr
na_srp
session_depth
visitor-id

Cookie	Description
__gads	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
__stid	The cookie is set by ShareThis. The cookie is used for site analytics to determine the pages visited, the amount of time spent, etc.
_ga	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_60765351_1	Google uses this cookie to distinguish users.
_gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
ad-id	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content
demdex	This cookie is set under the domain demdex.net and is used by Adobe Audience Manager to help identify a unique visitor across domains.
DigiTrust.v1.identity	Registers data on visitors’ website-behaviour. This is used for internal analysis and website optimization.
dmvk	This cookie is set by DailyMotion who display videos, it registers statistical data of visitors' behaviour on the website.
gid	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
GPS	This cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
is_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
sc_is_visitor_unique	This cookie is set by StatCounter to determine how people are using the website
v1st	This is set by DailyMotion to display videos.

Cookie	Description
__asc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__auc	This cookie is used to collect information on consumer behavior, which is sent to Alexa Analytics.
__qca	This cookie is associated with Quantcast and is used for collecting anonymized data to analyze log data from different websites to create reports that enables the website owners and advertisers provide ads for the appropriate audience segments.
_cc_aud	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_cc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_dc	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_cc_id	The cookie is set by crwdcntrl.net. The purpose of the cookie is to collect statistical information in an anonymous form about the visitors of the website. The data collected include number of visits, average time spent on the website, and the what pages have been loaded. These data are then used to segment audiences based on the geographical location, demographic, and user interest provide relevant content and for advertisers for targeted advertising.
_kuid_	The cookie is set by Krux Digital under the domain krxd.net. The cookie stores a unique ID to identify a returning user for the purpose of targeted advertising.
_px2	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxff_tm	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
_pxhd	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
ab	This cookie is generally provided by agkn.com and is used for advertising purposes.
ad-privacy	Provided by amazon-adsystem.com for tracking user actions on other websites to provide targeted content to the users.
ayl_visitor	This cookie registers data on the visitor. The information is used to optimize advertisement relevance.
bafp	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bafp_t	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_pl	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rf_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_rt_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_t_8b2087b102c9e3e5ffed1c1478ed8b78	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bfp_sn_td_2d31c94105a0aa6d1ceaea0c86c6b656	This cookie is from Media.net and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
bito	This cookie is generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bitoIsSecure	This cookies are generally provided by bidr.io and is used for advertising purposes.
bsc	The cookies is set by ownerIQ for the purpose of providing relevant advertisement
CMID	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPRO	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
CMPS	This cookie is linked to advertising and tracking the products users were looking at.
dc_id	This cookie is used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator's permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers.
did	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
didts	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
dpm	The cookie is set by demdex.net. This cookie assigns a unique ID to each visiting user that allows third-party advertisers target that users with relevant ads.
eud	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
euds	This cookie is from Rocket Fuel and is used to deliver targeted advertising across their network sites ensuring users see relevant advertising.
everest_g_v2	The cookie is set under eversttech.net domain. The purpose of the cookie is to map clicks to other events on the client's website.
evo5_popin_instance	Prevents an interaction from reoccurring for visitors not accepting 3rd party cookies.
id	This cookie is set by DoubleClick (which is owned by Google) to build a profile of the website visitor's interests and show relevant ads on other sites.
IDE	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
io.narrative.guid.v2	This cookie is generally provided by io.narrative.io and is used for advertising purposes.
KADUSERCOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
KTPCACOOKIE	This cookie is generally provided by pubmatic.com and is used for advertising purposes.
matchliveramp	This cookie is provided by w55c.net and is used for advertising purposes.
mc	This cookie is associated with Quantserve to track anonymously how a user interact with the website.
mxpim	This cookie is generally provided by mxptint.net for advertising purposes.
na_tc	This is a Social Media sharing tracking cookie.
NID	This cookie is used to a profile based on user's interest and display personalized ads to the users.
nnls	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxrc	The purpose of the cookie is to identify a visitor to serve relevant advertisement.
pxvid	This cookie is set by PerimeterX who provide security analyst oversight.
rlas3	The cookie is set by rlcdn.com. The cookie is used to serve relevant ads to the visitor as well as limit the time the visitor sees an and also measure the effectiveness of the campaign.

Cookie	Description
__jid	Cookies set on the website by the third-party commenting platform Disqus.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
disqus_unique	These cookies are set by Disqus so that users can comment on website/platform.
G_ENABLED_IDPS	The cookie is used by Google and is used for Google Single Sign On.
mid	The cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
na_id	This cookie is set by Addthis.com to enable sharing of links on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter
ouid	The cookie is set by Addthis which enables the content of the website to be shared across different networking and social sharing websites.
ov	This is a generic functional cookie that provides enhanced functionality and personalisation.
ts	This cookie is generally provided by PayPal and supports payment services in the website.
vuid	These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites.

REVIEW: Toy Story 4 is magical enough to justify its existence

You might also like

FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

Recommended for you