Toy Story 4 Review

June 21, 2019 at 1:12pm
By Jason Stettner

It can be hard to make sequels in what many consider iconic franchises, and with Toy Story there’s an incredibly high standing legacy to live up to. It’s surprising that they continue to deliver such deep themes, emotional moments and still provide an entertaining experience. This fourth entry definitely lives up to, and stands beside the other three films that came before it.

It acts as a bit of a wrap up for certain things, and characters with this very much being a tale centered around Woody (Tom Hanks). The rest of the crew is still there, serving a function in the narrative but you can really see why the narrative has shifted so far in one character’s direction. Buzz (Tim Allen) is also right up there, providing a nice side quest for what’s going on and an exciting return of Bo Peep (Annie Potts). Bo is now a lost toy and that feeds into the element of what a toy’s function is in the overall world.

There are many themes that are explored throughout this story and it really is hard to cover all aspects of that without a really in-depth write-up. This is more review focus, so I’ll generally keep it all streamlined.

This is perfect for the younger audience, yet also amazing for anyone. It was funny, entertaining and hit hard when it needed to. The idea of what a toy’s purpose is all centered on the appearance of a newly created friend named Forky (Tony Hale). He sort of just wants to be trash, and that is just hilarious. You’ll know what I mean when watching it.

You also see Keanu Reeves arrive as Duke Caboom, a Canadian stunt toy that’s glorious. It’s a stacked cast, and they do all actually serve a purpose throughout. At the heart of this is the child, Bonnie is moving to Kindergarten and needs support which is why Forky comes into play. If you’ve somehow missed the other releases, you can actually jump into this one fresh as it gives just enough context for you to understand what came before.

The animation quality is simply stunning in this, it looks amazingly realistic. The texture quality for the toys, the incredibly detailed world and it just felt alive. The humans moved realistically, the toys felt alive yet at the same time still being toys. It’s wild to see how far animation has come since the first movie and it’s a treat to visually see.

The Conclusion

Toy Story 4 is the perfect way to continue, and also act as a conclusion to this stunning world that Pixar has created. This is very much Woody’s story while still providing enough of the supporting cast, and introducing new toys along the way. The motivations are clear, impactful and it’s just a wonderful movie.

It feels like another solid release in the franchise, and generally was just another Toy Story. I actually expected it to be a bit darker, but that’s fine as this is just well done. It can be funny, sad and still entertaining the whole way through. The animation quality is gorgeous, and it’s well paced for the most part. It goes by, takes you on one charming story and aims to teach certain lessons in regards to life and the purpose of a toy.

Toy Story 4 Review at Theater with Standard Viewing
Screening Provided by Disney

Rating Overall: 9.0