When it comes to movies, sequels are a big risk, especially if they're animated. While there have been plenty of animated movie sequels that have been good in recent years, some of them, unfortunately, don't come anywhere near as close as to achieving what made the first movie amazing. There are exceptions though, and the "Toy Story" films are a notable one. The first film was a groundbreaking and memorable movie and both the second one and the third one achieved the goals of being just as good as the first, if not better. This made "Toy Story 4" a huge gamble. When Pixar announced the film a few years back, there was a lot of skepticism behind it. I won't lie, I was a little skeptical myself seeing how the three movies seemed to wrap up perfectly. Though I'm happy to say that this film is once again another fantastic entry in the "Toy Story" franchise. It also seems that this might indeed be the conclusion and if it is, then I can say it ended on a fantastic note.
Woody (Tom Hanks) has always been there for his kid, whether it be Andy or Bonnie. Though one day, Bonnie goes to her first day of Kindergarten and ends up making a new toy with a spork that she names Forky (Tony Hale). Though Bonnie's toys seem to like him, Forky has an existential crisis and believes he is trash and is constantly trying to throw himself away. It eventually gets to the point that during a road trip, Forky throws himself out of the RV and Woody goes off to chase him. After getting Forky and convincing him that Bonnie needs him, they eventually come across an old antique shop where Woody spots the lamp of Bo Peep (Annie Potts), his old romantic interest that was sold to an old owner when Molly outgrew her. In the antique shop, Woody and Forky come across a doll named Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) a toy who has a broken speaker box and wants the one from Woody. This leads to a dilemma that results in Woody losing Forky and running into Bo Peep after so many years. With the help of Bo, Buzz (Tim Allen), two carnival toys named Ducky and Bunny (Keegan Michael Key and Jordan Peele), and a Canadian toy named Duke Kaboom (Keanu Reeves), Woody has to get Forky out of the antique shop and back to Bonnie before her family takes off.
This was really everything I wanted to see in a "Toy Story" sequel. The fact that director Josh Colley and the people at Pixar were able to deliver yet another fantastic film in this series is just amazing. Most film series aren't that consistent and even the animated movie series that have a fourth entry don't do very well. Not here though. This was simply a fantastic movie. The story was both hilarious and emotional. I did laugh quite a bit during the movie which I can highly attribute to the new characters of Ducky, Bunny, and Duke Kaboom. They were simply hilarious and the performances from Key and Peele and Keanu Reeves really sell it. Also, the ending of the movie was simply emotional and I actually did cry while watching it. In fact, I did cry several times while I was watching the movie. I can now understand why Tom Hanks and Tim Allen got so emotional while recording their lines. Speaking of Hanks and Allen, it was so refreshing to see them again as Woody and Buzz. It's always nice to see the "Toy Story" gang as they really are such memorable and loveable characters. The new ones are also a delight too with Ducky, Bunny, and Duke being hilarious like I mentioned and even Forky being charming and funny as well. As for the animation, there's not much to say about it since it's amazing once again. Pixar has come such a long way with their computer animation to the point where it looks almost photorealistic. I'm simply amazed at the quality of their work.
And simply amazed is the best way to describe "Toy Story 4". The story was emotional and funny, the animation was amazing, and the characters were charming and memorable once again. There's really not much I can add except to go see it. It really is a fantastic movie and just comes to show that Pixar really knows how to make a great sequel and can top itself with each new entry. I can't wait to see what they'll do next.
