REVIEW: Toy Story 4 is a Fun Time For All
Nine years ago saw the release of what many assumed to be the last movie in the Toy Story franchise, Toy Story 3. Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the gang said farewell to their kid, Andy and began their next journey with their new child. Not content to say goodbye to our favorite toys forever, Pixar has brought the Toy Story gang back with the release of their fourth movie in the franchise, Toy Story 4.
Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the pack take off on a roadtrip with Bonnie and her family in Toy Story 4. Joining the group on the trip is Bonnie’s newest toy, Forky (Tony Hale). Created by Bonnie, Forky is Bonnie’s new favorite, but there’s just one small issue: Forky doesn’t want to be a toy. Forky wants to be what he was made to be and that is trash. Forky spends the entire trip trying to escape the RV, something Woody won’t allow to happen. Woody is on a mission to keep Forky in the RV and in Bonnie’s eyesight at all times. This plan doesn’t work out so well for our favorite toys and when Forky escapes, Woody must go find him and bring him home. Along the way, Woody runs into an old friend, Bo Peep (Annie Potts) and learns exactly happened to her and how she became a “lost” toy.
There are an additional four new toys introduced in the movie, Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks), Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) and Ducky and Bunny (Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele). All four are welcome additions to the Toy Story family with Ducky and Bunny as the standouts. The two are extremely funny and have twisted senses of humor that on the surface shouldn’t fit into a Toy Story movie. In reality, they are the perfect newcomers to join the bunch.
Like its predecessors, Toy Story 4 will warm your heart from start to finish. The movie will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it will make you remember why you’ve loved these characters for so long. There are a few minor things I wish had been changed, more focus on the relationship between Woody and Buzz would have been nice, overall though it is a really great movie.
Unlike past Pixar movies, Toy Story 4 does not have a short in front of it, plan to be at the theater right at showtime. This movie is a great one to see with your friends, family, or even by yourself this Summer. You won’t be disappointed.
Grade: A-