‘Toy Story 4’ is the sequel we never thought we needed but are happy to have — Oscars spotlight review

Toy Story 4 follows Woody and friends journey to save a reluctant new toy called Forky where they learn how big the world can be for a toy

Quick review: A sharply written story filled with new characters, tons of laughs and outstanding computer animation makes Toy Story 4 a joy to watch.

See the rest of Jane’s 2020 Oscar spotlight series here.

Let’s get this out of the way. I’m not a big fan of Toy Story 3. I know that’s blasphemy for some but it’s true. The third film in the Toy Story franchise is beautifully animated and has great new characters (looking at you Ken), but it’s also unnecessarily dark and has a villain that feels just a shade or two away from Stinky Pete in Toy Story 2. However, it does succeed in having a strong conclusion to wrap up the supposed trilogy. We said goodbye to all our beloved toys as Andy leaves them in the hands of new toddler owner Bonnie. It’s a satisfying conclusion. So, what’s left to explore for Woody and the gang?

Thankfully, Toy Story 4 has a new story to tell. The film opens up back in the days of Andy on one stormy evening where Sheriff Woody (Tom Hanks) has to say goodbye to his crush Bo Peep (Annie Potts) who is being given away to a new child. Bo Peep offers Woody a chance for them to be together but due to his prior duties to Andy, he cannot bring himself to leave his child. Fast forward to the present: Woody has to handle being a toy Bonnie doesn’t even want to play with.

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He spends most of Bonnie’s play sessions in a closet while all his other friends enjoy bountiful amounts of playtime. It’s not something he’s dealt with before and in order to justify his need for her, he helps her create a new buddy out of a spork, Forky (a hilarious Tony Hale). Forky is still new to being a toy and doesn’t quite understand why he’s not allowed to be trash anymore. This proves to be a bigger challenge for Woody than previously anticipated when Forky runs away on a summer road trip. Woody, who entitles himself as Forky’s sole protector, goes after him and on the way meets some new and old friends. 

If you’re wondering why I didn’t mention Buzz (Tim Allen), Jesse (Joan Cusack), or any of the other toys, that’s because they are not entirely relevant to the plot (and that’s a good thing). Toy Story 3 has so many characters and stories going on at the same time that it feels somewhat unfocused at times. Fortunately, for this film, we tend to focus mostly on Woody’s journey and figuring out where he belongs post-Andy. We’ve seen Woody deal with his insecurities of what will become of him with his time with Andy, now we get to see this come to fruition with Woody serving no meaningful existence in Bonnie’s life and having to question his purpose as a toy in general.

If that feels heavy, don’t worry: the film is very light on its feet. It breezes through with great humor, new characters and exhilarating action scenes. The ending doesn’t feel contrived but earned. It offers the potential to finally conclude the Toy Story saga. However, if Pixar does decide to continue it, Toy Story 4 is a good reminder that sequels can be enjoyable if the people making them care as much about the characters as the audience does.

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