Toy Story 4

Directed by Josh Cooley.

2019. Rated G, 100 minutes.

Cast:

Tom Hanks

Christina Hendricks

Annie Potts

Tim Allen

Keegan-Michael Key

Jordan Peele

Keanu Reeves

Tony Hale

Madeleine McGraw

Joan Cusack

Ally Maki

Jay Hernandez

Woody (Hanks) and the gang have settled in quite nicely as toys of their new child Bonnie (McGraw) who is reaching a major milestone in her life. She is about to start kindergarten. Our hero takes it upon himself to accompany her to her orientation as moral support. While there, he helps get her into the swing of things. She winds up making a new toy out of a spork, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes, and names him Forky (Hale). Forky’s a bit on the jumpy side and wants to get away since he’s meant to be a utensil, not a toy. He makes his escape during a road trip Bonnie is making with her family. Knowing how important this new toy is to Bonnie, he sets out to retrieve Forky. Unfortunately, finds himself trapped in an antique shop where all the toys seem to be under the control of the creepy doll Gabby Gabby (Hendricks).

The very first thing that jumps out at you is the animation. It’s a perfect blend of photo-realism and computer animation. During daytime scenes the screen is alive with vibrant colors, but nothing has an unnatural sheen to it the way it does in lots of other computer animated movies. The exception is the porcelain Bo Peep (Potts), who rightfully does have a sheen like nothing else in the film. At night, lighting is used to wonderful effect. It’s never too dark, nor too bright. The best part is how lived in it all looks. When characters are sneaking around behind cabinets in the antique shop, you can tell this stuff hasn’t been moved in years. Spider webs, dirt, dust, marks on the wall, and chips in the paint all add to the atmosphere. Shots of the highway are ridiculously well done. And I mean up close shots of the asphalt either as Woody and Forky walk along it, or as Woody sees it from the back of an RV whizzing by at sixty miles per hour. In the amusement park adjacent to the antique shop has lots of similar things: stains on awnings and the clothing of its patrons, and seemingly every single grain of sand is distinct. On their own, any of these things is just a tiny detail. When they come together as a whole, they create a world that feels like our own despite the presence of sentient toys. The irony, but still miles ahead of the rest of the franchise, is that humans are the weakest rendered things in the film. However, they exist mostly on the fringes of the story. Even Bonnie herself is not a main character despite the main point of the entire film is exploring how things emotionally affect her.

But pretty pictures does not a movie make. A strong narrative keeps us engaged with the all the beauty. The movie leans hard into Woody’s iconic loyalty to his child, but he’s more mature than ever before. He has come to understand that he does not need to be the center of that child’s world and will do whatever is necessary to ensure that the child is happy. This presents a different set of problems for him. As usual, it starts with him being overzealous in his attempts. His, sometimes extreme, efforts transfers to us by making us care about his quest. His successes and failures are ours. We also recognize that he is still learning lessons, and teaching the kids in the target audience lessons, possibly us too.

Just focusing on Woody would eventually bore us, no matter how much we love him. Our hero needs an antagonist. In this case, we get Gabby Gabby. From the moment we meet her, we get the feeling something is off about her. She has a way of speaking that is simultaneously and exceedingly polite, yet unsettling, much like an undertaker. Christina Hendricks does a phenomenal job in the role. I had no idea it was her providing Gabby’s disquieting tone until I saw her name in the credits. In true Toy Story fashion, the bad guy is never just some evil entity (the original’s Sid is a possible exception). She comes with a backstory that adds to the emotional depth of the film. Her minions, the dummies collectively known as Benson, prove to be quite effective, and fun, henchmen. There are several jump scares in the movie, parents be warned, the Bensons provide a couple of them. Many movies are only as good as their villains. Gabby and the Bensons are excellent ones.

All these elements are pulled together to give our characters tough decisions to make at the end. These are decisions that will pluck our hearts no matter which way they go. The film ensures this by adding another layer to our involvement in Woody’s life. His reuniting with a thought to be lost Bo Peep (Potts). Our hero, and our emotions, are pulled in opposite directions. We realize making these decisions is a part of another part of the one thing this series taps into better than any other, growing up. We’ve invested a lot in this character. The film knows this and uses it to its advantage. The trick is that it manages to manipulate us without feeling manipulative. We feel like we’re experiencing an organic flow of emotions.

In setting this installment up as undeniably Woody’s story, most of the toys we’ve come to know and love are left on the sidelines. Buzz Lightyear disappears late in the first act. He reemerges near the end of the second but is dropped from being a co-protagonist to second fiddle. The rest of the gang, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Rex, etc., are almost completely uninvolved and have nothing to do except wait and see how things turn out. Rather than being secondary characters, they’re just filling up the background of the few shots in which they appear. In their stead are Duck (Key), Bunny (Peele), and Duke Caboom (Reeves). Each of them has their own charm and are welcome additions to the franchise. Duke Caboom fares best, as the movie makes a point of helping us develop a connection with him. That said, it would have been nice to have our favorites playing a bigger role in the outcome.

On the other hand, the movie is all about the security we find in our favorite things. One of mine was the comfort I took in knowing that this franchise was perfectly wrapped up with Toy Story 3. When I heard they were making a fourth part, my first thought was, “Why?” This was a strange answer to me, considering that in my review of Toy Story 3, I acknowledged they gave themselves room to continue story. However, after sitting with that movie over the convening years, I felt they shouldn't go any further. To a company whose movies have already raked in billions at the box office, is the allure of even more money strong enough to risk ruining a franchise by needlessly extending a saga which feels whole. The cynics in us all say, “Yes.” However, even that part of us will admit that Pixar found a way that makes it clear we never should’ve doubted them.

Click here for my review of Toy Story 3