Toy Story 4 Review

thadisneydude
Jun 26, 2019
3 min read

It’s been 9 years since the last Toy Story movie came out. In my opinion, Toy Story 3 was the perfect way to end the franchise. It ended the arc of Andy and gave a hopeful future for Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang. So when I heard that they were making a part 4 it felt like an unnecessary cash grab and the trailer did nothing but validate my fears. The plot didn’t look good and the jokes just fell flat. With the opening of Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios, Disney needed a way to boost attendance. I went in with low expectations but I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised with the film.

This is the funniest Toy Story movie in the series. Key and Peele star as Ducky and Bunny. They absolutely steal each scene they are in (make sure to stay for their post credit scene which probably draws the biggest laugh in the movie). The animation is stunning. The graphics in the first action scene are beyond incredible. I’ve never seen such realistic rain in an animated movie. The attention to detail that went into each character is insane. I mean just look at the stills of Woody, Buzz, and Bo Peep.

Most of the side characters like Jessie, Slinky Dog, and Carl barely have any lines in the movie. A majority of the plot is focused on the new characters with the best one, surprisingly, being Forky. Forky is hilarious. Besides Key and Peele’s characters, he might be the best part of the movie. One of the last lines of the movie packs a real emotional punch. It brings a nice twist to a classic catch phrase. That last line and the last scene with the characters all together really hit home with me. It made me think of the friends that live far away. The ones that are thousands of miles away but are still your best friends.

The movie is good but not great. I was entertained throughout, and it was worth the price of admission. But I probably won’t ever watched it again. It kind of had a straight to DVD feel about it. There was no real need for this “adventure.” It felt more like an episode of Toy Story rather than a movie that took 9 years to make. This is Woody’s movie. Buzz Lightyear probably has the smallest amount of screen time in the whole series. I really hope that they don’t make anymore because I believe we have seen everything they can do with these characters.

The overall message was great though. It mainly has to do with finding one’s purpose. I believe it delivered on that and hopefully helps some people gravitate towards theirs. This a great message to have especially in today’s society where I feel like a lot of people struggle with that concept. Some people seem lost because they constantly question their purpose in life. When it comes down to it, as stated in the movie, it can be really simple. Outside of Marvel, Pixar is the only studio to consistently make great well-rounded films. Ninety percent of Pixar movies are classics (We're just going to ignore Cars 2 and Finding Dory). So if you are in need of a Disney fix and want to have one more adventure with Woody and Buzz then I highly suggest to go see it.

Grade: B

Here is my personal ranking of the Toy Story movies:

1. Toy Story

2. Toy Story 3

3. Toy Story 2

4. Toy Story 4