Review:
"Toy Story 4"
Release Date: June 21, 2019
Rating: PG Running Time: 100 minutes No other franchise is founded on such a fear of abandonment than Pixar’s Toy Story franchise. Almost everything the Tom Hanks-voiced Woody pull-string cowboy doll does is in reaction to being replaced, neglected, forgotten, or discarded by his current owner. Toy Story 4 finally forces Woody to confront his anxiety by making him come to truly understand that it means to be a “lost toy.” In doing so, Toy Story 4 undoes its immediate predecessor’s happy ending, one which indicated that Woody and his fellow gang of toys would live happily after with new owner Bonnie. It’s a bold decision by director Josh Cooley and credited screenwriters Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom, but a decision that plays into the existential crisis that occasionally grips Woody tighter than a young child’s grasp. The result is a typically touching emotional journey that, like past Toy Storys, is bound to leave anyone with a heart with an equal amount of tears of sadness and tears of joy. Unlike his beloved past owner Andy, who considered Woody his favorite toy, Bonnie doesn’t take much of an interest in Woody. But Woody’s devotion to Bonnie knows no bounds. So when a nervous and socially awkward Bonnie goes to a kindergarten roundup, Woody sneaks into her backpack to make sure all goes well. To while away the time, Bonnie constructs Forky (Tony Hale) using a spork and arts-and-crafts materials. When Forky becomes Bonnie’s favorite possession, Woody vows to help Forky ease into the toy life. Forky refuses to believe he can be a toy because he is partially made from garbage. The real headaches begin when Forky makes a break for it during a family vacation, and it is down to Woody and his friends to retrieve Forky and return him to Bonnie. Woody’s separation from Bonnie allows him to temporarily experience life without an owner. He’s not quite a lost toy, like the many dolls and stuff animals he encounters in Toy Story 4, but it does result in a change in worldview that pushes him to question the very nature of his purpose. This is a significant development for a franchise that has firmly positioned Woody as the most loyal of companions. The Woody that emerges at the end of Toy Story 4 is not the same Woody we have known for more than 20 years. On paper, though, Toy Story 4 sounds more like a short. But Cooley et al. build a precious premise into an astute and affecting study into the importance of good coping mechanisms. Woody immediately recognizes that Forky provides Bonnie with a way to deal with the trauma of being in an unfamiliar and potentially hostile environment. Of course, Toy Story 4 is equally as much about Forky’s finding his place in a world that is as alien to him as kindergarten is to Bonnie. Woody is there to serve as Forky’s guide. This distinguishes Toy Story 4 from Toy Story, which found Woody at odds with newcomer Buzz Lightyear because he viewed him as an interloper and a rival for their then-owner Andy’s attention. Hale maintains a jittery innocence as Forky as the handmade creation struggles to understand his new purpose in life and the importance of making his young charge feel safe and protected. Forky happily takes us back to our childhood days when we derived pleasure from simple and/or inexpensive toys. Forky’s path to self-awareness is juxtaposed against the constant anguish felt by the lonely doll Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendrick). She has been stuck in an antique store for many years, and an encounter with Woody and Forky provides her with the means to attract the attention of a young girl she has long hoped would one day take her home. Gabby Gabby isn’t a villain cut from the same cloth as Toy Story 2’s Stinky Pete the Prospector and Toy Story 3's Lotso, but she remains a sorrowful force to be reckoned with. Another standout newcomer to the franchise is motorcycle stunt driver Duke Caboom, voiced with daredevil swagger by Keanu Reeves. Then there are Ducky and Bunny (voiced in comic harmony by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, respectively) and a gang of puppets all named Benson who all bring a warped sense of humor to Toy Story 4 not previously seen in the franchise. Toy Story 4 also marks the return of the Annie Potts’ exuberantly voiced Bo Beep, Woody’s love interest. Bo’s absence from Toy Story 3 proves critical to the events that unfold in this sequel, and her return to Woody’s life not serves as a model of independence but as a catalyst for change. “Like it or not, you’re a toy,” Woody tells Forky. Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Rex, Hamm, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, and Slinky Dog may just be toys. But they not just Andy or Bonnie’s toys. They belong to all of us. Robert Sims Aired: June 20, 2019 Web site: https://movies.disney.com/toy-story-4 |
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