Toy Story 4 (Josh Cooley)

[Ivan Drago]

IMDB / Wiki

[Ivan Drago]

DAMMIT I forgot to add the poll again!

Anyway, here's my review.

[Stay Puft]

DAMMIT I forgot to add the poll again!

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[Ivan Drago]

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All I see is 'Show Printable Version', 'Email This Page' and 'Subscribe To This Thread'.

[TGM]

This was every bit as pointless as it always appeared to be. It’s not terrible, though the writing this time around stands out as being especially lazy, and it never at any point feels like a movie whose existence is in any way necessary. The ending in particular tries to send off the series again, except we already did that, and it actually worked and was earned the last time around. This time though just comes off as feeling real forced and overtly manipulative. Basically, this is a total cash grab movie, through and through, and little more than that, sadly to say.

[Stay Puft]

It looks like a mod added it already? It will be the fourth option if there isn't a poll. I just checked and I can still go back and do it to old threads.

[Peng]

As a morbid kid who watched the VHS of deeply melancholy stuff like Bambi, The Land Before Time, and The Search for Christopher Robin into oblivion growing up, I was primed to find Toy Story 3 easily the most visceral theater viewing I'd ever had, and it remains so to this day (Forget the double emotional whammy of those two climaxes, I was already gone in its first 10 minutes). So to say I was skeptical going in this entry is an understatement.

And indeed, this is the first sequel that doesn't feel like a story's most logical, natural next step we somehow didn't know we need like the previous two. But if only every franchise's "extension" is this good, still engaging in rewarding characters and imaginative details (a sad/funny sight of high-five being unacknowledged that is allowed to play out effectively in background; an unexpected reunion played out under the disguise of unknowing toy facade, making it all the more magical and romantic; etc). This entry turns more inward, turning away from the big scope of exploring a toy's life cycle that is as complete as can be in 3. Instead, it uses the past and smaller focus for an intimate look at the psyche of a specific character, Woody, and his journey towards self-growth.

It's not a coincidence that despite all the core toys returning, there is less equal spotlight than usual for many favorites, since the story's situations and old/new characters here mostly serve as either journey or reflection for Woody, none more so than the concentrated dose of existential neuroses of Forky, a delightfully sad new character who directly challenges Woody's self. Even his past tendency to lose sight of other people in favor of preserving status quo comes to the fore as actual selfish character trait here.

In all, it's a wonderful, sometimes strange adventure that wisely uses some of its unavoidable familiarity (mostly) to its own positive, fueling them into a smaller yet no less engaging thematic scope. One does wonder though where it's all going to lead, especially after the ending of 3 is viewed as the perfect end point for all these characters. But yet again, a Toy Story nails an ending in each entry's own way. If not the ultimate bittersweet meditation on impermanence like the previous one, 4's ending is still a sublimely and quietly shattering realization of acknowledging self-growth and finding a more perfect place for yourself even if it's outsides your comfort zone. Outgrowing goes both way. 8.5/10

[Philip J. Fry]

[Mr. McGibblets]

Keanu Reeves is awesome in this.

[Henry Gale]

I actually got to see this a couple weeks ago, but it was also the night our Raptors won the championship (woooooo) so the rest of that night/week+ has been a beautiful and busy blur where that very much towered over remembering I saw this when I did.

I liked this a lot, though! I'm not sure any way you can slice it that it isn't the weakest or least essential and potent entry, but it's still clever and almost thematically self-reflexive enough about its own strained existence that it manages to be surprising and satisfying in what it's ultimately about while also just being as requisitely lovely and charming as it should be to be it's own sort of installment to the series rather than keeping it to the exact structure and dynamics of the previous three. It's easier for me to look at this as a denouement to the trilogy or a standalone resolution of Woody's story rather than another major episode for Andy's gang of toys.

Especially after a chunk of Pixar sequels that I was pretty disappointed with (mainly Finding Dory and Incredibles 2, falling into cursed purgatory of "They're fine, I guess.." territory) I was happy to see Toy Story 4 take some big swings and really be be unexpected and interesting enough to cut through all the cynical feelings of them making this simply because it was a no-brainer for Disney's bottom line.

So I really did enjoy it -- laughed, cried, had my heart warmed; the whole checklist -- but similar to Andy and some of the characters here, I'm very ready to let go of this world as well as the fact that I'm not the 5-year-old I was when I saw the first movie, but more than happy for those current 5-year-olds to feel the way I did then with this one.

[Grouchy]

Cash grab pretty much sums it up but it's still entertaining enough for a Yay.

[Morris Schæffer]

Perhaps it helps that part 4 arrives relatively long after the third installment because for sure there are some hugely recognizable story beats to be found here. The point is that I didn't mind too much. This was great, once more very moving and likely the best animated feature of the year.

[Irish]

I'm embarrassed to admit I enjoyed the hell out of this. Sporky or Forky or whatever is a fine addition to the team (well, at least he works as comic relief and a good mcguffin).

Yeah, it's derivative of the other movies, and no, it doesn't introduce anything new or particularly interesting. Most of it plays like Cowboy Woody fan fiction and was obviously designed around set pieces.

But fuck me, those set pieces were terrific. (I love every second in and around the antique store.)

My expectations were near zero because I didn't think much of "2" or "3," and the only reason I saw this was because I heard Keanu Reeves voiced a new character.

Also, I gotta say that [

Show Spoiler

this had one of the most believable and touching romances of any movie I've seen this year. And yeah, more embarrassing to admit they got me. I blubbered like a fucking idiot when Woody chose to stay with Bo.)

]

The only disappointment, and I can't discount it so easily, is that they have too many characters now. Buzz Lightyear has no reason to appear, and most everybody else literally stands off to the side and repeatedly asks, "Where's Woody?"

The movie is well paced, and some elements in the writing are well done, but I think that points to an overall weakness in the script, and Disney/Pixar's lack of ideas. They no longer know what to do with Hamm, Rex, or the rest of the cast that made the original films so memorable.

[Pop Trash]

I generally resist Disney / franchise / cashgrab sequels but I have to admit this is pretty great. It simply looks great for reasons I can't quite explain. The antique store and main street in particular have this autumnal glow that a digital animator might be able to explain better than me. All the stuff at the antique store in general is great and I absolutely love the Gabby Gabby character. She's set-up like another Lotso from Toy Story 3, but then the script subverts that and she becomes one of the most empathetic characters in the film. Reminds a bit of how Bing Bong from Inside Out is presented at first like this obnoxious irritation but slowly becomes a heartbreaker of a character. Pixar is good at that. I had a screenwriting teacher in SF that was hired on to workshop Ratatouille for a few weeks at their studio and said Pixar's motto for storytelling is "simple stories, complicated characters" and plenty of live action filmmakers could learn from that.

[Philip J. Fry]

I generally resist Disney / franchise / cashgrab sequels but I have to admit this is pretty great. It simply looks great for reasons I can't quite explain. The antique store and main street in particular have this autumnal glow that a digital animator might be able to explain better than me. All the stuff at the antique store in general is great and I absolutely love the Gabby Gabby character. She's set-up like another Lotso from Toy Story 3, but then the script subverts that and she becomes one of the most empathetic characters in the film. Reminds a bit of how Bing Bong from Inside Out is presented at first like this obnoxious irritation but slowly becomes a heartbreaker of a character. Pixar is good at that. I had a screenwriting teacher in SF that was hired on to workshop Ratatouille for a few weeks at their studio and said Pixar's motto for storytelling is "simple stories, complicated characters" and plenty of live action filmmakers could learn from that.

Agreed with this. Gabby Gabby is a complex character and her final arc got me good. And as plenty have said, seeing Woody say goodbye to his friends was another punch to the feels.

[Dukefrukem]

Hell I loved forky. I loved Reeves. I loved the Key and Peele reunion. And the spooky antique store puppets was a nice change of scenery for a darker toy take.