Pixar is one of the most prolific and beloved animation studios in the medium’s history. Over the past three decades, they’ve produced outstanding movie after outstanding movie, building a reputation for crafting kid-friendly stories that still have the depth and emotion that will make them fun for adults, too. Whatever it may be Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Inside out or Coco, everyone has a favorite Pixar movie. Of all these five-star films the studio has produced, there is one series that has come to define the brand more than any other: Toy Story.
years 1995 Toy Story was a key moment in film history. Not only was it the first full-length feature film Pixar ever produced; it was also the first fully 3D computer-animated feature film ever produced and released by a major studio. While 3D animated movies are a dime a dozen these days, the original is Toy Story was groundbreaking for the industry. Plus, it had the heart and story it needed to appeal to everyone and become an instant classic. In the nearly 30 years since the release of the first movie, the Toy Story series has remained the crown jewel of Pixar’s film library.
After its release in 1999, Toy story 2 was just as adored as the first film, and it still holds its place as many people’s favorite in the series. 2010s Toy Story 3 continued that streak and even received a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards that year. The third Toy Story movie was considered to be the perfect ending to the series, that’s why people were so conflicted in the development of Toy story 4 was not announced until a few years later. As easy and public as it is to bash on the latest entries in a series, Toy story 4 is again a truly excellent and worthy entry to the Toy Story franchise, and it’s arguably a better conclusion to the series than Toy Story 3. This is why the fourth entry in the Toy Story series deserves more love:
Staying true to its roots
First of all, one of the main reasons for that Toy story 4 works so well is that the movie has a deep understanding of what the Toy Story series so special to begin with. It’s a clever concept that’s understandable and entertaining for kids while still containing heartfelt and heartfelt themes that will make their parents’ eyes water. Toy story 4 is just as fun, delightful and creative as the previous three installments in the series. It brings witty, new and unexpected existential twists to the concept while retaining the incredibly imaginative and playful spirit that created it Toy Story so sweet for so long. It does all this while also building that emotional core of the movie that makes it so much more than just a light-hearted kid’s movie.
In addition to a story that both children and adults can appreciate, Toy story 4 is arguably one of the funniest movies in the entire series. There’s a lot of humor that comes from the roster of classic characters, such as Hamm, Rex, and the Potato Heads, but there are also plenty of new characters that bring their own sense of humor to the film as well. One of the real standouts is the character Duke Caboom, voiced by Keanu Reeves, whose constant switching back and forth between immense confidence in his stunt bike skills and paralyzing fear of failing to deliver on his commercial’s promise makes for some of the most entertaining sequences in the world. the whole movie. There are also smaller comedic moments like Carl Weather’s Combat Carl and a group of older toys voiced by Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Betty White, and Carl Reiner, all of whom are appropriately Melephant Brooks, Chairol Burnett, Bitey White, and Carl Reineroceros.
A great ending to the series
The biggest objection from fans about Toy story 4‘s production was and still is Toy Story 3 was the perfect ending to the series. That’s a totally understandable perspective to have. The ending of the third movie was poignant, emotional, and incredibly poignant. It was a truly circular moment, finishing the toy’s journey with Andy and beginning their new life with Bonnie. But just because that chapter of the story was over doesn’t mean there isn’t more story to tell. The life of the toys would go on and they would have to adjust to a new child’s life, in a new room with many new toys in their family.
That’s true Toy story 4 comes in. The film serves as a kind of extended epilogue to the Toy Story series. It bundles up all the loose ends from the last three movies and explores in more detail what Andy’s toy life would be like with Bonnie. Some of them are adjusting very well to the new life, while others (mainly Woody) have a hard time understanding that Bonnie’s toys are very different from Andy’s toys. Eventually, the central adventure with Woody, Forky and Bo Peep gets underway, and it becomes clear that Woody cannot continue with Andy. Bonnie doesn’t need him as much as Andy does, which is why he struggles to find his purpose. He wants to help; he just doesn’t know how to do it anymore.
Throughout the film, it is clear to see that Woody is still grieving the loss of Andy as his child. He does his best to be there for Bonnie and support the room, but he’s just not the same toy he used to be. As the story progresses, Woody struggles with this. He is forced to confront his feelings about Andy and what it really means to be a toy. He questions his once-firm belief that the purpose of toys was only to provide for their child. However, his reintroduction of Bo Peep expands his gaze. He can look at his situation more objectively and see that he can be of better use elsewhere. He can, perhaps for the first time, think about what he actually wants to do with his life. He’s allowed his own agency and he understands that sometimes it’s okay to just do what’s best for yourself. He stays with Bo and the carnival plushies, leaving behind Bonnie and the toys he’s known for so long. However, it is not out of selfish desire, but merely an acknowledgment that it was time for him to ride off into the sunset. Together he, Bo and the rest of his new troop free many toys from the fair and send them home with kids who will love them. During it all, Woody finally comes to terms with his situation. He resolves his lingering doubts and feelings about Andy and Bonnie, and he gets better for it.
A character driven story
An important part of what the Toy Story series that is so beloved is the myriad of excellent characters that populate the stories. Whether it’s the main characters like Woody and Buzz Lightyear; major supporting characters like Jessie, Slinky Dog and Rex, or one-off additions like Ken in Toy Story 3the Toy Story series has always been known for its excellent characters who are equally relatable and hilarious. Toy story 4 is certainly no exception. Whether it’s new lovable characters like Forky and Duke Caboom or returning characters like Bo Peep and the rest of the classic crew, every character in the movie gets their share. Everyone has their own character development and moments of comedy to make them shine, which is why there really isn’t a weak link with the movie. The only new characters to get extended screen time without much development are carnival plushies Ducky and Bunny, but they’re so beautifully voiced by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele that they stand out nonetheless.
Where Toy story 4However, ‘s character work really shines with its two main characters. Unlike every film in the previous series, Buzz Lightyear is not one of this film’s co-leads. While Allen’s Lightyear still gets plenty of screen time and moments in the spotlight, the co-leads of Toy story 4 are undoubtedly Tom Hanks’ Woody and Annie Potts’ Bo Peep. The movies reintroduction of Bo Peep in the story, after she was written out Toy Story 3was a brilliant idea because she gives the series a compelling female lead that she hasn’t had since Jessie toy story 2, and it develops her character significantly beyond the two-dimensional and endorsed romantic interest she was for Woody in the first two films. In Toy story 4, the character of Bo Peep has been completely reinvented from the ground up. She has been given her own agency, with goals for her life and her own strengths and thoughts to bring to the table. She has established herself as a compelling character with the humor to match and even surpass Hanks’ Woody. The movie takes one of the series’ most underused and basic characters and transforms her into a highlight of the entire quadrilogy.
Meanwhile, the story also develops Woody’s character significantly from where he was in the previous three films. In the first three entries in the series, his focus and goal was always to do what was best for Andy. He had a child, and that child was his priority no matter what. But now that he’s handed over to a new kid at the end of the third movie, Woody is a little lost Toy story 4. He is no longer the leader of the group of toys and he will never see the man Andy later becomes. He still wants to do what’s best for Bonnie, but he doesn’t really know how to do it if he isn’t one of Bonnie’s favorite toys. He struggles to find purpose in his life, and when he is re-introduced to Bo Peep, who is now a lost toy living her own life without a child, Woody’s world and perspective evolve. He learns to think for once about what is best for him, not in a selfish way, but in a way that is beneficial to both his own sanity and the lives of those who love him. He’s gained a sense of self that he hadn’t in any of the previous films, which arguably makes him a more interesting character than ever before.