Movie Review: "Toy Story 4" (Spoiler Free) · 8:26pm Jun 22nd, 2019

9 years ago, so long it almost feels like another lifetime, Toy Story 3 put a beautiful capstone on the Toy Story films, one so seemingly definitive that many, myself included, treated the concept of a fourth film with much skepticism. This was helped not at all by the delays of eventually two years, including being swapped with Incredibles 2. Couple that with the original writers leaving for "creative differences", and we were all quite nervous. Then the reviews dropped, with the aggregate scores placing it in the same ballpark at the previous films, though at the pack's back.

This is basically the case. Setting aside issues of personal taste, that this is a great film cannot be denied. It organically extends the characters' lifespans from the previous film, deftly blends awe-thrilling adventure, hilarious comedy, and sophisticated emotion the whole way. There is a certain je ne sais quoi the previous films had that this one doesn't. I'll get back to that.

In some ways, it's quite a different Toy Story then any of the previous ones, which is fitting, given it's the first directed by someone who hasn't worked closely on all three films, Josh Cooley, a Pixar storyboard artist who headed story on Inside Out and directed its DVD short, Riley's First Date?. Standout new character Forky is the first sign we're in a slightly different arena then past Toy Storys, a direction that becomes clearer as the movie unfolds, not just by how most of the old characters are gracefully sidelined and new ones are emphasised, but by the directions those new characters end up taking the film, and its themes.

It's the film's themes and questions that most mark it as different then the previous films. Toy Story 4 feels like its trying to answer just about every question one might still have about sentient toys not answered in the previous films, though it takes great care to gently wrap these around the tried-and-tested Toy Story formula of toys being separated from their owners and trying to get back. That the film manages to fit all this into a 89-minute runtime that is still sheer entertainment for nearly that whole time, as polished with typical Pixar sheen, deserves recognition.

Not least the comedy - occasionally the themes and serious stuff gets focused on a bit too much, but for the most part the same tone of humour from the previous films is preserved, yet extended in slightly unexpected directions. Just when you think the films have run out of stuff for Buzz to do, they give him a sideplot that ties into the main themes well while being very nearly as hilarious as the mistaken voice program he got in Toy Story 3. This applies to the new characters too; from a pair of wacky carnival plushes to a motorbike stuntsman expertly voiced by Keanu Reaves, they all achieve the difficult act of contributing gut-busting hilarious business while also contributing to the film's themes and morals.

There's plenty of polish elsewhere: the screenplay is as layered as ever, with not a moment of the film wasted. And the film's animation continues the Pixar tradition of updating a previous film's look while keeping it in line with those entries (the surface sheen on Bo Peep takes some getting used to, it's that photorealistic). The film also has the decency to avoid most recent trappings of animated films, not least the surprise villain reveal. And as always, there's a pleasant soulful core here that is never unwelcome, not least for being a tale of second chances and those who take advantage of them.

Now, the thing I mentioned this film doesn't have that the others do, has to do with the fact that this is almost more an epilogue that a full-blown sequel. Without saying why, I can say that it has noble intentions masterfully executed. Just because the characters seemed to be starting over with Bonnie as they did with Andy last time doesn't mean everything will unfold the same way. The reason this film feels so different is because hurdles are thrown in Woody's path he's never had to face before, and hurdles played differently then the previous films, that it almost seems to be a passing of the torch, both in front of and behind the (virtual) camera. It's far too early to say whether this is bad or good. But it's different, and the strange yet beguiling directions it leads the films are to its benefit for sure.

In the end, the emphasised focus on the film's messages and themes perhaps hamper it somewhat, which is what places it towards the back of the Toy Story pack. And yes, you could still argue it's an unnecessary sequel. But based on the results here, it's a wholly welcome one. If you're on the fence, go see it. We can debate where it ranks with the other Toy Story films another time.