Toy Story 4 Movie Review

Toy Story 4 (2019)

Watch the trailer
Written by: John Lasseter & Andrew Stanton & Josh Cooley & Valerie LaPointe and Rashida Jones & Will McCormack & Martin Hynes & Stephany Folsom (original story by), Andrew Stanton & Stephany Folsom (screenplay by)
Directed by: Josh Cooley
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Christina Hendricks, Jordan Peele, Keanu Reeves, Jay Hernandez, Joan Cusack, Kristen Schaal
Rated: G

Plot
When a new toy called "Forky" joins Woody and the gang, a road trip introduces old and new friends while Woody attempts to save Forky.

Verdict
This movie is better than it has any right to be. When first announced I assumed this was a lazy sequel. It's not. It's a story that needed to be told, at least it feels that way.. There's a lot of depth to the movie as Woody wrestles with the prospect of becoming an abandoned toy. There are great arcs for the villain and Bo Peep. The plotting is excellent. Of course the animation is top notch.
Watch it.

Review
This movie has a lot of depth, not just for a kids' movie but for any movie. The plot hinges on Woody's drive to not leave Forky behind. The very first scene set up that personality trait when Woody is attempting to save a toy forgotten in the rain. It's something Pixar has done since the first Toy Story  movie. The plots hinge on Woody's personality traits.

Woody introducing Forky

Woody and the gang now belong to Bonnie. Bonnie creates Forky out of trash to cope with her first day of kindergarten. I don't understand how Forky becomes sentient. The logic in Toy Story is shaky at best and Forky only serves to expose the flaws.

Woody's life is tied to being there for his kid. It's a duty in which he takes great pride. Woody is on his way to being a neglected toy, and he's in denial about that.
Be it made from trash or just his general demeanor Forky wishes to be with trash and has a propensity to escape. Woody keeps Forky in line for Bonnie's sake, but this gives Woody a purpose.

This story doesn't feel like a needless sequel and I like how it felt like a final chapter. Woody has always been the protagonist and this let him ride into the sunset. I wouldn't be surprised to see another sequel though.

This movie does put all of the other characters in the backseat. It's not a bad thing, but a change in tone from the previous movies. While Buzz has a small role, it's more comic relief than anything as he discovers his inner voice.

While trying to find Forky, Woody runs into Bo Peep who is no longer tied to a kid. She's an abandoned toy. Woody can't comprehend such a thing because his self worth is tied to his duty to a kid.

Gabby

Woody does find Forky but they encounter a villain Gabby. I like how the movie treats Gabby. She's an obstacle to Woody, but she's not a villain in the traditional sense. Her actions, just as Woody's, are tied to how she values herself. Her actions root in her desire for a child's love. She's not intentionally trying to harm others as much as she's trying to help herself achieve goals.

While I can accept toys are sentient, Forky seems like a stretch. What imbues him with sentience? Is it the eyes and mouth Bonnie gave him? Is that all it takes or is it born of love? I don't know and the movie doesn't answer that as it doesn't really matter.
While the toys play dead when humans are around, there are more than a few times they would have been seen in this movie.

Woody and Bo Peep

I wondered where the movie would take the Bo Peep arc. Bo claims to be happy as a lost toy and I wondered if the movie would have her realize that is just how she copes. That's not what happens.

Bonnie with Forky and Woody

Part of this movie is delving into the mindset of kids and what they see as valuable or important. Kids don't value objects in the same way as adults. Generally we put a price on it while kids put a meaning on it. An adult, and most of the toys, see Forky as trash. Woody sees an object important to Bonnie regardless of the value of the components.