“I can’t stop Andy from growing up. But I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I was worried but also EXTREMELY excited when I first heard about the 4th Toy Story last year; sometimes when film companies go overboard with their franchises it completely ruins the charm and love we have for some of the characters, as it starts to feel ingenuine. However, with Toy Story it's different - Toy Story has held a special place in many peoples hearts since 1995, and even before that for the animators who worked on the first computer animated film ever (which is an incredible milestone by the way). There's a certain pull on the heart strings that the Toy Story characters and plotlines have on Disney fans, as you're able to get to know each character so well with their vulnerability and what truly motivates them and makes you want to root for them: getting back to their kid.
There are 4 things I want to touch on with this movie: the plotline, the characters, the ending, and the easter eggs. **spoilers ahead**
The Plotline:
Toy Story 4 did not leave me disappointed with its writing. It stayed true to the original motivations of all 3 other movies; Toy Story being Woody and Buzz wanting to get back to Andy, Toy Story 2 being Woody getting back to Andy while bringing Jessie and Bullseye, Toy Story 3 being the toys getting back to Andy before he goes to college, and Toy Story 4 being Woody getting back to Bonnie with Forky. The way the story is set up was also very authentic to the original, with distractions and other characters getting in the way of them smoothly getting home. I also liked that you kind of had to have watched the first 3 movies to truly understand what was happening, it gives this generations kids an excuse to watch the whole franchise. The way that Toy Story can be passed down and still be relevant, exciting, and record breaking because of its history is just so unique to Disney. Also, the animation in this one was outstanding. I could not get over the attention to detail with the dust, spider webs, cracks, clothing, everything!
2. The Characters:
Woody: As I said before, this was for sure the "Woody" movie, as I think it should be if it's going to be the closure that all of us Disney fans needed. We have followed Woody since the beginning and understood his loyalty and purpose in life, and to be able to see Woody finally let go of something that we've experienced with him for the last 24 years, and for me it's something I've looked forward to for him. I also found Woody even more relatable with his inability to let go of the good times of the past.
Buzz: Where was he? I wasn't super happy with the way they portrayed Buzz in this one, he had a bit of a running joke the whole time about his inner voice and it wasn't the same Buzz that I was left with at the end of Toy Story 3. It could've added a lot to the emotion of the ending to have the duo be even more together throughout the movie.
Jessie: Although she also wasn't featured a lot in this movie, one of the most emotional moments for me was when Woody gave Jessie the sheriff badge. That was such a powerful, satisfying, and emotional moment. It was a great addition.
Bo Peep: Woohoo! More power to the girls! One thing I've always loved about the Toy Story movies is the step up that females make in each movie. Jessie, Barbie and Bo have been standouts for me in each movie with their confidence and leadership roles they take on. I did not expect this based on the supporting role Bo Peep we see in the first 2 movies, and am happy they went with the route they did with her in making her a main character. An independent lead female role!
Forky: What a great comic relief character. Before watching it I thought Forky was going to be a tacky character that they added just to add... but I laughed every time Forky spoke and walked. It made the movie way funnier than I expected it to be.
Bunny and Ducky: Also another hilarious addition, Key and Peele were the PERFECT people to play roles like this, we hadn't seen characters like Bunny and Ducky in Toy Story before. It was refreshing, and also added more opportunities for easter eggs.
Duke Caboom: And yet ANOTHER comic relief character with Duke's backstory of his owner, as well as the implied advances that Duke has had on Bo perhaps in the past. A new, fresh face with a similar story to Buzz and Jessie, being abandoned and not being able to "fly" like they're supposed to.
Gabby Gabby: I can't decide whether she's the villain of the story or not, which I think is something that happens with a lot of Pixar movies. There is someone that does something bad of course, but then they have a backstory that makes you feel bad for them. I also think the voicebox was a smart yet a "last minute" kind of detail for her story - as a child could still play with her without it, but she seems to not think so. It's just a tie to make her want to keep Woody. Not to mention, the Benson's could be absolutely terrifying to the wrong eye.
3. The Ending
I can't be the only one who thought Woody was going to die... whether it be burned, ripped, or however else a toy could potentially "die". But another part of me was like, "how could Pixar do that? It would be a super unsatisfying type of closure". The Super Carlin Brothers on YouTube proposed another prediction as to how Woody could become lifeless, which would be that in the end him and Bo become real inanimate objects and are unable to control themselves anymore. That's the type of emotional ending I was expecting based on the interviews from Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. Nonetheless, Woody leaving the toys behind to go with Bo Peep and saying his final goodbyes to the pals that have been there since the beginning, still made me cry through a package of tissues.
4. The Easter Eggs
You can't watch a Pixar movie without seeing at least one easter egg from one of their other movies. I kept my eye out the whole time, and before watching the easter egg videos on YouTube, these are the ones that I could pick out from watching the movie the first time:
RMRF97 is the license plate number of the man's car who picks up Bo Peep in the beginning of the movie during the flashback. RMRF is a sequence on a computer that removes files, in which this happened to the Toy Story 2 movie until they could stop it in time. This happened, of course, in 1997.
Bunny and Ducky's 3 plans to steal the keys from the lady at the antique store were all pretty much the same, except the last one shows them slowly rising up on the side of her bed, just like Sulley would do in Monsters Inc.
On the back of the carnival workers leg, there was a truck, which later I put together was the Pizza Planet truck, which appears in every Disney Pixar movie.
When the sheep are handing Bo items they collect, they hand her a grape soda bottle cap, just like Ellie's pin for Carl in Up.
There's a ride at the carnival that's purple, red, and a little yellow, and it reminded me of a resemblance of Zurg.
The last immediate easter egg I noticed was the Dinoco gas station, which appeared in the first Toy Story as well as the Cars movies.
The antique store was stacked full of easter eggs, that I later learned about, including things from Finding Nemo, Up, A Bug's Life, Pixar short films, Coco, and more. Pixar never disappoints in making you feel like you're a part of something bigger when you can recognize these details.
Toy Story 4 leaves a lot of room for thought at the end, as well as the closure we were all looking for for the last decade. I'm happy and satisfied, as I've heard a lot of Disney fans feel the same. Will this be Woody's last adventure with the gang? Will they reunite? Do you think he'll ever return to Andy? Let me know!