Toy Story 4 (2019)

“I was made to help a child, I don’t remember it being this hard. ” – Woody

Number of Times Seen – 1 (20 Jun 2019)

Brief Synopsis – Woody, Buzz and the whole gang return one more time as they go on yet another adventure while trying to keep a new toy named Forky safe.

My Take on it – This is a film that has been highly anticipated by me for quite a long time yet at the same time, I feared that the story would be able to live up to the lofty nature of the previous three films of the series.

This is a great addition to the story, yet it fails to add anything new to what we already know about these characters and their lives as toys.

The voice cast of this film is once again superb and it was great revisited them (even the now deceased Don Rickles) because they bring forth such a nostalgic feeling.

Having been reunited with these characters again is a great feeling and brings forth a flood of memories of the previous films and how much they made an impact on my own life and the lives of millions of others.

Unfortunately tho, it doesn’t manage to reach the level of the previous films and it is disappointing due to that.

This film isn’t another Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) kind of mistake, but the world would have still continued to spin properly even if this addition to the story had not been made.

The character of Woody is is an amazing character and his role as leader and protector is so enjoyable to watch unfold.

The choice of him as the focal point once again is a great choice because he is integral to this story and we get to see his importance to the “toy world” due to his great personality.

This movie shows a great blend of humor and drama really well and it is able to evoke emotions in both of these situations because we are either laughing really hard or ready to cry due to the powerful emotions that are formed here by the events and characters in the story.

The animation is amazing to look at and I had to remind myself numerous times that I was watching an animated movie instead of a live action one due to the realistic look of it all.

The film ultimately has a great message and allows us to spend much time pondering the meaning of life and why we are here all from the perspective of toys, but it also relates really well to our own lives.

This film is a lot of fun, but as fun as it is, it’s a slight disappointment due to the fact that it shares the label of Toy Story on it and doesn’t manage to reach the same high points of the three previous films in the series.

Perhaps rewatches of this film will change that, but I’m not convinced that it will change.

Bottom Line – Another great addition to this series, but it unfortunately fails to add anything to what we already know about these characters and their lives. The voice cast is once again superb and it was even great hearing Rickles again (despite the great actor’s passing two years ago). Being reunited with these characters one more time is so much fun and brings forth a flood of memories yet, it isn’t able to bring things up to the level that was reached in all 3 of the previous installments. This isn’t an Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) type of mistake, but things would have been fine had this film not been added to the mix. Woody is such a great character (and leader) that it was such a great choice to focus on his character even more in this film since we learn more about how integral he is to the “toy community” due to his personality. Once again they manage to blend the humor and drama quite well here and make us want to spurt tears in both situations because either we’re laughing so hard or ready to cry because we are so touched by the events and characters in the story. The animation is amazing and I kept forgetting that I was watching an animated film. The message of the film is great and we get so much to ponder about the meaning of life and why we are all here from the perspective of toys. As fun as this film is, it’s a slight disappointment for something with the label of Toy Story on it. Recommended

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The legendary comedian and voice of Mr. Potato Head, Don Rickles, passed away in 2017, before he was able to record his part as the classic toy for the upcoming Toy Story 4 (2019). Rickles’ family reportedly contacted the studio and asked if there was any way that they could create a performance using the recordings that they already had. So that’s exactly what the studio did! Using the recordings from not only the previous three films, but also video games, theme parks, and more, they were able to craft a whole new performance. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)