To infinity…and yet another sequel
Full disclosure: I’m not a Toy Story fan. I’m certainly not a Toy Story “hater.” Yet there’s an undeniable bit of indifference I have towards the series. Maybe it’s because I was 13 when the first Toy Story was released in 1995 and just old enough to not get excited about animated films as much as before. Yet I can certainly appreciate the technical milestone made by the original film and understand the fondness legions of movie lovers have towards the beloved series. Also, I do have a soft spot for the martians. Although I never got around to watching the Toy Story 2 (and am curiously unable to find many in my circle who have), I was inevitably coaxed into watching the second sequel in 2010 in order to keep up with my tradition of seeing all Best Picture Oscar nominees. Toy Story 3 had completed the trilogy in such a pitch perfect and thoughtful way that to tamper with the series by daring to revisit it would surely be one of the riskier propositions in all of Hollywood. Yet that certainly didn’t stopped the powers that be who decided, for better or worse, there was still more story to tell.
Since we last left Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and the rest of the gang, everyone’s favorite toys have been living life as the toys of Bonnie, a little girl about to begin kindergarten. After Bonnie and her parents embark on a road trip with all the toys in tow, a series of adventures leads them to an antique store in search of Forky (Tony Hale), the newest member of the group who has separated from the pack. Along the way, Woody and Buzz encounter a slew of new characters, including adversary Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) and an old friend in the form of Bo Peep (Annie Potts), who was given away several years earlier.
As I mentioned before, I’m not a Toy Story fan. Yet even I could notice and appreciate how well-crafted the third chapter was in terms of finding a fitting conclusion to everything which had come before. The makers had found humor and technical innovation and delivered an emotional moment which resonated with (nearly) everyone. Because of all this, the obvious question lingering with the prospect of a fourth movie (besides the obvious “why”) is: “Where do things go from here?” The minds behind the series clearly struggled with trying to find an answer, as the on-screen results indicate. Having exhausted all the child playtime/adventures in the home scenario, the only option left for the toys is a road trip where new adventures await. While not all of the toys can come, the movie makes sure audiences at least get to see that they haven’t been discarded by relegating them to crowd shots.
Meanwhile, the toys who venture out get to explore the outside world, which Toy Story 4 has taken great care to make as culturally diverse and in touch with the current times as possible. Nowhere is this more true than in the movie’s girl power factor, with virtually every female character of note proving to be in her element as she takes charge of the situation around her, calling every shot along the way. The only downside to this move is a severe change in the dynamic between Buzz and Woody, who spend much of the film apart and really only manage one scene alone together. That scene especially feels throwaway, forced, and awkwardly inserted for the sake of reminiscing. It’s during times such as these where Toy Story 4 stumbles, fooling neither grown-ups nor kids as it can’t help but reveal its desperation to be both relevant and nostalgic. It’s a problem that many film series face after deciding to go beyond their trilogy nature, and Toy Story 4 proves to be no different.
Any animated movie series is able to find themselves prey to the above-mentioned problems. Yet Toy Story was never just any animated series. Each of the first three movies managed to set a benchmark (including the second one, apparently) for the way films of the genre operated and delivered for the last 20+ years. Because of this, the majority of Toy Story 4 has no problem rising above many, if not all, of the elements which would otherwise hold back a lesser movie. The strongest way it does this is through the introduction of new characters, all of whom add their own flavor to the mix, making the film both exciting and unpredictable. Forky is a delightful addition, but pales in comparison to Keanu Reeves’s hilarious Duke Caboom, a Canadian stuntman action figure complete with his own motorcycle who is always willing to show off his flexibility and multitude of poses. None match the hysterical quality of Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele as a pair of carnival prize stuffed animals named Ducky and Bunny, respectively. The pair’s desperate need to be free from their carnival imprisonment leads to what is possibly one of the most uproarious moments in any Toy Story movie (managing to draw tears of uncontrollable laughter from my face).
While Hendricks’s vintage doll Gabby Gabby is clearly the movie’s heavy, she’s also the embodiment of what its core theme is about; namely, the forgotten toy who feels lost without a child to look after. Through the character’s storyline, Toy Story 4 shows great love for all its characters by taking the time to explore who the toys may be away from their child, when they’re left to fend for themselves and develop identities based on their own colorful personalities, as well as lives not dependent on having a child shower them with love. By the time of the film’s end, lessons have been learned for sure, but they are lessons based in deeper meaning meant more for the toys themselves, rather than the kids watching them in the audience.
Toy Story 4 is fun. I certainly had fun watching it, which means it’s more than worth an actual fan’s journey to the multiplex to seek it out. Yet for all the plentiful joy the movie manages to give in spite of its shortcomings, it’s the nature of the ending which sticks with me. Although I won’t divulge any spoilers, I will say that the ending feels like a fitting conclusion of sorts for a variety of reasons, not least of all this sequel’s specific ideology. Yet I can’t help but see Toy Story 4’s final moments rubbing longtime fans the wrong way; they will surely have mixed feelings about what this means for the characters they have grown up with over the years. This does beg the obvious question: “Where do Buzz, Woody, and company go from here? Are there any worthwhile adventures within these characters still left to explore? How many more layers of these characters remain uncovered? Most importantly, how much further can the world of Toy Story be taken before it begins to lose that special quality which made it so unique and innovative in the first place?” I know for sure I don’t have an answer to any of these questions. But maybe I will after the next sequel.