"Toy Story 4" Review - Unlocking a Familiarly Gold Box

Pixar has done it all; original ideas, sequels, and gold standard films. But Disney did the impossible with combining all those three things and making a trilogy about the journey of a bunch of toys. Which bears the question; where does one go after Toy Story 3? Surely no one thought it could be done, and people like me didn’t even think it was necessary. But here we are at the 4th installment of this cute yet ferociously good franchise.

Toy Story 4 ends up 2nd to last on my “top” 4 rankings. But I quote top because honestly, this is me drawing straws. The third movie is in my top 3 Pixar films of all time, and the other two are not that far behind in the countdown. Each film has managed to give us new adventures, settings, and lots of new characters to follow along the way. All this is done while giving us a major storyline that will either warm, tickle, tear your heart into a thousand pieces, or even all of the above. Toy Story 4 checks all those boxes at pretty high grades.

With the return of Bo Peep along with new characters voiced by the brilliant Tony Hale, Key and Peele and the surprisingly funny as hell Keanu Reeves, we are taken to new places with Woody and Buzz that feel so fresh and new. It’s all helmed by a script that explores yet another familiar but new territory on the subject of the human’s relation with a toy. While what you see might not draw up as many risks or thrills as the previous installments, you are still going on a beautiful ride that packs one emotional punch. And I mean it when I say beautiful. The animation is jaw dropping and colorful on a new level that you haven’t seen before.

To me, #3 felt like the perfect conclusion. It took risks no other Toy Story had done and it all worked massively well in its favor. This is what makes watching #4 feel so awkward. Yes, we all love Toy Story, but at some point, you do realize Disney is just making these Toy Story bunches for money purposes and you forget what really makes this franchise such a home run. If you separate your mind from that thought though, this is truly another gold standard movie from Pixar. If #3 is the Deathly Hallows of the series, #4 is the Logan. What I mean is…let’s just say there’s a reason why Woody is featured a lot in the promotion for this movie. All I will tell you is his story is finally concluded, along with Buzz’s and Andy’s. If there’s ever a perfect time to conclude the book on Toy Story (again if you don’t count #3), it’s this one.

All that aside, be prepared to laugh, be wowed, and most importantly, to cry. My advice? However many tissues you needed for the end of #3, take that many for this time around. You will definitely need it. To have my own take on Falsettos for this childhood creation.

Give these products one last stand, welcome to Toy Story Land.

Two Nebs Up!