This franchise is now a quadrilogy? Well, there’s something I never expected. This movie was released on my Heart Day, so me and Awesome Cupcake went to see the further adventures of Buzz, Woody and friends in glorious IMAX.
Two more characters in the Toy Story Universe? Who do the they think they are the Fluffenstuff Brothers? And why were they not showing the Real 3D version around here?!?
So, Andy has grown up and given his toys to Bonnie, a young girl nearby. Woody, Buzz and the gang intergrate the best they can with the toys already there, but it’s not easy, especially for Woody. Bonnie is also starting at Kindergarten, so changes in her life are hurting her. On her first day at Kindergarten, she creates a friend out of a spork and other bits of rubbish and names him Forky and he comes to life like the other toys! The family go off on a road trip and Bonnie takes her toys, but Forky gets lost on the way so it’s up to Woody and the gang to rescue him….although peril awaits Woody and someone wants something he has….
I have to admit, as much as I was thinking “Jeez…ANOTHER Toy Story movie?” this wasn’t too bad really. Do take into account though this might be called Toy Story 4 but this is actually the 6th Toy Story movie (There are 2 TV movies: Toy Story of Terror and Toy Story the Time Forgot) as well as the feature length animation Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (which kicked off an animated series) so I really hope this is the final movie..after all the third movie was supposed to be the closing chapter of the story. When I saw the last movie I really thought that was it, but they found a way of coming back….and I’m sure they’d find another way too but seriously Disney, please don’t. As much as Toy Story movies are charming and cute, the stars are gradually dying and really shouldn’t be replaced (Don Rickle, the voice of Mister Potato Head actually died before he could do any of his line, so Pixar trawled through the vaults and found all the vocals that Rickles had ever done for them including a huge amount that had never been used and used that for the voice of the tater we all know and love.) This really needs to be the end of the franchise.
If you like the franchise, or you like Pixar in general its an OK watch, it’s not their weakest movie, but it certainly doesn’t rank as one of the stronger ones. It still has a moral to it, a bit of a darker side, and the good guys always win (one of the few things I don’t like. I’d love to see a Pixar movie where the bad guy wins just for once). Oh, and I was rather disappointed that there was no short at the beginning….what gives Pixar? I felt a bit short changed with that…
Toy Story 4 is rated PG and can be seen in 2D, IMAX and RealD 3D now.