Quick Review: Toy Story 4

Well, I don't cover Oscar-winning Films that often.  I might as do one that is the ending (maybe) of a series that I grew up watching...

It's been about two years since the events of Toy Story 3 had the gang end up with Bonnie.

In that time, Woody has been left behind.  He now is relegated to the Closet with the old Comedians.

At School, Woody inadvertently leads Bonnie to create a new friend for herself- Forky.

Yes, it's a Spork.  We know.  Congrats on your observation.

 Thanks to, I guess, magic, Forky is now alive.  He used to be trash, but now he's a toy...so he's sentient.

It's like a Children's Guide to Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis.

Out on a trip, Woody and Forky get separated from the gang.  They meet Lost Toys, ones that live in 'the Wild' and play with kids that show up, but don't actually have a home.

Thankfully, they don't do a version of the song 'Wild Boys' by Duran Duran.

He also runs into a strange enemy in the form of Gabby Gabby, who wants something that he has.

You have to love a 'Kids Film' that is all about referencing The Twilight Zone, no?

Can Woody reunite with an old friend to save the day?  Will his new friends make the difference?  Will it make you- likely an Adult- cry?

To find out, watch the Film.  I saw it on Disney Plus, since I might as well get the most out of my $6.99.

A strange, but masterful adventure.  So I was exposed to the original Film when I was young.  I liked the second one, although it definitely wasn't as good.  The 3rd Film came much later and showed that they could still mine some good material.  To many, this had to be the end. Thankfully, they had one more good story in them for this one.  I guess it makes up for the bad stories in stuff like Cars 2.  Easy burns aside, I definitely liked this one.  It feels like it kind of does its own things at points in the story, like when it seems to forget the rest of the toys.  Even so, it all ties back together.  The new toys are a nice addition.  You have to ignore the weird elephant in the room- Don Rickles' mostly-silent Mr. Potato Head.  I get why they didn't exclude him, but it seems weird that he just stares at you all the time.  There's a good and bad aspect to the Plot as far as the Voice Cast goes.  Many longtime Characters get a line or two- like John Ratzenberger- which is a shame.  On the flip side, Annie Potts- back as Bo Peep- gets a much bigger part than apparently even she realized!  Key and Peele are a delight, even if they introduce Cutaways into the Film.  Speaking of which, the Film *didn't* begin with a fantasy action sequence- what a twist!  As a whole, the new stuff is neat and you can see the amount of work they put into things.  If you miss it, the IMDB Trivia Page has about 1,042 notes about random background bits.  When *I* think you spend too much time looking for hidden details, it says something.  Should this have won the Oscar?  Who knows- I didn't see the other nominees.  I just know that some people won't rest until you talk about Disney stuff, so I need to appease them...

A Film that makes quite a few bold choices- most of which pay off.  While some Characters lack Screen Time, the final product is understandably award-worthy.