Toy Story 4 Review: Totally worth the wait and worth your monies, this immensely entertaining and endearing film is just not to be missed!

Star rating:

Stoking the imaginations of children and grown-ups alike, Toy Story has easily been one of the most-loved animation-franchise across the globe since its first film released in 1995. Featuring a whole bunch of toys – toplined by Sheriff Woody (a cowboy doll) and Buzz Lightyear (an astronaut action figure) – the hit franchise went on to entertain us with two more equally impressive installments. Now after a wait of nine years since Toy Story 3 (2010) released, comes Toy Story 4. Directed by Josh Cooley the film once again brings to life the world of Andy’s toys. But does this sequel live up to the expectations of the franchise-fans? And can it create the same magic that the previous three Toy Story’s had? Read on to find out!

What Toy Story 4 is all about

The film takes off from where the story had ended in Toy Story 3. It does start with a little bit of an emotional flashback thrown in! So, Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw) is the new owner of Andy’s toys. And they are all well-taken care of too, except Bo Peep (Annie Potts). To brush up your memory, she had been given away nine years ago by Andy’s sister Molly. Woody (Tom Hanks) and Bo are shown to have parted on a somewhat tearful note, when Woody with a heavy heart had decided to stay back for his kid Andy rather than leave with Bo.

In present day, although he hates to admit it, but Woody is clearly struggling as he tries to come to terms with not being Bonnie’s favourite toy anymore. However, he still feels responsible for his kid’s happiness. So, when Bonnie starts kindergarten, he tries to be there for her and slips into her school bag. Whilst in school, Bonnie makes a new toy from a spork naming it Forky (Tony Hale). And it soon becomes her favourite toy too. However, Forky believes that he’s trash. Woody, however, takes it on himself to keep him from going back to the trash cans.

The real adventure however begins when Bonnie’s family goes on a road trip with her and her toys! Along the way, Woody and Forky get separated from the rest of the toys and the RV that the family is travelling in. As they make their way back to Bonnie, Woody and Forky run into a whole bunch of creepy Benson puppet dolls who work under a doll named Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) in an antique store. Now Woody’s mission is to get the kidnapped Forky back to Bonnie. And in attempting to do so, he meets Bo once again! Does he succeed in reuniting Forky with Bonnie and what happens to Bo is what the film continues into!

Yay

The film connects to the audience at an almost unbelievably human level, where it becomes impossible to look at the characters as mere toys! The toys could well be substituted with real people. The story of friendship, of loyalty, the need to feel accepted, having faith in your dreams, are all extremely relatable. There’s an added love story thrown in and it works beautifully too. There are subtle messages along the way that inspire and make you smile. The human emotions conveyed through the toys have always been the beauty of the franchise and Toy Story 4 doesn’t let you down on this front at all.

Besides Woody and Buzz (Tim Allen), it’s Bo who’s the star all along in this one. Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) as the stunt-biker action-figure and his ‘I Canada’ is a scene-stealer. In fact, the Benson dolls are really creepy and give you the feel of the Annabelle doll. Even Gabby is quite menacing and gives the baddie vibes really well. Also we totally loved the other new characters – Forky, Ducky, Bunny and yes Giggle McDimples and Combat Carls! Jessie, Rex, and the rest of the bunch are equally fun to watch. The voice-overs by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen have not lost their touch over the years and still share great chemistry. In fact, almost all of them have managed to retain their characters even in the voice-overs. Keanu Reeves, Annie Potts and Christina Hendricks do a fine job!

The story could well be of a commercial potboiler – with action, humour, emotions, drama, bromance, love, loss, longing, and romance all thrown in for good measure. Every toy has a distinct personality that shines through beautifully. The animation is top-notch and there’s not a single dull moment through the film. It scores high in almost every department – right from the sound to the visual effects to the screenplay. It’s an absolute treat!

Nay

The story at times felt like a mash-up of the previous installments – so there’s a lost toy they need to get back to, there’s an evil toy they have to defeat, besides the basic premise of the child-toy relationship and accepting the change that time brings about. But the story is told in an interesting enough manner that you look forward to what happens next, so we wouldn’t be too harsh about it here.

CineBlitz Verdict: Now to answer the questions… Does the film live up to the expectations? Yes, it absolutely does. While introducing the new, the film retains very strong nostalgic elements that work wonderfully in tandem here. Like the previous ones, the film will strike a chord with people across ages. There’s enough humour thrown in, which will keep you smiling long after. Disney has been having an amazing run at the box office this year and their Pixar’s Toy Story 4 will only add up to that. Totally worth the wait and worth your monies, this one is just not to be missed, so go for it!