Emily Mody - Toy Story 4

Posted on Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 06:00 PM

Toy Story 4

Review by Emily Mody x CalgaryMovies.com

Toy Story 4 is an American feature length animated film. The story follows Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz (voiced by Tim Allen), Bo Peep (voiced by Annie Potts) and the rest of the gang of ragtag toys from the first three films. When Bonnie (voiced by Madeleine McGraw) starts kindergarten and struggles to fit in, she takes comfort in making herself a new toy, Forky (voiced by Tony Hale). Much to Woody’s chagrin, he’s forced to look after Forky and teach him what it means to be Bonnie’s new favourite toy.

This fourth film in the series is a classic continuation of the story and characters. The story is funny, sweet, sincere and beautifully animated. I am happy to see that they did not try to do anything overly different or off-brand with the latest instalment. There is really nothing inventive here with the exception of a couple of new characters, namely Forky, Ducky (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key), Bunny (voiced by Jordan Peele), and Duke Caboom (voiced by Keanu Reeves). These characters are the main sources of comedy and made me laugh out loud several times. The comedy is still family friendly and cute. I consider myself a fan of the Toy Story series. The only thing that I wish was slightly different in this film was the romantic aspects of the story, namely the relationship between Woody and Bo Peep. I wish there had been more focus on friendship. Friendship is still present in the story I just wish there had been more.

Toy Story 4 can naturally be compared to the first three Toy Story films. I think that the first and the third film are the best in terms of writing. However, all the films have always stayed very true to what they are, a heart warming and simple story about the toys that helped us grow up. Toy Story 4 is still just as funny and sincere as the other films and therefore I still recommend it. I got a lot of enjoyment out of this instalment. If you enjoyed the first three Toy Story films, you will enjoy this continuation as well.

I fear that this may be the conclusion of the series but hopefully there will still be more instalments to come. There are some important life lessons to be garnered from this story. These lessons include acceptance, loyalty, tolerance, friendship, and staying true to oneself all while being delivered with a laugh.

Toy Story 4 runs a total of 100 minutes. It is rated G. It is appropriate for all ages with that being said however, if you have a phobia of ventriloquist dummies this might not be the film for you. Keeping this in mind I still recommend this to anyone who is a fan of animated films, Disney, Pixar, or Toy Story in general.

Calgary Showtimes:  Toy Story 4 > | Toy Story 4 in Disney Digital 3D > | Toy Story 4: The IMAX 2D Experience >