This is perhaps the greatest sequel ever that no one asked for. At the time, it seemed like 2010’s Toy Story 3 concluded the story perfectly – but this final instalment is, if anything, an improvement in terms of comedy, heart, story and animation. A must-see family film.

Premise: As the toys’ new owner, Bonnie, prepares for kindergarten, Woody (Tom Hanks) struggles to adapt to life after Andy, but finds a new purpose in protecting Forky (Tony Hale), a model created by Bonnie and her new favourite toy. But when Forky goes missing on a road trip, Woody’s quest to save him leads to a familiar face, and a new threat...

Review:

I’ll admit, I was really cynical when Pixar announced that they were making a fourth Toy Story film. I thought the third film had rounded off the toys’ storyline with Andy perfectly, and although the promise of a new life with Bonnie gave the film a hopeful ending, it felt like their story was done. So when they announced they were making another film, I did think it was perhaps a financially motivated decision. Happily, I could not have been more wrong. Having seen Toy Story 4, it’s now clear to me how much more potential the characters still had, even after the ending of Toy Story 3. If anything, I think this is perhaps the best Toy Story film since the original, back in 1995.

In fairness, my enjoyment of the various instalments in the Toy Story series may have some connection to how old I was when each came out. I was still in my late teens/early twenties when the first two films came out in 1995 and 1999, and I mainly enjoyed them for their humour and their ground-breaking animation. The first Toy Story effectively invented the CGI animation genre, but the themes it dealt with were fairly basic (Woody’s jealousy of the new arrival), and then Toy Story 2 has some great gags (mainly involving Buzz’s (Tim Allen) doppelganger), but it didn’t really have as much to say.

“…the best & most emotionally powerful instalment since the original…”

Toy Story 3 then didn’t arrive for another 11 years, and by the time it was released in 2010, I didn’t really feel an emotional connection to those characters anymore. On an intellectual level, I could appreciate that Toy Story 3 dealt with far more weighty issues than either of the previous films (as the toys prepared for Andy’s departure to college), but emotionally, I just didn’t connect with the characters like I had previously. Going into Toy Story 4, my expectations were therefore fairly low.

But Toy Story 4 is, in my view, the best and most emotionally powerful instalment since the original, and it’s all down to where the writers have decided to take Woody’s character. Woody was always someone who defined himself by being there for “his child” (as shown in a visually stunning flashback at the start of this film, where Woody turns down the chance to run away and have a life with Bo Peep (Annie Potts), because he feels that Andy still needs him), but in this film, he has a mid-life crisis when he realises that Bonnie simply doesn’t need him in the same way Andy did. Increasingly overlooked when Bonnie picks her favourite toys to play with, Woody has to adapt to life as a second-string toy, and so he channels that feeling of redundancy into a new mission when Bonnie brings home her new favourite toy, Forky. Forky is Bonnie’s arts and crafts creation and her current security blanket for kindergarten, so Woody vows to keep Forky safe for Bonnie (whether Forky likes it or not).

“…introduces interesting & funny new characters…”

Although Woody is front and centre in Toy Story 4, the writers have found plenty for Buzz to do too (which wasn’t always the case in the other sequels). While Woody is facing his crisis, Buzz struggles to find his own “inner voice”, having misunderstood Woody’s advice about listening to his conscience. Returning character Bo Peep is also effectively promoted to the third lead in the film, having been absent from Toy Story 3 (and not much more than a bit-part in the first two films). Here, she’s really come into her own, not only in the emotional flashback prologue, but also when they’re reunited on Woody’s quest. The rest of the “old gang” don’t get a huge amount to do, but they make every gag count, and they’re not precious about letting the new additions have their moments to shine.

Toy Story 4 introduces the most interesting – and funny – new characters the series has seen in some time. Tony Hale plays Forky, but what makes him such an interesting character is the fact that he’s effectively a new-born, completely naïve and unaware of the world around him, which results in some great comedy moments as well as driving the plot forward. Meanwhile, the film’s MVPs are arguably Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as the new soft toys Ducky and Bunny, who steal every scene they’re in. Man-of-the-moment Keanu Reeves takes a break from the John Wick series to voice Duke Kaboom, a motorcycle-riding daredevil who was abandoned for not performing as shown in the adverts, and Christina Hendricks plays the notional villain of the film, Gabby Gabby – although the truth is, she’s such a well written and well-acted multi-layered character, it feels reductive to call her a villain. Although anyone with an army of creepy ventriloquist dummy henchmen is not entirely above board!

“…brings the series to a near-perfect, heartfelt conclusion…”

Visually, the film looks incredible, and it really highlights how far the technology has come on since the 1995 original. The rainstorm in the opening flashback looks photo-real, and the animation is so detailed that you’re able to see the emotion in the characters’ eyes even when they’re “frozen” while the human characters are around. But it’s the emotional heart of the film that makes this a classic, not the quality of the CGI, and on that level the film really delivers. There are some powerful moments in Woody’s quest to find meaning and purpose in his life now that “his child” doesn’t need him like Andy did, and it works as an effective metaphor for the dichotomy parents face when they want their children to become strong and independent, even if it means losing a part of them. Woody’s reunion with Bo Peep also forces him to confront his attitude towards “lost toys”, which has been a fear that has haunted him since the very first movie. Not that these themes bog the movie down – and indeed, many may be lost on younger viewers entirely, who are just wrapped up in the humour and adventure.

It’s a cliché to say that a film will make you laugh and cry in equal measure – but Toy Story 4 may just do that. There are countless laugh-out-loud moments from returning and new characters alike, showing that the film has lost none of its comedic edge. But it also has perhaps the best and most poignant storyline of all four films, which brings the series to a near-perfect, heartfelt conclusion.