Even Pixar's cash grabs are head and shoulders above the rest

Rating: 8/10 (22 November 2019)

I'll be honest, I was dead against Toy Story 4. I grew up with Toy Story. When the first one came out, I was a young child, and I was in my first year of university when the third was released, just as Andy was heading off to college himself. These films are special to me, and they're part of a very special club where both the original and its sequels are damn-near perfect.
I refused to see the film on principle when it was released. I want to see more films like Inside Out and Coco, not sequels that don't even come close to the quality of the original (looking at you, Finding Dory, Ralph Breaks the Internet and The Incredibles 2 - all firmly okay films). While Disney are also busy with sequels and live action remakes of their existing, there's a definite sense of dread that standalone originals are going to become a rarity in lieu of easy money.
Toy Story 4 is certainly easy money. Fortunately, it's actually quite good.
The first thing to mention are the visuals. They are outstanding, at times bordering on photorealistic, yet retaining the Toy Story style. They're classy too. At one point, the toys walk behind a dusty display case in an antiques shop and it's shot to look like a proper 1940s film noir. There's an extraordinary attention to detail, just as you'd expect from Pixar - a lot of love has gone into the film.
Story-wise, the plot does that classic Pixar thing where it constantly balances comedy and emotional heft. Just a few minutes into the film, Bonnie (you'll remember her from Toy Story 3) starts her first day at school. What starts as something heartbreaking turns into pure joy, and later hilarity, as her creation - a spork called Forkie with pipe cleaner arms and lolly sticks for legs - gains sentience.
Forkie is unsure about his role in life. What's his purpose? It's introspective in that way Pixar films often are - nothing like a bit of existentialism in your children's animations. This theme is explored on a road trip that, in true Toy Story style, turns into a rescue mission.
The new characters excellent, with Keanu Reeves in particular stealing his scenes as a Canadian stunt rider. The reappearance of Bo Peep is welcome, and Annie Potts' voice acting is great. With so many characters, it's impressive that the screenwriters have been able to balance each of their character arcs and give them meaningful personality with only a limited amount of screen time to go around.
I'm docking a couple of stars due to its slightly muddled message and a wonderfully creepy antagonist that...it'd be a spoiler to say anything more, but it's a bit strange what they do there.
All in all, it's frequently laugh out loud funny, emotionally powerful and thoroughly enjoyable. It's not as good as Toy Story 3, but it's still head and shoulders above what most studios are pumping out.