Visually Stunning but Not Game-Changing

Rating: 7/10 (14 July 2019)

When this movie was first announced, my first thoughts (like many) were, "Why do we need a sequel??" So after it premiered in theaters, I was NOT one of the first to see it. But - good things about the movie went around word-of-mouth, and me being an avid Disney fan, I finally decided "Why the heck not?"
To start off, this movie looks AMAZING. I thought Toy Story 3 set the bar for beautiful and realistic visuals, but Toy Story 4 threw all that out the window with the opening scene. Everyone hyped the cat from the trailer (which still looked amazingly realistic), but I was more impressed by Pixar's use of lighting and color.
Story, on the other hand, felt weak for me, especially for a sequel. As I was watching it became difficult for me not to compare this one to its predecessors. Most of the characters we fell in love with in the previous movies played very smaller roles in this one (to make more room for the new characters to develop). Like Toy Story 3, Buzz was once again just a one-dimensional comedic character, and Jesse sat in the backlines. The pacing of this movie also seemed off for me since Forky became less of the main focus after the second half of the movie, and the "B" story (Buzz trying to save Woody) ended rather quickly. Overall, I felt like I left the movie a little empty, unsure if I agreed with Woody's final decision.
(Still, as an adult who grew up with movies like Toy Story, I found myself tearing up when Gabby helped the lost child, and she easily became one of my favorite Toy Story characters.)
In the end, do I think this movie was necessary? No. Is it as emotional and witty as Toy Story 3? No. BUT! Do I think it still has a good message (for both kids and adults)? Yes. Do I think it's still an enjoyable ride overall with plenty of laughs? Of course.