Unnecessary, but all there.

Rating: 4/10 (3 July 2019)

Having grown up with the whole gang and the superb ending that was Toy Story 3 with the final playtime, I went into this movie feeling it was already not needed and wouldn't surpass Toy Story 3.
From the get go, the animation is incredible with photorealistic scenes and textures throughout, and especially impressive with the water effects and lighting, you are sucked in and it all looks believable. Beyond that, the movie had plenty of good in it. Many of the new characters are solid at supporting the plot and add their own fling, though usually in a cliched way, the new locations are also very fun and have opportunities to add a new flare. There were many positive messages throughout and I won't deny that a couple parts had me (a grown man) tearing up, especially after preparing for this movie by watching the first three, I was connected. The new antagonist was relatable and not really a bad guy, but provided conflicts in grey area that made her more realistic and empathetic, her arc was natural and a pleasure to watch.
Past all this, I am highly disappointed and sad they even made this movie, for it really felt like a side story. First off, the story follows our main protagonist, woody, but leaves out and really neglects the original cast that we've grown with. Buzz himself also gets fewer scenes and comes off like he hasn't gone through the growth the other movies provided. Beyond him, the potato heads, slinky, Jessie, and so on had barely any lines themselves and neglected their built characters to sit back in the RV and let the story go on without them. Bo Peep the returning protagonist was predictable and had no real values that she didn't change to support Woody as soon as the story needed it.
The ending was a major disappointment and totally out of character for the whole gang to break up; This felt like a betrayal, having grown up with the gang from the beginning to this point. I teared up at this part, only because Buzz and Woody splitting up was unexpected, and ridiculous with all the films having main themes revolving around the importance of friends and never giving up on each other. Was this a move by Pixar to truly end things in some "surprising" way, or just to set up new movies in new locations?
Also, are we all tired of the gang not believing Woody in each movie? They immediately don't believe him when he tells the gang something that actually happened and then feel bad later to kickstart the conflict and journey, they need to move past this coil, we had enough of that after the second movie.
Overall, I understand why they made this movie, to usher in the new generation of kids and ultimately make money off that nostalgia, but because this movie was made, it detracted from the previous ending of Toy Story 3 that, in my opinion, was perfect. The main cast was neglected and had their built character cast aside for new, generally cliched characters. I hope they don't make anymore, having restraint is more powerful with such an effective IP as Toy Story and that so many grew up with.