Pixar Delivers Again, Toy Story 4 is a Sleek and Finely Tuned Addition to the Franchise

Rating: 9/10 (14 July 2019)

We all know Woody, Buzz and the gang but we get plenty of new additions to the toy chest of characters we have in this franchise. Forky (Tony Hale) will be the most recognizable one from the trailers and I liked him more than I expected to. I wasn't as in love with the trailers as everyone else and I thought the Forky bit would get real old, real quick. They do find a way to organically work him into the plot and they pull back on using him too much. Bo (Annie Potts) gets a lot more to do and while her connection with Woody is sweet, she gets the job done all by herself. You have Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) who is pretty funny, and my 2 favourite new characters in Bunny (Jordan Peele) and Ducky (Keegan Michael-Key) who had me laughing hard almost every time they came on screen. The small trade off for getting these new characters is that the older characters in the cast don't get as much time (Buzz was great but his arc in the movie was kind of disappointing) but the movie doesn't lose a step because of it.
Where Toy Story 3 was a prison escape movie that was made for kids, this is more of an adventure with a dash of romance thrown in. Woody (Tom Hanks) is on a mission to return Forky to Bonnie but he runs into his old flame Bo (Annie Potts) and they slowly rekindle what they had years ago. There's plenty of exciting scenes with this new road the movie chose to go down but I also want to note that I didn't get the same emotional gut punch that I got out of Toy Story 3. There are emotional moments that tug at the heart strings but it wasn't as gripping from a dramatic standpoint (I cried once in Toy Story 3 and was almost there a 2nd time). So you do have a strong through line with Woody finding out there may be something else out there for him other than playing with Bonnie or Andy but if you're worried about it being too tough to handle, you'll be okay. I also would note that while 3 had a very threatening and ruthless antagonist for Woody and the gang, the movie goes a different route with the obstacles placed in front of Woody and co. here.
I don't want to go on about the voice cast too much, the number of celebrities doing voice work in this movie is a long list and there isn't enough space to cover everyone. I love the characters in this franchise but I love the actors and actresses performances that help bring them to life. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack even Bonnie Hunt and Kristen Schaal have all been around the block and all perform with the required energy and emotion that we expect from this franchise. I loved a lot of the new additions and overall, the performances were well done.
As much as I'm praising this movie, I still think this is the weakest of the Toy Story films. Its got the sense of adventure, the eye-catching animation, the interesting characters, the emotional core to the story and the funny jokes but it still didn't hit that 10/10 level for me that Toy Story 3 hit. Those movies are not only iconic, they represent THE GOLD STANDARD in animated movies. So while this is truly excellent, its competition within its own franchise is as high as it gets. For less discerning viewers, maybe this won't be a problem but I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who has seen all 4 and say that this is their favourite.
I applaud Pixar for adding another stellar addition to this franchise. It has everything you could want in an animated movie and it will be a joy for everyone in the family to watch (unless you have a heart made of stone). Is it the best one in the franchise? My answer is a definitive no, but that doesn't make it any less good or dampen my overall praise for it. My reviews are usually a little longer but this is a movie that covers all of its bases and doesn't have any obvious flaws. If you haven't gone to see Toy Story 4, I don't know what's kept you but I recommend it wholeheartedly. My final note is that I hope this is the last one, you've done a great job Pixar but its time to hang the Toy Story franchise up before it starts to run out of magic.