My least favorite Toy Story movie

Rating: 6/10 (22 June 2019)

Before I start my review, I'll say my thoughts on the first three Toy Story movies. I consider them as my favorite animated movies. The first Toy Story's animation doesn't hold up as well today, but the script still does. Even though I've seen the movie dozens of times over the years, I still find myself enjoying it. Toy Story 2 was a great sequel that explored deeper themes, like toys getting abandoned. The older I get, the more emotional I get from watching Jessie's flashback scene. Toy Story 3 was a perfect conclusion to the series. The incinerator scene and the ending weren't the only good parts about the movie. Everything else, like the parts in the daycare, was great as well.
Now that I got that out of the way, I'll say my thoughts on Toy Story 4. To be honest, I was kind of let down. I wouldn't say this was a bad movie, but when compared to the first three, it just wasn't as good.
My biggest issue with Toy Story 4 was that most of the old gang didn't have anything to do. Instead, the movie mostly focused on the new characters, who I didn't particularly like. Personally, I thought Forky, Bunny, and Ducky were more annoying than likeable.
Another issue I had was the relationship between Woody and Bo Peep. I was surprised how little they interacted with each other. Because there wasn't enough time to flesh out their relationship, I found Woody's decision to stay with Bo to be sort of rushed and jarring. The idea of Woody leaving the old gang doesn't bother me. I just wished the movie had a few more scenes with Woody and Bo, so the ending can be more hard-hitting.
Despite my criticisms, I still had a good time with Toy Story 4. I never found myself getting bored at the movie. The film moves along at a fast-pace with very few dull moments. I also found myself laughing at a lot of the movie's jokes.
On a side note, the animation was really well-done. It's crazy how much CG animation improved since the first Toy Story from 1995. Toy Story 4's opening flashback in particular is a really good example of how far CG animation has gone.
To sum things up, Toy Story 4 was a good movie, but it was my least favorite in the Toy Story series. This movie could have been improved by focusing more on the old gang and by giving more scenes to develop Woody and Bo's relationship. At the moment, I'll give this movie a 7/10 with a mild recommendation.