A Great End To Woody And His Pals Journey! 8/10

Rating: 8/10 (7 January 2020)

Review:
What a great movie! The animation was on point, along with the storyline and the various characters, who all brought an emotional and amusing tone to the film. The plot goes from strength to strength, as we follow Woody and his pals on an epic journey to get Forky to his true owner, and with the additional characters like Gabby Gabby and Duke Caboom, who cracked me up, I was glued to the screen from the start. There is enough material to keep adults and kids entertained, and the simple but detailed storyline has proved that Pixar is the kings of animation. We all fell in love with the Toy Story characters after the first movie, but the 2nd and 3rd films in the franchise, didn't do as well, and when it was announced that this was the last rodeo for Woody, I didn't know what to expect. Now that I've seen the film, I'm extremely happy with the direction that they took characters, and I highly recommend it to all movie-goers. The film is set nine years earlier, following the events of Toy Story 2, were Bo Peep and Woody attempt to rescue RC, Andy's remote-controlled car, from a rainstorm. Just as they finish the rescue, Woody watches as Bo is donated to a new owner, and considers going with her, but ultimately decides to remain with Andy. Years later, a teenage Andy donates them to Bonnie, a younger child, before he goes off to college. While the toys are grateful to have a new child, Woody struggles to adapt to a new environment, where he is not the favourite as he was with Andy. On the day of Bonnie's kindergarten orientation, Woody worries over her and sneaks into her backpack. After a classmate takes away Bonnie's arts and crafts supplies, Woody covertly recovers the materials and various pieces of garbage from the trash, including a plastic fork. Bonnies uses these to create a bipedal fork with googly eyes, whom she calls Forky. Forky comes to life in Bonnie's backpack and begins to experience an existential crisis, thinking he is garbage rather than a toy and wishing to remain in a trash can, which is absolutely hilarious. As Forky becomes Bonnie's favourite toy, Woody takes it upon himself to prevent Forky from throwing himself away. When Bonnie's family goes on a road trip, Forky jumps out of the RV window and Woody pursues him. After Woody explains how important he is to Bonnie, Forky decides to accompany Woody and return to her. Near the RV park where Bonnie's family is staying, Woody spots Bo Peep's lamp in an antique store window and goes in, hoping to find her. Inside, he and Forky encounter a talking doll called Gabby Gabby, who desires Woody's voice box to replace her broken one. While Woody is able to escape, Gabby captures Forky. At a playground, Woody is reunited with Bo Peep and her sheep, who now live as "lost toys" that aren't dedicated to one child. Bo agrees to help Woody save Forky and get back to Bonnie. I won't go into the outcome because I don't want to spoil it for those people who haven't seen it. With the introduction of some new characters to help Woody to save Forky (Tony Hale), who include Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key), Bunny (Jordan Peele), Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) and Giggle McDimples (Ally Maki), the writers covered every aspect, right to the very end. Like most Pixar movies, the animation is supreme quality, and I really couldn't find a fault. In my eyes, it is a must-see for all ages, especially if you're a fan of any of the previous Toy Story films. Enjoyable!
Round-Up:
This movie was directed by Josh Cooley, who also brought you George and A.J. and Riley's First Date, which were unheard of. For his first project, he had a massive task on his hands to put this franchise to bed. Luckily, he did a better job than the previous directors of the 2nd and 3rd movies, which were made by Pixar creator John Lasseter and Lee Unkrich. In terms of money, Toy Story made $407million, Toy Story 2 made $509million and Toy Story 3 made $1.06billion, which makes this film the highest-grossing in the franchise to date, and that's before it is released to buy. I just hope the next movie's from Pixar, Onward & Soul, live up to there expectations.
Budget: $200million
Worldwide Gross:$1.07billion
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Madeleine McGraw, Christina Hendricks, Jordan Peele, Keanu Reeves, Ally Maki, Jay Hernandez, Lori Alan, Joan Cusack, Bonnie Hunt, Carl Weathers, Jeff Garlin, Mel Brooks, Betty White, Carl Reiner, Bill Hader, Patricia Arquette, Timothy Dalton and Flea. 8/10