As soon as it began, I breathed a huge sigh of relief

Rating: 8/10 (6 April 2020)

I think my generation and the one beforehand collectively felt extreme anxiety when hearing a fourth Toy Story was in the works after such a perfect trilogy and it all wrapped up nicely at the end of the third. Although I think it may polarise, I really like this one and it's a great continuation in these characters story! Woody, Buzz and the gang are now all Bonnie's toys. She's just starting school and needs a friend to help her through this sudden change in her life. She makes a new friend, Forky who struggles to get to grips with being a toy. Woody tries to ensure Forky stays put and discover the wonders of being there for a child. It doesn't quite reach the level of perfection that the original trilogy did mainly through its focus on newer characters than the original crew; the new toys such as Duke Kaboom are really funny and multi-layered but it's does lose the focus on Slinky, Rex and the Potato Heads because of this. Buzz also surprisingly has less screen time than expected and the relationship between him and Jessie that was initiated in the originals has no time here at all. Nevertheless, it still works on so many other levels that I found it irresistable. It's so beautifully written and has moments that really tugged at my heartstrings; the central theme of being a lost toy is so well nuanced and profoundly existential the more I think about it with the return of Bo Peep, Woody's own internal struggle and new character Gabby's storyline which brought a tear to my eye in one wonderful scene. On a technical level, Pixar always excel in animation and the visuals from the very opening frames are jaw-droppingly gorgeous. The creativity and inventiveness of the first three are very much alive here with the introduction of funfair toys including the creepy as hell doll antagonists just in the corner of my mind since who are up there with Big Baby from Toy Story 3 and Sid's band of misfits from the first. There is a beautifully warm moment between Woody and Buzz that moved me beyond words; their friendship has been there since the beginning of life as a lot of us know it