To infinity...

Rating: 9/10 (22 June 2019)

When Toy Story 4 was first announced many people online seemed very reluctant about the idea of another Toy Story movie. Not because people were bored of the franchise, but because they thought Toy Story 3 provided such an ideal ending that they were concerned any continuation couldn't live up to the ideal legacy the previous three films had created. But once again Pixar outdoes all expectations, making another fine addition to their greatest franchise.
We start more or less where the last film left off, with Woody struggling to adapt to being Bonnie's toy. He's no longer the favourite and he's started to collect dust in a cupboard. But he finds a new meaning for his life when he decides to become a mentor to a new toy named Forky, a toy which Bonnie makes on her first day of school out of a spork. Now you may be wondering to yourself how a spork comes to life and what really makes a toy? I don't know. But whatever brought him to life has also caused him to have an existential crisis where he is forced to be a living toy when all he wants to be is trash.
This crisis leads to Woody and Forky becoming separated from the rest of the gang whilst on a road trip, where they end up bumping into Woody's long lost love, Bo Peep. Whereas Woody lives trying to recapture that special connection he had with Andy, Bo has decided she doesn't want a new kid and lives her life as a lost toy. With Bo and Woody's relationship taking centre stage in the film, Toy Story 4 allows their personalities to lead the direction of the film all culminating in another heart wrenching conclusion to the Toy Story franchise.
As with the other Toy Story films, we also get introduced to some new memorable toys. Beyond the lovably naive (albeit slightly suicidal) Forky, we also have Duke Caboom, a stunt-cyclist toy who suffers from PTSD due to not being able to leap through the air for his previous owner as his toy was originally marketed as. Key and Peele play a pair of carnival fluffies, who's surprisingly sadistic nature ends up being a comedic highlight of the film. And also an old doll named Gabby Gabby, who due to being defective sends her ventriloquist dummies to kidnap Woody to steal his voice box. And yes, her ventriloquist dummies are just as creepy as you're imagining they are.
Another cornerstone of the franchise is that each film always showcases the best animation of the time and Toy Story 4 is no exception. These aren't the most ambitious visual concepts, most of it just takes place in an old antiques store and a moving carnival. But the attention to detail, the colour and the photorealistic lighting ensures that the film is consistently beautiful and that there's never a boring shot in the film. One moment which really stuck with me was an establishing shot of Woody and Bo Peep in the rain, which was so awe inspiring that it's a moment I found myself completely lost in.
Though as entertaining as all of the new characters are, it would have been nice to see some more from the original gang like Hamm, Rex and Jessie. None of them become too involved in the main plot and some are never really given a moment to shine in the film. And with a brief runtime of 100 minutes it's not like they had to be cut out to condense screen time.
Although when my biggest gripe with a film is that I would have liked more of it, the filmmakers have definitely been able to recapture that special Pixar magic. And I have no doubt that kids will remember characters like Forky as fondly as I held Buzz and Woody after growing up with the original Toy Story.