SAYING GOODBYE TO FRIENDS

Rating: 10/10 (21 October 2019)

The TOY STORY films have been hits for Pixar and Disney since the release of the first film in 1995. Now 24 years later what could be the final film in the franchise has been released and is on the way to disc. Think about this. A 5 year old child who saw that first film is not graduated from high school and on their way to college. That in itself is amazing. That the movies can remain fresh, interesting and grab onto a new generation even more so.
If, like me, you hadn't kept up with the other three films, Andy (the boy who originally owned the toys) has passed them on to his sister Bonnie. Having grown and in college the toys now make up a major part of Bonnie's life. But she's about to start going to school and has the normal fears children do when that time comes. Woody (Tom Hanks) steps in to help, recalling the first day of school Andy had and how he helped him through it.
Sneaking into her backpack he's there to watch over her. When art supplies are taken from her desk, he retrieves some from the trash and in so doing picks up a spork too. Bonnie sees the items on her table and lights up, mixing them together to create her own figure made of a broken popsicle stick for feet, a lump of modeling clay to hold the feet and spork together, glued google eyes, a rubber band mouth and a pipe cleaner for arms. She dubs her new toy Forky and now Woody must get him to go home with her. After all, Forky thinks he's nothing but trash.
Forky continues to try and escape and Woody and friends continue to bring him home. Then the family decides to go on a road trip via RV. Along the road Forky jumps out and Woody is determined to rescue him. Forky still thinks of himself as trash. As the pair make their way to the camp the family is staying in for the night, Woody finally convinces Forky that Bonnie needs him, that he is HER trash. Off they go to be reunited.
But along the way they pass near an antique shop and Woody spots a familiar glow. It's the base of the lamp that Bo Peep (Annie Potts) and her sheep were on in the front window of an antique store. He and Forky enter and meet Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks). The talking doll has a broken voice box and she sees Woody as her chance to remedy the situation by taking his. Woody escapes but not Forky.
At a nearby playground Woody is reunited with Bo Peep and the sheep only to discover she's now a lost toy and happy about it. The worlds is hers to explore and no longer depend on a child to play with her. He tells her what's happening and eventually she agrees to help him recover Forky along with several other lost toy friends.
AND while all this is going on Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the other toys are wondering where Woody is. Having been told to consult his "inner voice" Buzz takes him literally and pushes his buttons to speak. Low and behold they send him on a quest to find Woody and help him recover Forky.
So what makes the TOY STORY movies work? There is no simple, single, solitary answer. It is an amalgamation of items that weave together to not only capture the imaginations of children but of adults who will be sitting there with those kids watching. Everyone has had that special toy at one time or another, that one item that meant so much to you but that somewhere along the way was lost, misplaced or no longer played with. These movies, and this one in particular, bring back those memories of lost toys.
In addition to that the film deals with emotional predicaments that children find themselves in and deals with those issues. The loss of a special toy transfers possibly to the loss of a special friend. People move, change schools or pass away. The toys serve as metaphors for these things and the movie opens a door for discussion between parents and children. Without spoiling anything it also opens the door to talk about when it's the right time to leave, to move on. That what some would consider a simple cartoon can have that impact and allow itself to be used to open those doors is something special.
No one can say for certain that this will be the last film in the series but it does have an ending that would make you think so. That would be the smart thing to do. Set aside the concept of making another film for the sake of dollars and let the toys be free finally. Doing so would make the impact of the film all that more special. And this is a special movie that adults and children will love. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll find something you can share with your kids or alone. It's one great movie.