Toy Story 4 - A Fun Family Film, but not a Fans Favorite

Rating: 7/10 (8 July 2019)

Yes, I actually put up the money to see Toy Story 4 with the fiance and her niece and nephew. It's rarer than I'd like that we actually go to a theater..
I need to preface this review by saying I had EXTREMELY high expectations. Before this, TS3 was one of my favorite films of all time. The second was my least favorite, but I still enjoyed it immensely. The thing I think I loved the most is the ensemble that the toys create throughout the first three films. Yes, Woody feels like the main star, but then there's Buzz. #2 saw Jesse, and Rex, the aliens, Slinky, and all have their place to shine. #3 saw Trixie and others who really helped to build this cast of loveable characters.
Toy Story 4 felt more like a spin-off about Woody, Forkie, and (not a spoiler since shes all over the advertising-----) Bopeep. The scenes that included everyone were some of my favorites, however, they were far more seldom than the previous entries into the TS saga. The animation and voice-acting were top-notch as always. but that's not what I go to a toy story movie for. Everyone I was with liked the movie a lot, but no-one was raving about it like I had hoped. The story felt predictable, the Forkie character began to feel flat after the novelty wore off. Overall we just felt like something was missing to make it as classic as the previous entries.
For comparison, I've included my rankings of the previous Toy Story films and TV specials -
Toy Story - 9.5/10
Toy Story 2 - 7.5/10
Toy Story 3 - 10/10
Toy Story of Terror - 7/10
Toy Story that Time Forgot - 6/10
Toy Story 4 - 7.3/10