'Good Film But Unwelcome Sequel'

Rating: 7/10 (4 March 2020)

Essentially, the story of, well, Toy Story, ended perfectly, with Andy passing on his collection to Bonnie, a small girl who shared the same love and appreciation for the toys that defined his childhood. The third film in the series is easily the best, boasting an epic sense of scale and an emotional weight, which is DESERVED by the third film in any good trilogy. Every character, from the Potato Heads to Slinky Dog have their climactic send-off moment, and the plot truly builds on and refines the themes of the previous two films. The camera pans up to the iconic blue sky and white puffy clouds, and the story has been told.
Then, nine years later, arrives Toy Story 4, a movie which feels more like a spin-off about Woody and Bo-Peep and less like the natural continuation to the three prior films. The "4" in the title is unwarranted. Major characters of the original trilogy, primarily and shockingly Buzz Lightyear himself, are given little to do. You simply can't do this. A sequel must always build on the characters and world of the original film/s in some way. Buzz's character here feels dumbed down. He resorts to listening to his "inner voice", a useless gimmick both for the story and the intended comedy. Audiences don't get the sense that this is the same heroic Buzz Lightyear who once led a daring troop of toys to rescue Woody from Al the Toy Collector in Toy Story 2 (1999). It's not authentic narratively. Buzz would never abandon Woody to brave the antique shop alone because of the aforementioned "inner voice". Whatever happened to his romance with Jessie, set up in Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3? The movie chooses not to answer this question. The focus is Woody. In this film he appears to have been neglected by his owner Bonnie. Kids are like this. They like certain things and certain ages. However, Toy Story 3 put such an emphasis on Bonnie's affection and love towards Woody, so to disregard all that in this follow-up feels unearned. The transition between films is flat as a result.
Even stranger, the film feels smaller than Toy Story 3, there's less going on and less to care about. The majority of the runtime takes place in an antique store, run by a weak villain with a predictable Pixar-ish resolution. Gabby-Gabby doesn't compare to Sid, Stinky Pete, or Lotso in ANY way. The threat is minimal, so we don't care. Forky is a fun character, and we should be invested in Woody rescuing him, but realistically, we have it in the back of our minds that he IS in fact a Spork. Bonnie will grow tired of him as soon as she turns five. The other new characters in this film dominate the screentime. If this movie is supposed to be the ending to the three predecessors, why are we spending more time with THEM than the characters of those movies? The new characters' jokes, which only occasionally land, don't add anything of emotional weight to the story. Cut them out and have more scenes of Buzz talking to Woody, or ANY of the original characters doing something other than sitting around in an RV.
Bo Peep is a new character altogether here. She looks and sounds different despite being voiced by Annie Potts of the first two movies. People's voices change over time, but her updated look adds no sense of consistency between sequels. Her romance with Woody is sparingly touched upon in a way that actually gives the ending any greater pay-off. She's not that big of a deal in the first two movies anyway, and the third just writes her off through a piece of dialogue that says more about Woody's relationship with her than this movie tries to.
Despite this, the film works well when it wants to. The intro showing us how Bo Peep became a lost toy feels like a segment right out of the first two movies. The animation is stunning and life-like. Pixar truly outdo themselves. The scene where Woody berates Bo for not knowing "loyalty" and how he has "nothing left to do" but to care for Bonnie is great, and a genuine character moment. Old musical cues from the previous films provide ample nostalgia, and it's nice to see Randy Newman is still composing for the series. Duke Caboom has an epic and cathartic final stunt, even if his arc adds nothing to the broader story.
Toy Story 4 is superfluous. Worse yet, it's very existence makes Toy Story 3 superfluous. One is so clearly intended to be the ending, and the other is an optional extension you can live without, even IF it takes the protagonist Woody in an unforeseen direction. The "to infinity and beyond" climax will never be as stirring as Andy's last playtime, and the incinerator scene is still one of the most emotional scenes in cinema history. Additionally, this movie feels nowhere near as enjoyable or rewatchable as the original trilogy. It's cut from a different cloth, whereas all three previous movies feel like a family. Pixar has been losing their touch lately, and while Toy Story 4 certainly isn't an offender, it carries the name of a series which demands more than simply; great.