Toy Story 4

**Toy Story 4** is a 2019 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures as the fourth installment in Pixar's *Toy Story* series. As the sequel to the 2010 film *Toy Story 3*, the film was directed by Josh Cooley and released in theaters on June 21, 2019.

The film continues from *Toy Story 3*, where Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear have found new appreciation among their other toy friends after being given by Andy to Bonnie. Later in the film, the toys are introduced by Woody to Forky, a spork that has been made into a toy, and embark on a road trip adventure.

After its premiere, *Toy Story 4* was theatrically released in the United States on June 21, 2019 in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX. The film was positively reviewed, with critics praising its story, humor, emotion, animation, and vocal performances.

## Synopsis

Woody and the rest of the toys are back for an all-new adventure in *Toy Story 4*, welcoming new friends to Bonnie's room, including a reluctant new toy called Forky. "Like most people, I assumed that *Toy Story 3* was the end of the story", said director Josh Cooley. "And it was the end of Woody's story with Andy. But just like in life, every ending is a new beginning. Woody now being in a new room, with new toys, and a new kid, was something we have never seen before. The questions of what that would be like became the beginning of an entertaining story worth exploring."

But Forky insists that he is NOT a toy! An actual spork-turned-craft-project, Forky is pretty sure that he doesn't belong in Bonnie's room. Unfortunately, every time he tries to get away, someone yanks him back into an adventure he'd rather skip. "The world of Toy Story is built upon the idea that everything in the world has a purpose", said Cooley. "A toy's purpose is to be there for its child. But what about toys that are made out of other objects? Forky is a toy that Bonnie made out of a disposable spork, so he's facing a crisis. He wants to fulfill his purpose as a spork, but now has a new toy purpose thrust upon him."

## Plot

In a flashback to nine years ago between the events of the previous two films, R.C. is being swept down a storm drain. Woody and the other toys mount a successful rescue operation, but while they are busy, a mysterious man buys Bo Peep; despite Woody's efforts to prevent the sale, Bo reassures him that it is part of being a toy to be taken away.

Two years after Andy donated his toys to Bonnie, Woody and the other toys are content in their new life. Worried that Bonnie will feel overwhelmed at her kindergarten orientation, Woody – who Bonnie has been neglecting – sneaks into her backpack, and his fears come to light as Bonnie becomes shy around her new classmates. Woody covertly places a spork and other items from a trash can on Bonnie's table during arts and crafts, and she turns them into a handmade toy-spork she names "Forky". After Bonnie places Forky in her backpack, he comes to life, much to Woody's shock.

Woody introduces him to the rest of Bonnie's toys, Forky experiences an existential crisis, believing that he was made to be trash and not a toy, and the other toys prevent him from throwing himself away. On a road trip with Bonnie’s family and her toys, Forky – still believing himself to be trash – jumps out of the window, prompting Woody to go after him. Woody convinces Forky of the joys of being a toy, and they journey to the RV park at a nearby town where Bonnie and her parents will be staying.

Reaching the town, Woody spots Bo's lamp at an antique store. Searching for Bo inside, he and Forky encounter a doll named Gabby Gabby and her sycophant puppets, the Bensons. Gabby Gabby offers to take them to Bo, but soon reveals her true plan to obtain Woody's voice box, since her own is broken and no child will purchase her. When Bonnie and her parents enter the store, Woody and Forky try to escape, but Forky is captured by Gabby Gabby. By the time Woody escapes the shop, Bonnie's RV has left without him, and he realizes that he has left Forky behind. Woody reunites with Bo, who has become a nomad adventurer helping lost toys find owners. With Bo's companion, a miniature cop named Giggle McDimples, they take a route through a nearby carnival to rescue Forky from the antique store.

Meanwhile, Buzz searches for Woody on his own, seeking guidance in the button-induced phrases from his own voice box. Buzz finds himself as a prize in a carnival booth and escapes with plush toys Ducky and Bunny. Buzz finds Woody and Bo, and they recruit Ducky and Bunny to help rescue Forky, promising that they will become Bonnie's toys, along with Bo’s old friend from the antique store, Duke Caboom, a Canadian stuntman toy.

At the antique store, the toys' plan to rescue Forky fails. Woody, the only toy still determined to save Forky, has a falling out with the other toys, and indirectly insults Bo. As Bo, Duke, Giggle, Ducky, and Bunny return to the carnival, Woody gives up his voice box to Gabby Gabby in exchange for Forky. Gabby Gabby is desperate to be adopted by Margaret (the store owner)'s granddaughter, Harmony, but Harmony is creeped out by Gabby Gabby's new voice and rejects her. Buzz returns to Bonnie's RV and cries out to retrieve Bonnie's backpack, which she left at the antique store. Woody comforts Gabby Gabby, and Bo and her gang return after a change of heart.

After Bonnie returns for her backpack, the toys follow her and her parents. Through Duke's motorcycle skills, Buzz and Forky make it back to Bonnie, who is overjoyed to have Forky back. Taking Woody's advice, Gabby Gabby sees a little girl crying and gives her comfort, and is finally adopted. Ducky, Bunny, Giggle, and Duke Caboom say goodbye to Woody and leave. As Woody and Bo say goodbye, Woody becomes hesitant in returning with Bonnie. With some encouragement from Buzz, Woody decides to stay with Bo and help lost toys find owners. Buzz and the gang give Woody and Bo a goodbye hug and the two groups go their separate ways. The RV's engine starts and the toys head into Bonnie's RV, while Bonnie's parents start the engine and head home. Rex asks if Woody will be a lost toy, and Buzz says that he will not. Woody and Bo Peep spend their night of living together by looking at the carnival view together.

In the mid-credits scenes after Woody and Bo travel with the carnival, one year has passed and Bonnie has entered first-grade. At a newly built pier, Ducky and Bunny do one more version of their "plush rush" and spread laser eyes and superpowers, which Duke Caboom asks if they really can. At Bonnie's room, mirroring the scene where Woody introduces Forky, Jessie brings home a new friend Bonnie created: Knifey, a decorated plastic knife. Instantly smitten, Forky offers to shepherd her in her journey through life as a toy instead of trash. When her first question is "Why am I alive?", he is stumped. In the post-credits scene, Duke Caboom makes a successful jump onto the 'I' of the Pixar logo, poses, and gives Combat Carl a long-awaited high five.

## Cast

* Tom Hanks as Woody
* Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear
* Annie Potts as Bo Peep
* Tony Hale as Forky
* Keegan-Michael Key as Ducky
* Jordan Peele as Bunny
* Madeleine McGraw as Bonnie Anderson
* Christina Hendricks as Gabby Gabby
* Steve Purcell as the Bensons
* Keanu Reeves as Duke Caboom
* Ally Maki as Giggle McDimples
* Jay Hernandez as Mr. Anderson
* Lori Alan as Mrs. Anderson
* Joan Cusack as Jessie
* Bonnie Hunt as Dolly
* Kristen Schaal as Trixie
* Emily Davis as Billy, Goat, and Gruff
* Wallace Shawn as Rex
* John Ratzenberger as Hamm
* Blake Clark as Slinky Dog
* June Squibb as Margaret, owner of Second Chance Antiques
* Carl Weathers as Combat Carl
* Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head
* Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head
* Jeff Garlin as Buttercup
* Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants
* Jeff Pidgeon as Little Green Men
* John Morris and Jack McGraw as Andy Davis
* Laurie Metcalf as Mrs. Davis
* Lila Sage Bromley as Harmony
* Patricia Arquette as Harmony's mom
* Alan Oppenheimer as Old Timer
* Mel Brooks as Melephant Brooks
* Carol Burnett as Chairol Burnett
* Betty White as Bitey White
* Carl Reiner as Carl Reineroceros
* Bill Hader as Axel the Carnie
* Melissa Villaseñor as Karen Beverly
* Juliana Hansen as Miss Wendy
* Maliah Vargas-Good as Lost Girl
* Flea as Duke Caboom Commercial Announcer

## Development

Lee Unkrich has said in many interviews that Pixar currently does not have any plans to make a *Toy Story 4*, and that the purpose of *Toy Story 3* was to bring the story of the toys and their relationship with Andy to a phenomenal end. He thinks it's great that people want to see another *Toy Story* film, but Pixar will for now focus on other stories. He has said however that Pixar will try to find various ways to keep the characters alive, as seen in the *Toy Story Toons* series and *Toy Story of Terror!* and *Toy Story That Time Forgot* that there may be a *Toy Story 4* in the future, but they don't have any plans for it right now. In July 2010, Tim Allen signed on to reprise his role for a fourth feature-length film, but this did not necessarily mean that a *Toy Story 4* was in development. It could easily be just in case they ever thought of a good idea for a fourth film that they would have the voice of Buzz on board. It did show, however, that Disney and Pixar were toying with the idea of another *Toy Story* film. Tom Hanks who was supposed to turn 62 when *Toy Story 4* was released had also signed on to reprise his role in case the film was made. In June 2011, Tom Hanks said in an interview that "I think they're working on it right now." However, John Lasseter said, "We haven't announced anything, so I can't really talk about it." In February 2013, several sites reported that a *Toy Story 4* was in production with a release date in 2015. Some sites claimed that Disney and Pixar had confirmed *Toy Story 4*, but Disney has since denied these rumors saying "Nothing is official". In the most recent Muppet movie, *Muppets Most Wanted*, Gonzo mentioned (during the "We're Doing a Sequel" number) that Disney was waiting for Tom Hanks to be available so they could make a *Toy Story 4*.

Despite Don Rickles passing in 2017, it has been officially confirmed that he will reprise his role as Mr. Potato Head using pieces of dialogue that Rickles had previously recorded as in the movie, provided that his estate gave permission for the film to do so.

## Release

### International premieres

* June 20, 2019 (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Greece, Hong Kong, Croatia, Hungary, Israel, South Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, Ukraine)
* June 21, 2019 (Canada, China, Spain, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, Vietnam)
* June 26, 2019 (Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands)
* June 27, 2019 (Portugal)
* June 28, 2019 (Bulgaria, Romania)
* July 12, 2019 (Japan)
* August 8, 2019 (Slovakia)
* August 9, 2019 (Lithuania, Poland)
* August 15, 2019 (Germany)
* August 29, 2019 (Denmark)
* August 30, 2019 (Sweden)
* September 6, 2019 (Finland)

## Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 98% based on 361 reviews, with an average rating of 8.37/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Heartwarming, funny, and beautifully animated, Toy Story 4 manages the unlikely feat of extending – and perhaps concluding – a practically perfect animated saga."

## Music

The film score of *Toy Story 4* was composed and conducted by Randy Newman, his ninth for Pixar after *Toy Story*, *A Bug's Life*, *Toy Story 2*, *Monsters, Inc.*, *Cars*, *Toy Story 3*, *Monsters University*, and *Cars 3*. On June 21, 2019, Walt Disney Records released the *Toy Story 4* soundtrack for digital download.

In addition to the tracks included in the soundtrack album, the official release also includes "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" by Randy Newman, "The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy" by Chris Stapleton, and Newman's original version of "You've Got a Friend in Me".

## Trivia

* *Toy Story 4* is the first *Toy Story* film to be shot in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio unlike the first three *Toy Story* films which were produced in 1.85:1 and the first time a Pixar franchise has become a tetralogy.
	+ The reason for this change is because the main cast are going beyond Tri-County as director Josh Cooley and producer Jonas Rivera stated during an interview. This change was done to accommodate the fact that Woody's world had opened up once he reunites with Bo Peep.
* *Toy Story 4* is the first Pixar film not to be accompanied by a short film since the original *Toy Story* (not counting *Coco* which originally had the *Frozen* featurette *Olaf's Frozen Adventure* before it). This is because *Olaf's Frozen Adventure* had received negative reviews as the *Frozen* franchise was exposed as a franchise which did not stand the test of time by the world while *Bao* was conceived as racist by some of the audience.
	+ Since John Lasseter's departure, SparkShorts which were created by the new talents of Pixar have succeeded the traditional line of Pixar shorts as they were scheduled to be sent straight to Disney+ by late 2019.
* *Toy Story 4* is the last Pixar film with John Lasseter's involvment before his leave from Pixar and Disney animation at the end of 2018.
	+ This would therefore make it the first Pixar film released under Pete Docter's supervision, who succeeded him as CEO after Lasseter's leave.
* *Toy Story 4* is the third Pixar film to have it's own variant of the Pixar logo, after *WALL-E* and *Incredibles 2*, with the opening Pixar logo transitioning into the film as it has Luxo, Jr. glowing in the rain during the flashback scene and the closing logo have Duke Caboom replace Luxo, Jr. in the logo.
* Poultry Palace from the Toy Story Toon, *Small Fry*, makes a cameo in the film during the song "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away".
* *Toy Story 4* is the second Pixar film to have two producers since *Incredibles 2*.
* Lotso appears on stage during the D23 Expo for *Toy Story 4*, but he did not appear in the film.
* Madeline McGraw replaces Emily Hahn as Bonnie obviously due to the latter having gone through too much puberty to reprise.
* As with the *Toy Story 3*, which ended Andy Davis’ saga as one of the main supporting characters, *Toy Story 4* ends Woody’s saga as the main character and thus most likely the franchise as a whole.
* At the very end of the credits, there is a dedication to Don Rickles (voice of Mr. Potato Head who died of kidney failure in April 2017) and another one to Adam Burke (a Pixar animator who passed away of brain cancer in October 2018).