After nearly a decade-long hiatus, Woody and his roundup gang of old and slightly newer pals are back for another adventure in the barnstormingly successful franchise where the toys come to life. Despite the concluding feel of the third film, which saw Andy, and us, pay a heartbreakingly emotional farewell to the beloved cowboy toy and co, Disney are outwardly capitalising on a series that’s consistently been a hit with both adults and children and extending the toys’ lives in what feels like an eternal continuum of playful peril. During a road trip with Bonnie and her parents, Woody and Bonnie’s newest friend, Forky, are separated from the gang and must hatch a plan to reunite with their friends before they are left behind.
Pixar animation is still fabulous in its own right, but what makes ‘Toy Story 4′ a charming, pleasurable watch is the familiarity of the voice acting and each characters’ unique quirks that never fail to make us smile. Where the previous three instalments focussed on fears of abandonment and separation anxiety (look no further than Jessie), this film thematically addresses the emotional difficulties of letting go and moving on. Woody senses Bonnie doesn’t need him around anymore in choosing to play with other toys instead and struggles to accept this. Remember how he was always Andy’s favourite before Buzz came along all those years ago? To those who have loved and ever felt forgotten about this will strike a deep chord of relatability and bring tears to the eyes.
One of my reservations with the film is the character assassination of Bo Peep. Given the strength of the #MeToo movement, and the enormous backlash Disney has faced for perpetuating gender stereotyping since Snow White was a sketch on paper, the writers have made a conscious effort to give what could otherwise have been a meek and mild romantic interest that bit more agency. However this doesn’t go in the film’s favour, as Bo Peep’s personality has been replaced by a cynical tomboy with trust issues who has no resemblance whatsoever to the character we knew in the previous films. I very much doubt this neo-feminist modernisation of Bo Peep will have any more resonance with younger viewers in the way Disney has intended it to.
On the whole, the very fact that this series is expanding after twenty-four years is a poignant reminder of the universal appeal Toy Story has to all age groups. In ‘Toy Story 4’ there is a storyline that moves the series forward into a new chapter for the next film, but I can’t hand on heart say that this increases the affection I already have for the series or the characters. The majority won’t agree, but I think Disney should have stopped where the second film ended. There shouldn’t be any more films as this finale is a fitting, and indeed very moving, conclusion to the story we have been following the toys on for so long. Fifth film or not, Toy Story will live on in our hearts to infinity and beyond.
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