"Toy Story 4" is a Delicious, Heartwarming, and Visually Impressive Animated Treat
By: Keaton Marcus
80/100 “sweet”
The spectacular, charming animated franchise has done it again, with world-building, unique characters, and more, and more lifelike animation every film. Additionally, "Toy Story 4" consists of the original, beloved cast, lead by an easily charismatic Tom Hanks. It's emotional, and the funniest "Toy Story" picture to date--you"ll laugh, cry and get stabbed in the metaphorical heart, knowing that this might be the last time you"ll see Woody, Buzz, and the gang on the big screen. Still, audiences will be satisfied to know that the fourth installment went out with a bang, not a whimper. Maybe the plot is a little bit of a rehash of the previous films, but isn't that the case with all animated films? Literally, in my opinion, at least, the basic template of animated entertainment is to divert the kids with a harmless 90 minutes. The "Toy Story" series does that, and so much more, including dragging the older audiences in with the youngsters, providing meaningful and engaging characters, along with an all-star cast.
Despite the original installments of the franchise, no, the supposedly concluding flick is not all about Woody's adventures--in fact, Hanks' cowboy might be considered a supporting persona. Number four tells the story of a whatzit dubbed Forky, created by an enthusiastic kindergartener named Bonnie to become her new favorite "toy". When I put the word in quotations, I absolutely mean it. He's a cheaply made spork with pipe-cleaner arms, a Play-Doh constructed mouth, and googly eyes. Simple, and downright hysterical. Soon after Forky is made, the audience learns that Bonnie cannot live without her creation. However, Forky has other plans, including calling himself "trash", and acting suicidal for the next hour in the film. Yes, Woody, for half the time is trying to save Forky from destroying himself--and say what you may, it works wildly. Bonnie's "toy" finally manages to jump out the window, leading the gang to an amusement park. There, they find a menacing antique store filled with evil dummies ( "The Shining" soundtrack), and they"re terrifying leader named Gabby Gabby who currently has a broken voice box. To sum it up easier: Woody can't seem to find a child and decides to help Forky achieve his former destiny with Bonnie.
While Tom Hanks has had steady hits such as "Sully" (78% "sweet"), and "The Post" (80% "sweet"), the "Toy Story" series has always been his biggest in the film business. Not only has it kept him a consistent box office winner, but he's been kept as one of the most popular voice actors for the kids. Since 1995, he's been voicing a rootin-tootin cowboy named Woody. It's our most fond project of the actor. Hanks has always brought the charm and committed performance to the toy, outpacing many other voice actors with both styles, and laughs. The script by Andrew Stanton in this sequel is just brilliant, clearly the most hysterical, and witty since the original film came out almost 25 years ago. It"ll be sad to see the hat-donned toy figure be gone, after being in a major part of all our lives for more than two decades.
While Hanks brings the laughs home for one last stroll, it's really the supporting cast that's in need of recognition. When Woody is busy trying to escape the almost haunted antique store, Buzz (a charming Tim Allen) meets to furry friends. One's a stuffed duck (a gleaming Keegan-Michael Key), and a stuffed rabbit, who is voiced by another adorably funny outing by comedian, and horror filmmaker Jordan Peele. Otherwise, Keanu Reeves even gets his moments of the spotlight in the film voicing stunt figure Duke Caboom. It actually might ring disturbingly for people to see Reeves go from splitting heads in "John Wick: Chapter 3", to a PG-rated children's picture about talking toys.
The final verdict is: "Toy Story 4" delivers plenty of laughs, beautiful animation, and buckets of fun in the franchise's latest (and maybe last) outing with a side of delicious performances from both the leads and the supporting cast. An enjoyable sequel for all-ages...$PLURGE IT
By: Keaton Marcus
Opening Weekend: 120.9m
Domestic Total: 426.7m (still in release)
Worldwide Total: 1.031 billion (still in release)
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