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Try to think of an original movie franchise where the
fourth movie was any good. Go ahead, try. No, “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”
doesn’t count—that was the first to come out; plus, it wasn’t original source
material. I know people liked the fourth “Mission: Impossible” movie, but, meh,
whatever … I don’t even remember what that one was about. “Rocky IV” was good.
But, other than that, it’s pretty slim pickins.
So Pixar took some long odds with “Toy Story 4”. And this
was an especially risky move, because Toy Stories 1-3 were pure gold. That’s a
lot to live up to. Plus, the series seemed all wrapped up. It ended so well! So
it’s natural to be a little concerned (as I was) that this was going to be an
especially grave instance of not leaving well enough alone. I mean, what could
they add to the story? What could “Toy Story 4” even be about?
Flash back nine years to a stormy night at Andy’s house.
That’s where “Toy Story 4” begins—with Woody (Tom Hanks) trying to rescue RC
and Bo Peep (Annie Potts). Woody manages to recoup RC, who was about to be
washed away by heavy rains. But Bo is another story. She wasn’t caught in the
rain, or stuck, or lost. She was about to be taken away. She was about to be
given to a new family.
To Woody, that’s just as bad. Woody is loyal to the core.
So he sees Bo’s plight as akin to an abduction—a terrible, unnatural, misguided
tragedy. And since Wood is loyal, not just to Andy, but also to his friends, he
is willing to risk life and limb to get Bo back home.
The thing is, Bo is ready to move on. She realizes she
can’t stay with the same kid forever. Things just don’t work that way. So she
asks Woody to let her go.
Woody is dumfounded. He doesn’t get it. And it’s not just
that he does not comprehend Bo’s choice for her
life. This strikes right to the core of what Woody believes is good for his, or any other toy’s, life.
Fast forward nine years and, deep down, Woody is still
lost. As we know from “Toy Story 3”, he has a new kid—Bonnie (Madeleine
McGraw). And he loves her dearly. But already Woody is seeing the same signs as
before—Bonnie is growing up, moving on, moving past Woody.
Still, as Woody says, the noblest thing a toy can do is
be there for a kid. And Bonnie needs it. She is going to kindergarten! On her
first day of school, Bonnie comforts herself by making Forky (Tony Hale), a
little toy made out of a plastic spork, pipe cleaner, clay, and googly eyes. For
a moment, Forky is everything to Bonnie—a sort of bendy, pokey safety blanket.
The trouble is, Forky doesn’t think he is a toy, or doesn’t
want to be a toy—he thinks he is trash (that is, after all, where he came from).
So he keeps trying to escape to join the other rubbish in the bin.
That’s where Woody comes in. He more-or-less babysits
Forky to make sure he stays put in the loving arms of Bonnie. The question, which
becomes ever more pressing as the movie goes on, is whether Woody will be able
to do that. It also becomes unclear whether he ought to, and what Woody sees as the long game—where he should end
up, who he should be, and for whom.
“Toy Story 4” currently has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. When I first saw this after watching the movie, my
immediate (and enduring) reaction was, “Whoa! 97%!? … Only 97%? What were the other 3% thinking!?” 358 reviewers have reviewed
“Toy Story 4”. That means that 11 critics—11 living, breathing human beings who
presumably have hearts beating in their chests—gave this movie a “rotten”
rating. Who are these people? What’s
their deal? What happened in their childhood? Is everything O.K.? Should we
call someone? I’m concerned, and at a total loss.
Because “Toy Story 4” is a treasure. It is beautiful in
so many ways: The Randy Newman music, the goofy and also touching humor, the
lively animation, and the introduction of great new characters like Forky—who is
perfectly voiced by the ever-delightful Tony Hale (aka Buster from “Arrested
Development” aka Gary from “Veep”)—and Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves), Canada’s
most famous daredevil.
But, to my mind, the real marvel of “Toy Story 4” is in
how, just as Andy grows and develops and matures throughout the movies, so too
do the characters and themes. The first “Toy Story” was a fairly straightforward
story about loss, envy, regret, loyalty, and redemption, though even there the
sparks of something greater were present. But these themes have been so richly
developed in the rest of the movies, including “Toy Story 4”.
Woody learns the meaning of sacrifice. He learns about
letting go—its necessity, its importance, its value. This movie, more so than
the others in the series, really is all about Woody. And we see him grow,
mature, and learn.
And we, the audience, learn and see and understand and
oh-so-poignantly feel that the noblest thing any person—whether toy or person—can
do is be there, and comfort, and love, another person. “Toy Story 4” packs a
brilliant, emotionally vibrant punch. It is one of the rare movies made for
kids—or, really, anyone—that is worth watching and re-watching just to see empathy, and to learn from the
struggle, the joy and sadness, and the humanness of its characters.
“Toy Story 4” was a risk. It paid off bigtime.
