Toy Story 4
Movie Rating 8 out of 10
Family Rating A great movie for fans of all ages
In 1995 Toy Story was made as the first full-length CGI feature and established Pixar as the leader in animated films ever since. Four years later came Toy Story 2, another 11 years before Toy Story 3 and finally the end of the series with Toy Story 4. I hope that no one got paid the big bucks to come up with names for these movies.
There would not be too many people out there who don’t know about the friendship between cowboy Woody and spaceman Buzz Lightyear and their loyalty to their child, Andy. In the original movie, we came to know Mr and Mrs Potato Head, Slinky, Rex, Barbie and Hamm, all of whom made up the strange band of toys who join in Buzz and Woody’s adventures. In Toy Story 2 Jessie and Bullseye join the crew. Everyone has their favourites with a great rift between the Woody fans and the Buzz Lightyear fans just like Vampires v Werewolves fans in the Twilight series. Maybe not but we still all have our personal favourites.
One of the themes that carry through all the Toy Story movies is the knowledge in the background that the toys will someday no longer be a key part of their owner’s life and what will become of them. Andy has gone to college and his younger sister Molly is too old for the toys. At the end of Toy Story 3, the toys become the property of Bonnie who was one of the children at the daycare centre. Having been luckily passed on through three children, Toy Story 4 deals with the situation of becoming a ‘lost toy’ or a toy without an owner.
This movie introduces some fun new characters who add a lot more comedy to the story. Bonnie’s craftwork from school, Forky, is mortified when he finds that he is alive and a toy when all he wants to be is trash. This adventure centres on Woody’s attempts to keep Bonnie happy by ensuring that Forky is always there for her. In the meantime, he runs into his old romantic flame, Bo-Peep, who was given away during an earlier movie. As per recent Hollywood movies, Bo-Peep comes across as the independent woman and helps Woody realise his new role in life. In addition to Forky, we meet Giggles McDimples, Ducky and Bunny, Duke Caboom, Gabby Gabby and some frightening ventriloquist dolls
If you really love the Toy Story series then let me advise you to bring some tissues as this is the final adventure for the group. During the last ten minutes, I heard numerous patrons shed a tear as the 24-year saga came to a satisfying end. With the school holidays coming up then this is a must for young families but also for those who may have been part of a young family when Toy Story first began.