Toy Story 4

Toy Story 3 was one of the all time great sequels. Hilarious, terrifying, capable of emotional moments that would pin you to your chair and stay in your head for days afterwards. The type of cartoon that made you look back on your own childhood through a bittersweet haze. It was a fantastic way to finish the Toy story trilogy. Then a few years ago rumours of a 4th installment started to leak out and it sounded like the worst idea ever, a cynical franchise extension designed to make Pixar a ball of money. So imagine the collective sigh of relief when Toy Story 4 has turned out to be just as entertaining as the rest. Now it doesn't reach the heights of part 3 naturally but how could it.

Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the gang have settled in with their new owner Bonnie but as she grows out of the toddler phase she's playing with them less and less. They've been through this disappointment before but Woody's devotion to his owner is as solid as ever and when he sees her upset about going to kindergarten he decides to tag along to keep an eye on her. While there she creates a new toy out of trash and names him Forky (Tony Hale) and of course he comes to life when she leaves the room. Bonnie's new found love of Forky and Woody's need to keep her happy all come together on a very eventful road trip.

Fair play to you Pixar. You've only gone and done it again, we should never have doubted you. You've somehow managed to create that almost flawless blend of humour, sadness, pathos and thrills. For the kids you have all the laughs and thrills and spills they could ever want and for us adults we get scenes of existential angst, heartbreak, loss, bargaining and eventually acceptance, you know, the good stuff. We get heist thrills, puppet terror, scenes of genuine emotional truth that will really make you think and a few full on belly laughs courtesy of 3 headed sheep and 2 fluffy toys who've been left hanging on the shelf for way too long. Waaaayyyyy toooooooo long.

You'll be hard pressed to find a more inventive or exciting 100 minutes in the cinema this year. But that doesn't mean it's perfect. The usual suspects like Jessie, Ham, Rex and Bullseye are an afterthought in part 4 and get very little to do. They worry about Woody and Buzz and while watching Rex being attacked by panic (his words) is always funny there's not much mileage in in. Poor aul Buzz Lightyear gets fierce short shrift this time around too and without the central partnership of him and Woody the film does lose some of what made the original 3 special. Real life has no doubt played a part here as Tim Allen over the years has proved himself a bit of a nasty fella in interviews and it's finally backfired on him it seems. That said a tonne of new character's try their best to fill the void left and they mostly succeed.

Forky (Tony Hale) is an affecting new face in the bunch and his role as a toy who doesn't want to be here adds a surprising depth and a heretofore unknown in the Toy Story franchise level of welcome black humor. Christina Hendricks does good work as Gabby Gabby, a sinister vintage doll who's visage hides a myriad of emotion and the seemingly ubiquitous Keanu Reeves turns up as Duke Kaboom and has a ball in the part. Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key also join the cast as Bunny and Ducky and their imaginary plan of action half way through the movie will just slay you. I'd be happy to see these two get their own spin off. Angry plush toys will never fail to amuse.

The film belongs to Tom Hanks as Woody though. An actor masterful even when you can't see his face and his turn as the little cowboy who could has always been the heart of these films. He'll break your heart. The little downturn in his features when he finds out he's been forgotten yet again. The joy when he realises he has a chance to please his human, though she'll never know about it. Even though it's his 5th go around he isn't going through the motions either and gets to genuinely grow as a character and make some real big grown up decisions that will affect both himself and the future of this franchise. It's affecting and marks a level of maturity you wouldn't be used to seeing in a movie this mainstream, let alone an animated one.

If this is the final Toy Story installment then i'm happy to say it's a pretty wonderful one. As much as I love these characters, both returning and new, I do hope it's the end now. Pixar should take a leaf out of their own book and move on to something new. That said, a Bunny & Ducky movie would hit the spot. Just an idea.