RI was provided with advanced tickets to the screening. All opinions are my own.
SYNOPSIS
Woody (voice of Tom Hanks) has always been confident about his place in the world, and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that’s Andy or Bonnie. So, when Bonnie’s beloved new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky (voice of Tony Hale), declares himself as “trash” and not a toy, Woody takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy. But when Bonnie takes the whole gang on her family’s road trip excursion, Woody ends up on an unexpected detour that includes a reunion with his long-lost friend Bo Peep (voice of Annie Potts). After years of being on her own, Bo’s adventurous spirit and life on the road belie her delicate porcelain exterior. As Woody and Bo realize they’re worlds apart when it comes to life as a toy, they soon come to find that’s the least of their worries.
OPINIONS
I honestly didn’t know what to expect with the 4th addition to this story since we have seen the toys evolve from being Andy’s then to Bonnie’s that I wasn’t sure that there was much else to be told. I was really happy that I was wrong. All of the original toys are back and so many hilarious new ones. I drove my daughter nuts re-watching the teaser trailer that featured Ducky (voice of Keegan-Michael Key) and Bunny (voice of Jordan Peele) because I found it so funny. The story follows Bonnie as she prepares for kindergarten. Woody understands what a big milestone that can be and tries his best to make the transition easier for her. When she creates a new toy, Forky, Woody takes on the role of helping him understand and like his new role of toy from trash. This is a roll that Woody is familiar with, as he did the same thing with helping Buzz Lightyear accept being a toy.
The toys, Bonnie and her family pile into a RV for a road trip that leads the toys to an antique store and a carnival. The toys are re-united with Bo Peep, who has become a lost toy and made her own path. Forky finds himself separated from the rest of the gang which leads them on a bit of a rescue mission. They enlist Canadian Duke Caboom (voice of Keanu Reeves) who rides a sweet looking red and white bike adorned all over with maple leaves, was discarded by his Québécois owner when it turned out that he couldn’t do all the cool stuff his commercial claimed he could do. He can launch his motorcycle sorta fast, but when it came to making sweet jumps off the ramp he came with, he was known more for crashing and burning than sticking the landing. Small children might find the ventriloquist dummies a bit frightening as they act as Gabby Gabby’s henchmen.
Overall this movie was much funnier than I was expecting but like every conclusion of a story the nostalgia does leave you reaching for the tissues as well. This movie was a great reminder that whether your family is growing or changing that the memories that you create stay with you forever.
I was blown away with the graphics in this movie. As the movie started in the theatre we were shown a house that I thought was a preview for a live-action movie but was actually an exterior shot of Andy’s house.
Toy Story 4 is in theatres now. Let me know on Facebook or Instagram what your favourite characters in this movie were?
