[Movie Review] ‘Toy Story 4’ knocks it out of the park again, just ignore Ducky and Bunny

GIGGLE MCDIMPLES -- In Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Bo Peep introduces Woody to her best friend Giggle McDimples. A miniature plastic doll from the 1980s, Giggle is Bo’s confidant, supporter and advisor, and spends a lot of her time perched on Bo’s shoulder. Featuring Ally Maki as the voice of Giggle, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019...©2019 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
GIGGLE MCDIMPLES -- In Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Bo Peep introduces Woody to her best friend Giggle McDimples. A miniature plastic doll from the 1980s, Giggle is Bo’s confidant, supporter and advisor, and spends a lot of her time perched on Bo’s shoulder. Featuring Ally Maki as the voice of Giggle, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019...©2019 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

When I first heard that Toy Story 4 was in production, I was honestly quite jaded. Didn’t it end with Toy Story 3? Were they trying to extend this cash cow? What other storylines were there left to explore, since the relationship between the toys and their owner (Andy) had come full circle? Would this just be a perfunctory story involving talking toys? Toy Story 4 completely wrecked all those expectations and renewed my faith in Pixar’s incredible storytelling skills, with a brand new instalment in the franchise that gives viewers reason to pause and reflect on what their purpose in life is.

NEW FRIEND! – In Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Bonnie makes a new friend in kindergarten orientation—literally. When Forky—Bonnie’s craft-project-turned-toy—declares himself trash and not a toy, Woody takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy. Featuring the voices of Tony Hale and Tom Hanks as Forky and Woody, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019. ©2019 Dinsey/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
NEW FRIEND! – In Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Bonnie makes a new friend in kindergarten orientation—literally. When Forky—Bonnie’s craft-project-turned-toy—declares himself trash and not a toy, Woody takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy. Featuring the voices of Tony Hale and Tom Hanks as Forky and Woody, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019. ©2019 Dinsey/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Toy Story 4 takes place after Toy Story 3, with the toys having found a new owner in pre-schooler Bonnie. After her arts and crafts project comes to life as her latest favourite toy, the other toys are forced to take care of it to ensure Bonnie’s happiness. But when Bonnie and her family go on a road trip with the toys, this becomes infinitely more complex – especially when they discover a devious doll who is out to take advantage of the situation.

CLOSE QUARTERS – In Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Bo Peep takes Woody to a secret hangout within the antique store—the inside of a vintage pinball machine—where a lot of toys go to socialize. Featuring Annie Potts and Tom Hanks as the voices of Bo and Woody, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019. ©2019 Dinsey/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
CLOSE QUARTERS – In Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Bo Peep takes Woody to a secret hangout within the antique store—the inside of a vintage pinball machine—where a lot of toys go to socialize. Featuring Annie Potts and Tom Hanks as the voices of Bo and Woody, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019. ©2019 Dinsey/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

So, let’s talk about Bo Peep (Annie Potts), who is one of the main characters of Toy Story 4. The film reveals what happened to her after the events of Toy Story 2 (and hence, the reason for her absence in Toy Story 3). Her character goes through a dramatic revamp in this film, as she goes from being the typical genteel love interest to a formidable action heroine, on par with the likes of Lara Croft. In fact, her character is so impressive that I’m contemplating looking out for a poseable 4-inch or 6-inch figure of her, just so that I can make Bo Peep perform all the amazing action sequences that she does in the film. Her crook (a shepherd’s staff) becomes this versatile tool/weapon that can do anything, and if there were ever a Toy Story 4 game, I’d want to play Bo Peep.

PICK ME! -- Ducky and Bunny are carnival prizes who are eager to be won. But when their plans are rudely interrupted, they find themselves on an unexpected adventure with a group of toys who have no idea what it feels like to be tacked to a prize wall. Funny men Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele provide the voices of Ducky and Bunny, respectively. Directed by Josh Cooley (“Riley’s First Date?”) and produced by Jonas Rivera (“Inside Out,” “Up”) and Mark Nielsen (associate producer “Inside Out”), “Toy Story 4” ventures to U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019. ©2018 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
PICK ME! — Ducky and Bunny are carnival prizes who are eager to be won. But when their plans are rudely interrupted, they find themselves on an unexpected adventure with a group of toys who have no idea what it feels like to be tacked to a prize wall. Funny men Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele provide the voices of Ducky and Bunny, respectively. Directed by Josh Cooley (“Riley’s First Date?”) and produced by Jonas Rivera (“Inside Out,” “Up”) and Mark Nielsen (associate producer “Inside Out”), “Toy Story 4” ventures to U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019. ©2018 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Action hero fun aside, the reinvention of Bo Peep’s character is the catalyst for Woody’s (Tom Hanks) change of heart. While the reinvention could have been used for any of the characters, what matters more is that it gives us many of the emotional moments in the film. Her stoic acceptance of situations, her innate compassion that is hidden under a hardened exterior, and her disappointment in people (toys) is what makes us feel for her, and the painful situations she finds herself in.

NEW TOY? – Everyone’s favorite pull-string cowboy sheriff Woody, along with his best friends Buzz Lightyear and Jessie, are happy taking care of their kid, Bonnie, until a new toy called “Forky” arrives in her room. According to Forky, a spork-turned-craft-project, he’s not a toy at all—and he’d rather skip this big adventure completely, if only they’d let him. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack return as the voices of Woody, Buzz and Jessie, and comedian Tony Hale lends his voice to Forky. Directed by Josh Cooley (“Riley’s First Date?”) and produced by Jonas Rivera (“Inside Out,” “Up”) and Mark Nielsen (associate producer “Inside Out”), “Toy Story 4” ventures to U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019. ©2018 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
NEW TOY? – Everyone’s favorite pull-string cowboy sheriff Woody, along with his best friends Buzz Lightyear and Jessie, are happy taking care of their kid, Bonnie, until a new toy called “Forky” arrives in her room. According to Forky, a spork-turned-craft-project, he’s not a toy at all—and he’d rather skip this big adventure completely, if only they’d let him. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack return as the voices of Woody, Buzz and Jessie, and comedian Tony Hale lends his voice to Forky. Directed by Josh Cooley (“Riley’s First Date?”) and produced by Jonas Rivera (“Inside Out,” “Up”) and Mark Nielsen (associate producer “Inside Out”), “Toy Story 4” ventures to U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019. ©2018 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Woody himself is the cause of many tearjerking scenes, especially when it comes to his self-doubt and need for finding purpose in life. His struggles echo that of many who seek a raison d’etre, and question their own motivations and reasons for their actions. And who better than to ponder the meaning of life than a toy – which has lived a longer existence (since he was made in the 50’s) than the audience?

LEADING THE WAY -- In Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Bonnie’s beloved new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky, declares himself trash and not a toy, so Woody takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy. Featuring Tom Hanks as the voice of Woody, and Tony Hale as the voice of Forky, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019...©2019 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
LEADING THE WAY — In Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Bonnie’s beloved new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky, declares himself trash and not a toy, so Woody takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy. Featuring Tom Hanks as the voice of Woody, and Tony Hale as the voice of Forky, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019…©2019 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key) and Bunny (Jordan Peele) are the low points of the film though, adding low brow humour that detracts from the main plot (and the quality of the overall production and story). They’re probably the worst two ideas in the movie – do you really want to see a pair of grumpy stuffed toys who come up with childish, ridiculous ideas time and again? They’d have been better off as a single gag, rather than this ongoing pair of pests that keeps undercutting the emotional drama of the film.

DUKE CABOOM – In Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Woody and Bo turn to a 1970s toy called Duke Caboom for help. Based on Canada’s greatest stuntman, Duke comes with a powerful stunt-cycle, and he’s always prepared to show off his stunt poses with confidence and swagger. Featuring Keanu Reeves as the voice of Duke Caboom, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019...©2019 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
DUKE CABOOM – In Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Woody and Bo turn to a 1970s toy called Duke Caboom for help. Based on Canada’s greatest stuntman, Duke comes with a powerful stunt-cycle, and he’s always prepared to show off his stunt poses with confidence and swagger. Featuring Keanu Reeves as the voice of Duke Caboom, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019…©2019 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) and the Bensons were terrifying though, with shades of American Horror Story in their design and execution. Since this is a Toy Story film after all, they don’t quite meet the same kind of gruesome ends that the characters of American Horror Story would. In fact, they even have pretty poignant resolutions to their storylines.

HANGIN’ AROUND – In Disney·Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Buzz Lightyear finds himself among a host of carnival prizes—including Ducky and Bunny, who’ve been waiting a long time to be won. They aren’t exactly welcoming to the Space Ranger—the odds are already stacked against them, and who needs that kind of competition? Featuring Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz, Keegan-Michael Key as the voice of Ducky and Jordan Peele as the voice of Bunny, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019. ©2019 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
HANGIN’ AROUND – In Disney·Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Buzz Lightyear finds himself among a host of carnival prizes—including Ducky and Bunny, who’ve been waiting a long time to be won. They aren’t exactly welcoming to the Space Ranger—the odds are already stacked against them, and who needs that kind of competition? Featuring Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz, Keegan-Michael Key as the voice of Ducky and Jordan Peele as the voice of Bunny, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019. ©2019 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Toy Story 4 knocks it out of the park again, hitting all the right notes (except for the aforementioned Ducky and Bunny). You’ll cry, you’ll laugh, and then you’ll cry again. It’s an emotional roller coaster (of the good kind), and you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you miss it. Don’t let your cynicism cause you to miss out on it, like I almost did. Besides, it’s a mere 100 minutes long! What’s the harm, right?

GABBY GABBY – In Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Woody finds himself in Second Chance Antiques, home to an adorable, talking pull-string doll from the 1950s and her crew of voiceless ventriloquist dummies. Unfortunately for Gabby Gabby, a manufacturing defect in her pull-string voice box has left her sounding anything but adorable. Christina Hendricks lends her voice to Gabby Gabby. “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019...©2019 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
GABBY GABBY – In Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Woody finds himself in Second Chance Antiques, home to an adorable, talking pull-string doll from the 1950s and her crew of voiceless ventriloquist dummies. Unfortunately for Gabby Gabby, a manufacturing defect in her pull-string voice box has left her sounding anything but adorable. Christina Hendricks lends her voice to Gabby Gabby. “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019…©2019 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Yes.

Should you watch this more than once? If you want to catch all the references in it, yes.

Secret ending? A mid-credits scene.

Score: 4.1/5

Running time: 100 minutes (~1.75 hours)

GIGGLE MCDIMPLES -- In Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Bo Peep introduces Woody to her best friend Giggle McDimples. A miniature plastic doll from the 1980s, Giggle is Bo’s confidant, supporter and advisor, and spends a lot of her time perched on Bo’s shoulder. Featuring Ally Maki as the voice of Giggle, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019...©2019 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
GIGGLE MCDIMPLES — In Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story 4,” Bo Peep introduces Woody to her best friend Giggle McDimples. A miniature plastic doll from the 1980s, Giggle is Bo’s confidant, supporter and advisor, and spends a lot of her time perched on Bo’s shoulder. Featuring Ally Maki as the voice of Giggle, “Toy Story 4” opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2019…©2019 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Toy Story 4 is an 3D-animated comedy that’s the fourth (surprise surprise) instalment in the Toy Story film franchise.

The film sees Woody and friends going on a quest to rescue a lost, new character. But that journey turns out to be much more than a rescue mission, as they learn more about their purpose and open their minds to a whole new world. Things will literally never be the same again after Toy Story 4.

Toy Story 4 is directed by Josh Cooley and written by Stephany Folsom and Andrew Stanton, with additional story credits for John Lasseter, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Josh Cooley, Valerie LaPointe, and Martin Hynes. It features the voice talents of Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Annie Potts (Bo Peep), Tony Hale (Forky), Keegan-Michael Key (Ducky), Jordan Peele (Bunny), Madeleine McGraw (Bonnie), Christina Hendricks (Gabby Gabby), and Keanu Reeves (Duke Caboom).


This is an original article on marcusgohmarcusgoh.com


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I’m an independent scriptwriter who’s written for popular shows like Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site

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