Toy Story 4

I cried at the end of Toy Story 3. I felt the end of Andy’s childhood was the perfect end to the Toy Story series. It spoke to me as a child now grown, but more as a mother of a son. When I heard a new Toy Story movie was on the horizon, I wondered why. Was the movie going to be a valuable addition to the series, or just a way to keep the franchise modern and relevant?Toy Story 4 begins with our favorite toys still belonging to Bonnie. However, Bonnie has not been playing with Woody as much. When Bonnie faces a challenging change, a new and unusual toy joins her family. Woody makes it his mission to make sure Bonnie is happy, despite the difficulty of the task. Most of the movie is spent on the road and this allows the introduction of several new characters, and the reintroduction of Bo Peep.

Several of the new characters are somewhat creepy, including a group of henchmen ventriloquist dummies led by a sinister (or misunderstood) doll. All of our favorites are back, but most of them do not get nearly enough screen time. The story is fun and entertaining, but it honestly feels unnecessary. There were times in the movie when my mind drifted and I kept asking myself why Pixar made this movie.

Overall, I think your family will enjoy the movie, just as long as you do not expect to be awed. Toy Story 4 is fun, clean, and family-friendly. But I still think Toy Story 3 was the perfect ending.