When we were announced that Toy Story 4 was going to be released this year (the year of the ninety remakes no doubt) we were filled with fear and doubts; But to our pleasant surprise, the fourth installment is more than recommended, it is the closing of a story that began almost 25 years ago, a farewell to the toys of our childhood.
If there is any doubt, Pixar is one, perhaps the best, animation studio in the industry. Given the level of detail and visual quality that are appreciated in this sequel, they are of a higher class. With Toy Story 4 (directed by Josh Cooley) Pixar demonstrates the technological advance that has evolved greatly since the first installment in 1995.
Catching up, the movie starts with a flashback, watching what happened with Bo Peep (Annie Potts) (remember that it does not appear in Toy Story 3) and its truncated romance with Woody (Tom Hanks). He marked one of the foundations of the story, the different ideologies of both characters, on the one hand Woody completely dependent on his child claiming a need he has towards him, and Bo a little more mature and independent.
Nine years passed, we found the toy gang in their new home with their new girl Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw), we noticed that the dynamics of the group is quite different from the one previously lived with Andy (former owner of Woody and company). Bonnie plays differently with them, relegating Woody and taking Jessie (Joan Cusack) as the protagonist of the stories. This is the central trigger of what we see later in Woody's dichotomy regarding what he believes it is meant to be.
The script (Stephany Folsom and Andrew Stanton) in structure and practice is perfect, there are no empty moments within the film, every detail is calculated to lead to a moment of reflection, laughter or adventure. We are going to highlight, among so many new characters that appear in this installment, the creation of Forky (Tony Hale), a crap toy that Bonnie makes on her first school day, with the help of a Woody infiltrated in class. With the creation of this new toy, we see how existential issues are raised (being or not being?) That impact Woody throughout the plot. Hand in hand with this thought Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), listen and ask for advice from his inner voice. These statements confirm something we already knew and that Pixar never neglects deep thoughts proving that his tapes are not just for the little ones.
And if we talk about new protagonists, we cannot ignore the character of Keanu Reeves (King Noventero and God of the Internet), Duke Caboom, contributing grace and action with a hilarious character. This is presented to us inside the shop where Forky and Woody land in search of Bo Peep, the lost friend of the cowboy. Here we stop at the porcelain shepherdess who is now part of the lost dolls and we observe a great change in her personality; an independent fortress and Mad Max style winks make the formerly delicate shepherd now the closest thing to "Imperator Furious."
Continued with the new characters and with the plot of Buzz, he crosses his path to find Woody and Forky, Ducky and Bunny (Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele) plush toys joined by their hands, fantastic find within the movie, worthy of having its own spin-off, that endow it with comic and bizarre moments.
Gabby (Christina Hendricks) is the one who at the beginning considers us as the villain of TS4, but with the advance of the plot, we appreciate that this is not at all, showing that the purpose of her acts is none other than to seek the acceptance and love, which demands so much effort, and being able to play with a girl. The background of Gabby's story is what ends up touching Woody's heart. As its function and realization as a toy has already been fulfilled and the cowboy has already lived his full life with Andy's love, it is time to “let go” and become independent. Woody says goodbye to his old friends, his old life, giving rise to a new beginning together with Bo Peep and the lost dolls.
In conclusion, Toy Story 4 closes a cycle, we can say goodbye to our childhood toys; It's the farewell we needed, the epilogue of a story that began several years ago.