If your family is like the DFB family then you LOVE the Toy Story movies! They are fun, full of heart, and feature some of our all-time favorite characters.
But even we have to admit we were a little surprised to hear they were making a Toy Story 4! Was it just us, or did Toy Story 3 seem to be the perfect final chapter for Woody, Buzz, and the gang? What more could there possibly be to say?
©Disney/Pixar
However, we have found ourselves getting more and more excited as more and more Toy Story has popped up around Walt Disney World and Disneyland. From a special monorail and character meet & greets, to pop up merchandise shops and new treats (like the Forky Eclair or Hamm cookie), there has been no shortage of Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toys around the parks. In fact — it’s practically been Toy Story 4 Mania! (Pun intended.)
Bo Peep in Hollywood Studios
Even still, we had a lot of questions before seeing the film. Would we like Forky? Is Bo Peep as awesome as she seems in the trailer? Would we cry? After all this hype, would the film be worthy of the name Toy Story?
The short answer to all of the above: YES.
(Before we get into the next portion of the review, please note there are some minor spoilers IF you’ve never seen the Toy Story 4 trailers. We won’t be giving away any of the many plot twists or the ending, but if you don’t know who Forky is yet, you may want to stop reading now.)
Woody and Forky at Toy Story Land
The story essentially starts right where Toy Story 3 leaves off. Buzz, Woody, Jessie, Rex, and everyone else are happy at Bonnie’s house. (In case you blocked it out due to emotional trauma, Bonnie is the adorable little girl who Andy entrusts with the toys at the end of Toy Story 3.) However, she’s a little nervous about kindergarten — until she makes a new friend. Literally. Bonnie makes Forky out of trash (primarily a spork) and he becomes her comfort object and favorite toy.
Unfortunately, Forky isn’t ready to be a toy, and yearns to be back home — in the trash can. But Woody knows how important he is to Bonnie, and makes it his duty to protect Forky at all costs. While on a family road trip, Forky gets lost…and chaos, of course, ensues.
Along the way, Woody runs into his former flame Bo Peep, who has come a long way since we saw her in Toy Story 2. She’s now a “lost toy” — with a kick-butt pants suit to boot. But it’s soon clear that no matter the distance between them, there is always something special between Bo Peep and Woody.
That’s all we’re going to say about the movie’s plot for now. There are truly so many plot twists and unexpected turns that we wouldn’t feel right revealing them before you even get a chance to see the film!
But let us say this — this is a film you do NOT want to miss, for many reasons.
On a purely visual level, it is absolutely beautiful. Pixar’s technology has come a long way since the first Toy Story premiered in 1995. The colors are vivid, the scenery is incredibly detailed, and the characters come to life in a more realistic way than ever before. On looks alone Toy Story 4 knocks it out of the play pen.
Another reason we loved Toy Story 4 is it’s funny. Like really funny. It’s quick witted and smart, and easily the funniest movie in the series. A large part of this can be attributed to the many wonderful new characters — including Forky. His confusion and nervousness are absolutely hysterical, and quite endearing. You’ll also meet Duke Caboom, the greatest stuntman Canada has ever seen. If you think Duke is funny “posing” in the trailers, just wait — you haven’t seen anything yet. And of course, there’s Ducky and Bunny, two carnival stuffed animals voiced by Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key. It goes without saying that they are hysterical (and if you need more convincing, watch the teaser trailer with them…”to infinity and YOUR MOM!”).
The last main reason we fell in love with this film is because even though we weren’t sure what to expect, we loved the story. According to director Josh Cooley, Toy Story 3 wrapped up Woody and Andy’s story — but Woody had more story to tell, which is the main focus of Toy Story 4. He also said if you think about one word when it comes to the story, it’s “transition.”
Toy Story 4 made me laugh harder than I ever have at a Pixar film, and cry just as hard (if not harder) than I did during Toy Story 3. It hits you in feels you don’t expect to feel when heading into a “cartoon” — but isn’t that the beauty of Pixar?
Toy Story 4 gets two thumbs up, 5 stars, an A++, and any other accolades we can give it. In fact — we can’t wait for June 21 so we can go see it again! To infinity — and beyond!
Are you excited to see Toy Story 4? Let us know in the comments!
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Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend their media preview of Toy Story 4. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, film we see, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
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If TS4 makes you cry as hard as TS3, I don’t think I can handle it. I get weepy if I even think about that movie.
I agree with J.D. If it is possible to cry harder than TS 3 had me crying I can’t see it. As much as I would like too.
I can’t wait!!!!!
Oh goodness! TS3 made me bawl like a baby because my kids were little just like Andy when TS1 came out, I feel like Andy was portraying my sons in the movie…wow that was hard to take at the end when he goes off to college (hit us parents where it hurts Disney LOL) Anyway, I’m super duper excited to see the new chapter of Toy Story, I really really love ALL the characters in this movie and the warm heartedness of what their “toy family” means to all of them! Thanks for the review!