Film Toy Story 4 (please mark spoilers clearly!)

tags!

I was really happy with how TS3 wrapped up the series so still unsure how I feel about revisiting all the characters though I am v keen to see again.

Like I literally teared up in the opening sequence?! First with the Bo Peep scene (man that rain looked SO good), and then with the beautiful transition from child Andy to Andy giving his toys to Bonnie, and with "You've Got A Friend In Me" in the background. Brilliantly done.

I really liked Bo Peep in this. It was really interesting seeing a lost toy really thrive as a lost toy, and I liked her role as a sort of fixer of other toys.

I'm glad they didn't go the villain route with Gabby Gabby, would've been way too easy. Definitely ended up feeling sympathetic towards her especially after Harmony rejected her like that. Great scene of the little girl finding Gabby Gabby (the third time I teared up. The second time was the scene where Bo Peep and Woody looked at the lights in the antique store, that just looked so magical.)

Loved the new suite of characters, and though it was sad that the OG crew didn't really do anything, it does make sense as TS3 did seem like the end of their story whereas this was really the end of Woody's character arc.

Comedy was gold in this. Ducky and Bunny were brilliant, particularly their ideas on getting the keys off the antique store owner. That long joke of following her to her house was soooo good hahaha. Forky as well was pretty good and didn't feel too idk forced. Major mood @ him calling himself trash and jumping into the bin endlessly.

BUT THE ENDING omg I died. I love that they went the more unexpected route, rather than getting Bo Peep to join the toys. I feel like this is better closure for the characters (answers the question I had at the end of TS3: when Bonnie grows up, then what? Does it all just repeat endlessly?) and brings Woody's arc to a nice close. But damn I'm STILL heartbroken over Woody and Buzz being separated. The OG best buds. :(

Avengers Endgame spoilers ahead: interesting parallels between this film and Endgame, particularly with that end scene of Woody (Captain America) giving his symbol, the sheriff badge (his shield) to Jessie (Falcon), after being encouraged "Bonnie will be okay / we'll be okay" by his best friend Buzz (Bucky), then going on to finally live his life with Bo (Peggy) after she was ripped out of his life, and after he spent his life doing everything for others.

imo the Toy Story films all deal with the question "what happens when someone we love, stop loving us". For Woody, that's when someone else comes along (TS1), when you're broken (TS2) and when someone moves on (TS3). And in this film Woody finally got his answer: you live your own life, and you live it for you, and you find your own purpose. And that's a pretty good message imo.

Great movie.

Woody chose to stay with Bo Peep and leave Bonnie behind. Thinking on it again now it does make a lot of sense for his development, since he went from someone who was obsessed with getting Andy's attention to a toy who didn't mind not being played with as long as the child he was with was happy.

That part really got me, too. I thought that Woody and Bo Peep would part ways by the end of the movie, and was actually ready for that