USA TODAY International Edition
‘Toy Story 4’ hits the heart and funny bone
Just like Pixar’s previous animated hits, “Toy Story 4” aims to leave you a weeping mess. This chapter at least piles on the emotional deluge at the end after plenty of adventures, laughs and one nutty road trip.
Directed by Josh Cooley, “Toy Story 4” (★★★☆; rated G; in theaters nationwide June 21) marks a major shift for earnest cowboy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), oddball space ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the plastic-is-fantastic gang: Their old owner Andy has gone off to college and they now belong to young Bonnie, whose bedroom offers fresh challenges and a changing status quo.
While treading in familiar themes of nostalgia and identity – and playing your heartstrings like a vintage Stradivarius – the fourth flick benefits from a funnier story than usual, neat-o debuting characters (Keanu Reeves for the win!), improved animation and a welcome reunion.
For a happy-go-lucky guy, Woody is irked at the new situation in Bonnie’s room: He’s not the leader he once was, and the little girl doesn’t favor the pullstring cowpoke like Andy did. Still, Woody understands the importance of a toy in a child’s life, stowing away in her backpack for kindergarten orientation and helping her out by pulling a spork, pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks out of the garbage for a craft project.
Enter Forky (Tony Hale), a googlyeyed, ultra-jittery utensil dude who is Bonnie’s favorite plaything. All he wants to do is throw himself back in the trash, but Woody tries to explain Forky’s toy-box existence on a lastminute summer RV getaway with Bon
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nie’s family.
Unfortunately, one of Forky’s random escape attempts leads to both him and Woody being left behind. They end up in a small-town antiques store where Forky is spork-napped and held hostage by freaky ’50s doll Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks), who demands Woody’s voice box, and the cool cowboy meets up with old love interest Bo Peep (Annie Potts), a “lost” toy who’s now an action-ready combo of Batman and MacGyver.
While it might go over kids’ heads, adults will appreciate how pretty much everybody’s navigating their own existential crises – often to hilarious extremes. Obviously, Forky’s got issues, but Woody’s figuring out his new place in a Bonnie world and his buddy Buzz relies on his “inner voice” (aka catchphrases that spout when he hits his chest buttons) to get through life’s obstacles.
As for the newcomers, competitive carnival prizes Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key) and Bunny (Jordan Peele) have spent way too much time on hooks for their own sanity, and Canadian daredevil action figure Duke Caboom (Reeves) frets that he can’t make the same sweet jumps shown on his 1970s TV commercial. We’re in the middle of a real Keanuaissance in Hollywood, and Reeves oozes winning Canuck machismo and goofiness opposite Hanks’ usual strong showing. (Half the success of these movies can be credited to the melted-butter warmth of Hanks’ voice.)
The animation also is top-notch: Bo has a bunch of dazzling scenes as a porcelain warrior, and human characters look better than ever. With the emphasis on Woody’s tale, Buzz and the other returning toys spend much of the movie as side characters, but it turns into a true romp when everyone’s plots coincide.
“Toy Story 3” seemed like the end of the story, but there’s a finality to this film, too, and one that finds certain beloved mainstays making mature life decisions. Generations have grown up with the “Toy Story” movies, and it’s fitting that these lovably loyal pals do so as well.