But every now and then a sequel comes along which offers us something more, a reason to follow its characters into a new adventure. Sometimes a sequel can deepen the experience of the previous film or at least offer us a reason to continue caring about the characters.
Toy Story 4 isn't really either of those things.
This one was a weird nut for me to crack. I remember when Toy Story 2 was released I had real mixed emotions. While I had fallen in love with the toys from the first film I didn't feel there was a reason to tell more stories about them. The story of the toy's journey to finding meaning had been done perfectly in the first film. Anything more felt like a cash grab. But the film exceeded my expectations, told an equally good story, introduced fascinating characters, and made it worth while to return to Andy's room.
But then Toy Story 3 came out and once again I was nervous. The first two films were both good. Don't mess with a good thing! What more could there be to tell about a bunch of toys? Well it turns out 3 is a tiny masterpiece. 3 is a culmination made possible by 1 & 2. It reaches into your heart and obliterates it. I still can't get through it without crying. And it finishes the story. I truly felt the tale was over and should remain as it was.
But then Pixar made a few short films about the toys and each one was a little delight. I basically got to the point where I expected each Toy Story outing to be a wonderful little return to old friends. They had hit on something that was worth returning to.
Well...
Toy Story 4 is the first one that didn't feel special. While it is heads and shoulders above what the other American animation studios are putting out with its original plot that doesn't pander to cliches, intelligent script which doesn't talk down to its audience, and complex characters whose motivations are more than cardboard cutouts, it also wasn't in the league of its predesessors.
Part way through I found myself wondering why I wasn't caring very much about what happened next. Knowing I couldn't get through Toy Story 3 without crying why wasn't I overly invested in what these characters were doing now. You get to the end, an ending which may end up being fairly controversial, and I felt almost nothing. The story was fun, I laughed a lot, but I wasn't emotionally invested.
To be honest I am not quite sure yet why this chapter didn't get under my skin in the way the previous films did. Perhaps it comes down to the fact that 3 had such a satisfying ending, the kind of ending which provides closure. So that whatever happens next didn't really matter. I'm glad I got a fun story out of it (even it if was a bit meandering and didn't hold a consistent energy throughout) and I truly enjoyed the new characters (even Keanu Reeves Duke Kaboom was enjoyable, but no one comes close to Key and Peele's plush Ducky and Bunny) but whatever sort of came in the story was fine with me.
I'll have to sit with this one a bit. Is this the last stop on the road for these characters (or just one character perhaps?)
And why wasn't there a Pixar short playing with it? That was likely my biggest disappointment. I look forward to seeing something wonderful before the movie even starts and this one just went right into the film.
If I was to rank the films this one would be the afterthought.
Toy Story 4
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Kay, Jordan Peele, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, Ally Mackie, Joan Cusack, Bonnie Hunt, Kristen Schaal, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, Timothy Dalton
Director: Josh Cooley
Writers: Andrew Stanton, Stephanie Folsom
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