Pan and Slam

Movie Review: Toy Story 4

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G | 1h 40min

by Jason Koenigsberg

Twenty-four years ago Pixar and Disney changed animation forever with the groundbreaking and innovative Toy Story. Now in 2019, the third sequel, Toy Story 4 is more of the same but still has enough heart and humor to make the film worth the price of admission. This is fun wholesome entertainment for the entire family. After playing out in the sun, or on a rainy summer afternoon, Toy Story 4 delivers what audiences will want. An adventure filled with warmth and heart, nostalgia and humor. 

The film deals with themes of growing up, growing apart and realizing that your time for doing the job you have always done is coming to an end and that there may be a new beginning and a new mission for you in life around the corner. Toy Story 4 is almost like an allegory for retirement in the guise of a children’s movie. 

The voice acting is stellar as usual with most of the cast reprising their roles and the big payday that comes with it. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen were the biggest stars of film and television twenty-five years ago and today they still have the charisma to make Woody and Buzz feel like real people the audience grew up with. The best additions to the cast are the vocal talents of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele (from Comedy Central’s Key and Peele among many other projects). They play a stuffed duck and bunny with some of the funniest scene-stealing moments in Toy Story 4. Plus Keanu Reeves continues his Keanussaince as the perfectly cast voice of an Evil Knievel type of toy. In the end, this film is an easy recommendation for anyone looking to kill some time in a cool dark movie theater and escape the summer, or to have a nice afternoon with their children. Toy Story 4 is nothing that audiences have not seen before, but it makes this familiar franchise still feel welcome and refreshing after making children happy for two generations.