Toy Story 4

DonaldDoleWhip

Well-Known Member
Just got out of my screening - liked it, didn't love it.

Frankly I'm a little surprised after all the glowing reviews, and the talk of a hyper-emotional ending. It didn't hit me in that way. Totally pleasant experience with beautiful animation and a worthwhile story to tell, but I think TS3 peaked higher.

Also, for an opening night showing at 6:15pm, the theater wasn't that busy. Has me curious if this is specific to Southern California (where there are an abundance of cinemas to choose from) or if the opening weekend estimates are inflated. We'll see. In any case, onward! (to Frozen 2–and Onward)
 
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Tony Perkis

Well-Known Member
I’ve done a good job of avoiding spoilers, but I would love an answer to this question, since I have a tentative date set for tomorrow when watching this film.

I have cried at 5 films in my life. Not teared up, flat out audibly:

1) Toy Story 3
2) Field of Dreams
3) Up
4) Paulie (yes, that stupid Jay Mohr parrot comedy where he tries to return to his best friend. I have a pet bird, so this film devastates me)
5) ET

Not asking why, but how does the ending hit hard compared to the above list?
 

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
I’ve done a good job of avoiding spoilers, but I would love an answer to this question, since I have a tentative date set for tomorrow when watching this film.

I have cried at 5 films in my life. Not teared up, flat out audibly:

1) Toy Story 3
2) Field of Dreams
3) Up
4) Paulie (yes, that stupid Jay Mohr parrot comedy where he tries to return to his best friend. I have a pet bird, so this film devastates me)
5) ET

Not asking why, but how does the ending hit hard compared to the above list?

There's three story beats near the end and each one is potentially an ugly cry.
 

Amidala

Well-Known Member
I caught an 8:00PM screening last night in Times Square and my theater was practically empty! This same theater had a pretty substantial turnout for both Coco and Moana, so that was surprising to me. Apparently this was a fluke, because the movie performed insanely well on opening night, as expected.

Anyway, my overall impression of the movie was...mixed? SPOILERS ahead, for those who want to be surprised.

I do think (as others have said) it felt like the writers had a story they wanted to tell; we can argue back and forth on whether or not this movie "felt" like Toy Story, but I can at least appreciate the clear vision behind it. There were a few things that really worked for me. I don't think Gabby was an especially threatening villain to begin with (it felt like they leaned heavily on the creepiness of the ventriloquist dummies to compensate) but I liked her a lot otherwise. It was interesting to see a villain "neglected" by humans portrayed in a more sympathetic light and given the chance for redemption—a total 180° from Lotso. Bo Peep's transition from background dressing to action girl felt much more seamless than I expected based on the promotional material. For all the screentime she was given, I would have liked some more emotional depth (maybe a closer look at the time she spent with her last kid, or in the antique shop, and how those experiences made her want to be a "lost toy").

I'm sure it will be polarizing, but the ending just didn't do it for me. It isn't that I'm 100% opposed to Woody leaving the gang to start a new chapter of his life. I actually thought it was surprisingly honest of the movie to acknowledge that Andy was irreplaceable to Woody; he obviously cared for Bonnie, but his relationship with her would never compare because his attachment to Andy is so strong. It does undermine the TS3 ending thematically for me (TS3 seemed to emphasize the importance of moving on, while TS4 basically suggests Woody will never have another relationship w/ a child as fulfilling as what he had with Andy), but I'm willing to overlook that because it plays into Woody's character arc nicely.
The problem (at least for me) is that the execution fell SO flat. How do you make a movie where the big emotional twist has Woody closing the door on his current owner and closest friends...and then barely feature any of those characters in the movie, let alone his relationships with them? I understand the logic in spotlighting Bo, Woody's "future," but equal attention should have been given to his "past" - Buzz (who was a comedic footnote in this movie), and Jessie and the rest of the legacy supports who were barely given speaking lines. Why are we supposed to care about Woody saying goodbye to his friends when the movie itself so obviously doesn't?

Forky was thematically important. But Duke Caboom, Bunny and Ducky, Officer Giggle...why did we need a brand new cast of characters when there were plenty of beloved existing characters (the originals, not to mention all of Bonnie's toys introduced in TS3) literally abandoned on the table of the RV for two hours. TS3 balanced the old with the new much more deftly than this movie, which seemed to cast aside the "old" almost entirely. It wasn't awful, but TS3 would definitely have been the preferable sendoff for me. Something about this movie just makes me feel...icky.

Curious to see what you all thought?
 
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General Mayhem

Well-Known Member
I've decided against seeing the film, not knocking it or anything. It's just Jessie is the only Toy Story character I care about and based on everything I've seen and read about the film she's barely in it. So I think I'm good...
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I do find the character of Froky (or Fourchette in French!) interesting.

In the movie, he's a home-made, original toy representing creativity and making something out of seemingly nothing.

In real life, he's a mass produced Spork in both plush and plastic form that the WDC is selling for the usual high margins.

I just find that amusing.
 

Tony Perkis

Well-Known Member
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I do find the character of Froky (or Fourchette in French!) interesting.

In the movie, he's a home-made, original toy representing creativity and making something out of seemingly nothing.

In real life, he's a mass produced Spork in both plush and plastic form that the WDC is selling for the usual high margins.

I just find that amusing.
Credit where credit is due. Disney is now successfully able to sell a $0.30 item (and that’s a consumer price, not a corporate price) for $15. That is an amazing ROI.
 

Phroobar

Well-Known Member
Personally I was amazing how great the movie looked. The Toy Story movie's CG has come along way in 23 years. That cat looked amazing. Pixar needs to do a Special Edition version of the original Toy Story with an 4K update.

D2C3uOsU0AAkn35.jpg



D4gwXW7WAAAglan.jpg
 

Mike S

Well-Known Member
I caught an 8:00PM screening last night in Times Square and my theater was practically empty! This same theater had a pretty substantial turnout for both Coco and Moana, so that was surprising to me. Apparently this was a fluke, because the movie performed insanely well on opening night, as expected.

Anyway, my overall impression of the movie was...mixed? SPOILERS ahead, for those who want to be surprised.

I do think (as others have said) it felt like the writers had a story they wanted to tell; we can argue back and forth on whether or not this movie "felt" like Toy Story, but I can at least appreciate the clear vision behind it. There were a few things that really worked for me. I don't think Gabby was an especially threatening villain to begin with (it felt like they leaned heavily on the creepiness of the ventriloquist dummies to compensate) but I liked her a lot otherwise. It was interesting to see a villain "neglected" by humans portrayed in a more sympathetic light and given the chance for redemption—a total 180° from Lotso. Bo Peep's transition from background dressing to action girl felt much more seamless than I expected based on the promotional material. For all the screentime she was given, I would have liked some more emotional depth (maybe a closer look at the time she spent with her last kid, or in the antique shop, and how those experiences made her want to be a "lost toy").

I'm sure it will be polarizing, but the ending just didn't do it for me. It isn't that I'm 100% opposed to Woody leaving the gang to start a new chapter of his life. I actually thought it was surprisingly honest of the movie to acknowledge that Andy was irreplaceable to Woody; he obviously cared for Bonnie, but his relationship with her would never compare because his attachment to Andy is so strong. It does undermine the TS3 ending thematically for me (TS3 seemed to emphasize the importance of moving on, while TS4 basically suggests Woody will never have another relationship w/ a child as fulfilling as what he had with Andy), but I'm willing to overlook that because it plays into Woody's character arc nicely.
The problem (at least for me) is that the execution fell SO flat. How do you make a movie where the big emotional twist has Woody closing the door on his current owner and closest friends...and then barely feature any of those characters in the movie, let alone his relationships with them? I understand the logic in spotlighting Bo, Woody's "future," but equal attention should have been given to his "past" - Buzz (who was a comedic footnote in this movie), and Jessie and the rest of the legacy supports who were barely given speaking lines. Why are we supposed to care about Woody saying goodbye to his friends when the movie itself so obviously doesn't?

Forky was thematically important. But Duke Caboom, Bunny and Ducky, Officer Giggle...why did we need a brand new cast of characters when there were plenty of beloved existing characters (the originals, not to mention all of Bonnie's toys introduced in TS3) literally abandoned on the table of the RV for two hours. TS3 balanced the old with the new much more deftly than this movie, which seemed to cast aside the "old" almost entirely. It wasn't awful, but TS3 would definitely have been the preferable sendoff for me. Something about this movie just makes me feel...icky.

Curious to see what you all thought?
I feel about the same.
Personally I was amazing how great the movie looked. The Toy Story movie's CG has come along way in 23 years. That cat looked amazing. Pixar needs to do a Special Edition version of the original Toy Story with an 4K update.

D2C3uOsU0AAkn35.jpg



D4gwXW7WAAAglan.jpg
Ditto. But stop there. We don’t need remakes of their whole catalogue.
 

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