Toy Story 4 brings all the gang back together on probably one of their biggest adventures. What started back in 1995 with mind-blowing CGI brought the characters of Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) into the hearts of many and now 24 years later they bring even more laughter and few tears to cinema-goers.
Woody has seen so many changes in his magical life over the last 24 years, his Andy has grown up and now Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw) is growing her time with Woody is drawing to an end as Woody is getting left out of Bonnie’s imaginative adventures with the other toys, even Woody’s love interest Bo-Peep (Annie Potts) and her sheep have been taken away!
But a new toy comes on the scene, a “trash” toy that has been made by Bonnie the strange-looking “Forky” (Tony Hale), created from a pipe cleaner, lolly stick, googly eyes, spork and of course Bonnie’s imagination.
Toy Story 4 Screening Had No Kids!
I have to say that I was a little dubious about the fourth instalment of the franchise, after finding my seat at the screen in Cineworld at Broughton, I was somewhat surprised to see that there we no kids in the screening, but when looking around the age of the audience it was clear that the majority of them were those that would have seen Toy Story (1995) in the cinema when they were kids and a few that would have been in their late teens and mid-twenties for the first film.
One of the other things that shocked me, if that’s the right thing to say, is that as soon as the trailers had finished, mobile phones were switched off, pocketed and not one of them came out of the pockets throughout the film, a rarity in this day and age of cinema, shame all film screenings can’t be like that.
Woody, Buzz and Gang Take a Road Trip
Toy Story 4 steps out of the comfort zone of the house, kindergarten etc and the toys head out on a road trip with Bonnie and her parents, with Woody trying to keep Forky from running away from Bonnie and trying to head back to the trash.
There is a lovely scene where Woody is talking with Forky trying to explain he’s a toy and not trash and how Bonnie loves him, explaining how the kids grow up etc, which bring home what Woody has gone through himself, nicely done and visually delightful.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Toy Story movie if there wasn’t some kind of adventure involved and Toy Story 4 is no exception, the gang come across Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) an old doll in an antique shop that has her eyes on Woody and has sinister plans for him, look out for her gang of very freaky ventriloquist dolls that not only look creepy, they walk like some sort of deranged zombie doll!
The screening of Toy Story 4 that I went to see had the cinema-goers laughing out loud at many of the comedy moments throughout the film, this isn’t just a film for kids, Toy Story 4 is a film for the kids that have grown up with the characters since 1995 and for the adults that saw the first film in the cinema with their small kids or other family members.
The film has delightful scenes and some freaky ones, such as the Gabby Gabby bodyguards, but it also has some other new characters that are so much fun, such as Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) and the inseparable Bunny (Jordan Peele) and Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key), plus some returning characters, look out for “Tin Toy” and a possible Boo from Monsters Inc.
For me, Toy Story 4 is a delightful return to the form of the first film, I laughed and even had a lone tear at the end, but what an enjoyable 1h 40m spent in a cinema.
The Toy Story Road Trip
Movie title: Toy Story 4
Movie description: When a new toy called "Forky" joins Woody and the gang, a road trip alongside old and new friends reveals how big the world can be for a toy.
Date published: July 22, 2019
Director(s): Josh Cooley
Actor(s): Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
