By Aaron Schweitzer
I was born in 1995 when the first one came out and went to college the summer that Toy Story 3 came out. These movies have basically grown up with me. Quick illustration: The original was practically a babysitter for me and I wore out our original VHS quickly after its initial release. Shortly after my parents got a replacement, I got on the kitchen cabinets and tried to jump off of them claiming that I was like Buzz Lightyear. Needless to say, if you could open the movie shelf in my heart you would see this franchise sitting there. But something special happened at this movie that I cannot say happened in a previous Toy Story movie. It ended and I really was not sure how I felt about it.
Let’s start with the positives. These characters that we have known and loved and grown up with are the same. They really seem like the Woody and Buzz that my 2-year-old self knew just as well. The ones introduced in Toy Story 3 already feel a part of the original gang. The new characters are charming, delightful, creepy; pretty much exactly what they need to be. There are plenty of new characters to come around including Forky, but also Duke Kaboom, Ducky, and Bunny; all of which I really hope to see more of. Also, apparently Betty White plays a toy called Bitey White, so if that’s not your favorite thing, we can’t be friends. Of course, because this is a Pixar movie, the animation is simply flawless. The story is original and hits on new themes. The music is perfect. Lastly, this movie is the funniest that Toy Story, or even Pixar for that matter, has ever been. And there are so many more things to say that are an absolute joy about this movie.
But I have two very serious cons to this movie that I want to talk about as briefly as possible while trying to avoid heavy spoilers. Firstly, this movie feels more like a Woody spin- off than a Toy Story movie and on some level that works and on others it just leaves me wanting more. I feel like Buzz Lightyear and other major characters were really given the backseat and don’t get too much time to shine. I want to spend time with all of these characters, not just our main cowboy. Take that how you will. But here is the point that bothers me more: the ending is just not as satisfying as I wanted it to be. Toy Story 3 was the perfect ending to this saga and I welcomed Toy Story 4 with open arms, but I really think that while I love this movie, I would rather this be story that takes place before 3 so that you can have that perfect ending. And when this movie does end, of course I was in tears, but I also really did not want the ending that they chose to be the real one. I think I feel the same way about Toy Story 4 as much as many fans feel about The Last Jedi. It was not until the mid-credits scenes that I really started to become okay with the new reality that they have set up.
The Verdict: At the end of the day, I laughed, I cried, I want to watch it again, I want to see a Toy Story 5 and maybe even an expanded universe, I can’t wait to see the bonus features, and I have so many more things to say that I absolutely loved about this movie and the issues I have with it, I see both positives and negatives to. I think the more I watch this movie, especially with what Pixar does in the future, I am going to love this movie more and more. If I have to rank the Toy Story’s I think it goes 3, 1, 2, 4, but this is still absolutely a home run. The worst Toy Story movie is still an amazing movie.
Grade: A-