[Movie Review] Toys come in all forms – celebrate diversity with Toy Story 4

Toy Story 4 is the fourth installment in Pixar’s Toy Story series, and the sequel to 2010’s Toy Story 3. It is directed by Josh Cooley (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Andrew Stanton (who had co-written the first three movies) and Stephany Folsom; the three also conceived the story alongside John Lasseter (director of the first two installments in the franchise), Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Valerie LaPointe, and Martin Hynes. The movies stars the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Madeleine McGraw, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves, Ally Maki, Jay Hernandez, Lori Alan, and Joan Cusack.

Toy Story 4 continues from Toy Story 3, where Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear, among their other toy friends, have found new appreciation after being given by Andy to Bonnie. They are introduced to Forky, a spork that has been made into a toy and embark on a road trip adventure together.

For those who are old enough like yours truly, the first Toy Story movie was released back in 1995, a good 24 years ago! It’s amazing how timeless the tales of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and their friends are. It is 2019 now and my son and I are still enjoying stories about them.

Asher and I caught the preview screening of Toy Story 4 over the Father’s Day weekend and we both enjoyed it very much:

Other than the fact that the Toy Story series is such a timeless classic that can be enjoyed by all ages, my other big takeaway from the movie is that toys come in all forms and Toy Story 4 is really a celebration of diversity.

In the movie, there are toys like Forky who is made from recycled material (or trash), toys won from funfairs as well as vintage toys which are more like collectible antiques. What constitutes a toy is not as straight-forward as it seems and we ought to be inclusive.

Toy Story 4 is a beautifully animated movie with an entertaining storyline and engaging timeless characters. Just like the other Toy Story movies, it is a crowd-pleaser that is set to deliver big at the box office. Without giving away too much of the plot, the ending is a surprise outcome, but an adept way to wrap up the movie series (for now).

Toy Story 4 will be out in Singapore cinemas from 20 June. Go catch it!