Toy Story 4

It's not as fresh as the first, or as funny and tight as the second, or as emotional as the third. But it finds its own note, which it plays so artfully that one cannot help but declare that Pixar bids farewell to its best franchise with exceptional honour and quality. What’s truly impressive is that it does it for the second time in the same series without repeating itself. My only complaint is that, with the exception of Woody, the original cast is present, but they play second, or even third fiddle. It may have been better if they hadn’t been there at all. (2019.08.09)

At first, this was an unwelcome continuation, which in the form of a search for the middle-aged life role bravely targets the most mature viewers and will please the youngest ones more or less only with Forky. Otherwise, it is a thoughtful and surprisingly decently terrifying walk through a nostalgic mind, which provides answers to questions I didn't realize I necessarily needed to know. If it weren't for the fact that the old gang (unfortunately, including Buzz) are relegated to the sidelines, I wouldn't have anything to say, because I once again laughed my head off and uncontrollably teared up at the end, just as expected. So, it's just half a step weaker than the original trilogy, but luckily my fears of an unnecessary appendix turned out to be completely unfounded. (2019.08.26)

A powerful story with a lesson for life that also has something for adults, who now and again find themselves with their eyes brimming with tears of nostalgia. The film offers kids a lesson and also some fun plush toys (bunny and ducky) with the humble ambition to kill someone. For girls it presents a strong, emancipated heroine and a little girl who prefers the woman sheriff to Woody. The men can just go away or spend the rest of their existence in the closet. My daughter will love this film in a couple of years. Pixar at its best. (2020.03.22)

Don't let it be pointless, don't let it be pointless, I thought to myself before the film started. But once it started, I didn't think about it anymore. It dawned on me how much I missed this world, and as time went on it became apparent that after the conclusion of Andy's story in the last installment, this time it would probably conclude Woody's story, and it all felt natural and logical – no setting up mush, but a full-fledged sequel/epilogue. Familiar characters were relied on as much as new ones and the result is fine, emotions of all kinds are just as impressive as Toy Story has always managed to be, and there's probably no point writing about the amazing animation. However, I must highlight the bombastically adventurous and melancholic music by Randy Newman (I am looking forward to the Czech dubbed version, as the songs will be sung by Michal Prokop). It wasn't unnecessary, it was beautiful. ____ P.S. I was disappointed that Pixar skipped the pre-movie short this time. Why? (2019.08.09)

If the load of Toy Story’s previous episodes was smart entertainment, the load of the fourth one is emotional. Really. A wholesome sequel that seemed redundant after the flawless third instalment, but that in the end manages to brilliantly complete the arc of Woody, entertain with genre tricks (when they dropped the music of The Shining in the antique shop, I fell into cinephile ecstasy), smartly bring in new characters that develop the ideas of the previous films, and deliver a finale that took my breath away with its emotional realism. Although I grunted a little at the popular secondary characters, I think this definitely completes the Toy Story and makes it one of the most beautiful in the history of animation. And there’s no doubt I will come back to it. 90% (2019.08.12)

The fourth excursion into the world of toys could have gone either way, given the number of sequels, and I'm really glad and grateful that the creators once again managed to serve up a beautifully made and written animated film that was also the swan song of Woody, Buzz and co. Although the beginning was a bit slower, from the moment Forky entered the scene everything started to pick up speed until the extremely touching ending. I very much enjoyed the setting of the old antique shop and its various inhabitants, the most striking of which was the doll Gabby as one of the most layered characters within her genre. Both lines with Woody – the first with Forky, the second with the Bo Peep – had their charm and I am glad that they did not slip into the waters of cheapness and infantilism, and that they tried again to embrace everything in a somewhat adult way. The work of toys never ends! And even though in this case it is the end of the Toy Story series, it is an exceedingly wonderful farewell. (2019.08.31)

Nine years is quite a gap, so I'm not surprised that everything is different. Still, Woody's priorities sure have changed a lot. What he was striving for in the first three parts has somehow disappeared. The fourth installment goes completely against its roots, which is why I probably like it the least. But I do find some of the ideas hilarious (Forky, emancipated Bo Peep, the gang of "villains"). The animation was perfect again and made me feel nostalgic. (2020.01.07)