Review of Toy Story 4 (2019) by Dirigiblepulp — 31 Jul 2019

Less a full fledged sequel than an epilogue, to bring just a little bit more closure to Woody's arc. Like any epilogue, it's ultimately unnecessary. Does it need to exist? No. But is it ok that it does? Absolutely.

The parallels to the first film are constant and intentional. Woody must deal with the new toy on the block. Woody loses said new toy and must go on a quest to retrieve it to keep his owner happy, to do the right thing because his moral compass never pointed nowhere but true. He meets scary toys that aren't scary so much as misunderstood. All is well. Except Woody.

The circle of life comes full circle. This isn't 4, this is 1 all over again. But how many times can you repeat the same story, the same mistakes, the same resolutions? Woody takes a different exit this time. He loses his voice in life but gains perspective. And by doing so sets himself free, free to help all others, not just those close to him, to infinity and beyond.