Miss Mia

As a young adult who grew up with Toy Story as the forefront of my childhood, I have to say I am extremely disappointed with Toy Story 4. The first two movies had a true, deep meaning about friendship, loyalty and kindness. The toys went on an adventure that built strong friendships and showed great compassion, all while holding true to who they are - toys meant to make kids happy. It was about getting back to the kids to make them happy and making each other happy while doing so. They were fantastic heart felt movies that taught friendship, compassion and even taking proper care of your toys. The third movie was different, but in a brilliant manner that stroll rung true to the toy story franchise. As kids watching Toy Story, we grew up with Andy and we were finding ourselves in the same situation as the toys, wondering what was going to come next for us. It continued the passion from our childhood into our next stage of life, and ended in Andy realizing he was moving into a new stage of life, and they will mean as much to another little girl as they did to him. Despite all of this, the toys still stuck together. Their friendship was the most important thing, and while they were struggling with their new path of life, they knew it was their job to be there and do what they had to as Andy’s toys. The movie followed the same line of loyalty, friendship and compassion. And then there is Toy Story 4. First off, the humour in this movie, while funny, was very mature for a kids movie. And while the first Toy Story had some dark moments, the toys ended up being friendly and kind, and the evil kid was meant to teach a lesson about being kind to others (even toys). The darkness in Toy Story 4 was also more mature and different. The puppets didn’t really seem to have a purpose other than being scary. Gabby Gabby was cruel to Woddy, and although she had her reasons she never really seemed to learn a lesson, she just sort of got her way thanks to Woody’s kindness. So that is my first point about this movie’s lacking. Next, while Andy’s toys really were meant to be there for him, he was always there for them too. Maybe not every single one, but he stayed true to his favourites. He loved Woody all the way up to his departure, even when Buzz took the focus for a while. He knew the love of his toys and appreciated it... so to see Bonnie just leave Woody in the closet is really heartbreaking. She loved Woody, and you could really see that love when he showed up in the box at the end. That love in the 4th movie is just gone... that’s not a true Toy Story plot to me. In addition to that, there is Forky, and while it’s meant to represent her move into Preschool and her insecurities, in a movie true to the original plot, that’s what her toys would have been there for. They were there when their kids needed them. So, why weren’t they in Toy Story 4? Finally, the movie moves away from the idea of being there for the kids. It’s not about the kids, but it’s about the toys this time. It’s about their wants and needs, and frankly it’s a little selfish. I never grew up thinking Woody could be so selfish. Yes, he wanted to be played with and loved and he was used to being the favourite, but when he learned his lesson about friendship in the first movie, he grew to a better character who realized even if Andy played with Buzz more, he was still being his best self by being there for Andy when he needed him. Woody was okay with sitting in a box in the attic for YEARS, but he’s in a closet for a few months with Bonnie and now he’s given up all hope? He abandoned his friendships, he abandoned his kid. It’s not the same. It’s heartbreaking. It’s disappointing. I’m at a loss for words with this movie. It’s not Toy Story 4... it’s A New Woody Story...”