Toy Story 4

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? (09/08/2019)

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. (08/01/2020)

Every once in a while, I think it’s necessary to revisit our childhood years. The times when we all eagerly watched Toy Story as kids. I was a bit worried that the fourth installment might end up being just a straightforward recycling of everything from the previous films, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case. The old characters work as well as ever. And the new toy protagonists? Forky is quite nice. But I was especially pleasantly surprised by the Canadian motorcycle rider Duke Caboom. Although he appeared on screen for just a few minutes, he made the most of his moments. The story isn’t groundbreaking, but it was enough for me. The ending is quite emotional, so be sure to have some tissues ready. I give it a solid 7/10. (21/07/2024)

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. (10/08/2019)

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. (26/08/2019)