The gang’s back for ‘Toy Story 4,’ but hardly at center stage

Twenty-four years is a long time – roughly a third of the average human’s life expectancy.
It’s also the amount of time between “Toy Story” (1995) and “Toy Story 4” (2019).

Every viewer of the series began watching it at a completely different era of their existence. People who saw the first one in the theater in their 20s could very well be taking their grandchild to the fourth one.

I watched the first one in a computer drawing class my senior year of high school. I saw “Toy Story 2” (1999) during a break between classes at UC Berkeley. In 2010, dreading my second of three moves that year, I got some relief seeing “Toy Story 3” with my swim team. With some of the same swimmers in attendance, we now revisited Woody and the gang as a team nine years later.

The toys don’t age, but they deal with the aging of the humans around them. In the first two films, Andy, the toys’ owner, is between 4 and 8 years old. In “Toy Story 3,” Andy is all grown up. Rather than box away his toys, he gives them to his neighbor Bonnie. The ending is universally known as a tearjerker for parents.

With “Toy Story 4,” the creators unfortunately do not jump ahead nine years in Bonnie’s life. Rather, she is just entering kindergarten. Bonnie recently demoted Woody (Tom Hanks, great as always) from his position as sheriff of the toys.

Anxious to be played with again, Woody hides in her backpack to help her overcome her fears on orientation day. Instead of getting back in Bonnie’s good graces, Woody and his entire gang must take a backseat to the toy Bonnie put together.

For the first time, the series explains that a child’s creation can take on life amongst other toys. Forky (Tony Hale) is born out of things (including a spork) other kids threw away. Thus, Forky spends a good deal of his early life trying desperately to get back to the trash. Woody, acting like Forky’s Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, does his best to keep his new friend from going back to the junk.

When Bonnie’s family embarks on a road trip, Forky and Woody get lost and end up at a small-town antique shop. Forky falls in with Gabby Gabby, a doll from days’ past looking for a new voice box so she can finally find her way out of the store. Along with her freaky ventriloquist dummies, she’ll do anything to get what she wants.

Woody also comes across Bo Peep (Annie Potts) from the first film. Her story of being an independent toy is very relevant in today’s world of female empowerment.

I’ve gotten to this point and haven’t even mentioned Buzz, Jessie, Rex, the Potato Heads and the rest of the toys. That’s because they have hardly anything to do other than worry about Woody. There is a lot going on in this film – most of it great. Just be aware that the focus is mostly on new and previously forgotten characters. B+

Jeff Mellinger is a screen writer and film buff. He holds a BA in Film Studies and an MFA in film production. He lives in Concord. Email comments to editor@pioneerpublishers.com.