ever since Disney bought out Pixar in 2006, the company's decade-plus streak of original home-run pictures (save one sequel, Toy Story 2) ran up against its new owner's franchise and sequel imperative. other than the last Toy Story sequel (3) none of the other additions to the Finding Nemo, Incredibles, or Monsters Inc. series landed with me in the same way that their originals did. perhaps recognizing that diminishing returns weren't really Pixar's mission, the company has (apparently) committed to an original-based lineup going forward. but before the next wave of completely new stories, they decided that TS3's deep level of closure nothwithstanding, Woody, Buzz & Co. still had some unfinished business.
i remained skeptical -- TS3 is perhaps as perfect an ending to a trilogy that i can think of. but even if TS4 doesn't feel as existential to the toys' arcs it still delivers the level of emotional story quality that the other Pixar sequels never seemed to. the plot details are not particularly novel -- yes, there will be lost toys that Woody and/or Buzz have to rescue and return to their new owner, Bonnie. some old faces from the first two return, and plenty of new fun characters to meet (who i guess we will never get to see again now). the climactic turn for one of Andy's original favorites is telegraphed from a mile away but that in no way undercuts the gut punch when it does come. if this is how we finally leave the gang so many years later now (and i hope it is), it's a satisfying coda.
(on a purely technical level, the animation and "sets" are often photorealistic to a degree that is breathtaking even by Pixar's gold standard. it really does raise the bar as to what the seeming limits of a CGI world can be portrayed onscreen as)
i remained skeptical -- TS3 is perhaps as perfect an ending to a trilogy that i can think of. but even if TS4 doesn't feel as existential to the toys' arcs it still delivers the level of emotional story quality that the other Pixar sequels never seemed to. the plot details are not particularly novel -- yes, there will be lost toys that Woody and/or Buzz have to rescue and return to their new owner, Bonnie. some old faces from the first two return, and plenty of new fun characters to meet (who i guess we will never get to see again now). the climactic turn for one of Andy's original favorites is telegraphed from a mile away but that in no way undercuts the gut punch when it does come. if this is how we finally leave the gang so many years later now (and i hope it is), it's a satisfying coda.
(on a purely technical level, the animation and "sets" are often photorealistic to a degree that is breathtaking even by Pixar's gold standard. it really does raise the bar as to what the seeming limits of a CGI world can be portrayed onscreen as)
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