Talks for a fourthToy Story film began in 2010, and Hanks stated that Pixar was working on the film in 2011. When the film was officially announced in November 2014 during an investor's call, it was reported that the film would be directed by Lasseter, who later announced it would be a love story, after writing afilm treatment with Stanton, and input fromPete Docter andLee Unkrich, while Galyn Susman would serve as the producer. Cooley was announced as the film's co-director in March 2015, while Pixar presidentJim Morris described the film as a romantic comedy and said it would not be a continuation of the third film. In 2016, Cooley replaced Lasseter as the film's new director. New characters for the film were announced in 2018 and 2019 along with new cast members. ComposerRandy Newman returned to score the film, marking his ninth collaboration with Pixar.
Toy Story 4 premiered inHollywood, Los Angeles, on June 11, 2019, and was released in the United States on June 21. It grossed $1.074 billion worldwide, becoming theeighth-highest-grossing film of 2019 and is the highest-grossing film in the franchise, marginally surpassingToy Story 3. Like its predecessors, the film received acclaim from critics, with praise for its story, humor, emotional depth, musical score, animation, and vocal performances. The film was nominated for two awards at the92nd Academy Awards, winningBest Animated Feature, and receivednumerous other accolades. A sequel,Toy Story 5, is scheduled to be released on June 19, 2026.
Plot
Nine years ago,Woody andBo Peep rescue Andy's remote control car,RC, from being washed away in a storm, before Bo and her lamp are donated to a new owner. Woody attempts to rescue her, but she insists it is okay as it is "time for the next kid". She asks Woody to come with her but when he hears Andy calling out for him, he chooses to stay.
In the present day, after a college-bound Andy has donated his toys to Bonnie,[c] Woody struggles to adapt as Bonnie shows little interest in playing with him and her toys already have a leader. Bonnie is quite nervous about starting kindergarten, so Woody sneaks into her backpack as moral support. When she creates a spork at herkindergarten orientation, it comes to life asForky. Forky suffers anexistential crisis, seeing himself as trash, not a toy. As Forky quickly becomes Bonnie's favorite toy, Woody tries to stop Forky from throwing himself away.
When Bonnie's family goes on a road trip, Forky jumps out of the window of the RV, and Woody goes after him. As they walk to the park, Woody convinces Forky that his place is with Bonnie, and Forky overcomes his existential crisis. As they pass an antique store, he recognizes Bo Peep's lamp in the window, and detours inside to find her. They encounter a talking doll namedGabby Gabby and herventriloquist dummy friends, who try to take Woody's voicebox to replace Gabby's broken one. Woody escapes, though Forky becomes Gabby's prisoner. At a playground nearby, Woody reunites with Bo and her sheep, who have become "lost toys", free from owners and able to do as they please, along with their new friendGiggle McDimples. They agree to help Woody rescue Forky.
Buzz Lightyear, trying to find Woody, gets lost in atraveling carnival and encounters prize toys Bunny and Ducky. They find Woody and Bo, who take them tostunt bike toyDuke Caboom. They attempt to rescue Forky, only to nearly get killed by the store owner's cat. The toys refuse to go back due to the danger, but Woody, who doesn't believe in leaving toys behind, inadvertently insults Bo's lost toy nature, leaving her and Buzz to rescue Forky. When he confronts Gabby, she explains that she means no harm only wanting his voice box so she can be played with by the store owner's granddaughter, Harmony. Woody agrees, only for Harmony to reject Gabby afterwards.
Woody sends Forky to the RV and convinces Gabby to return to Bonnie's house with him. Bo, Caboom, and the rest of the gang return and help the pair escape, and Bo and Woody reconcile. Jessie rallies Bonnie's toys to use the RV to drive back to the fair. On the way, Gabby notices a lost child at the carnival and leaves the group to comfort her until the parents arrive; the girl takes Gabby with her. Woody is hesitant to leave Bo again; Buzz assures him that Bonnie will be okay without him. Woody shares an emotional goodbye with his friends and joins Bo as a "lost toy". Some time later, the "lost toys" travel with the carnival and help prize toys find owners, while Bonnie creates a companion for Forky from a plastic knife.
Development onToy Story 4 began shortly before the release ofToy Story 3 (2010).[29]Tom Hanks andTim Allen had tentatively signed on to reprise their roles of Woody and Buzz; Hanks stated the following year that he believed Pixar was working on a sequel.[6][30] Then-studio head of PixarJohn Lasseter, who directed the first two films and executive-produced the third, was scheduled to return to direct after writing afilm treatment withAndrew Stanton, with input fromPete Docter andLee Unkrich.Rashida Jones andWill McCormack joined as writers, with Galyn Susman returning as a producer fromToy Story short subjects.[31] Lasseter explained that Pixar decided to produce the sequel because of their "pure passion" for the series, and that the film would be a love story.[32] He also felt that "[Pixar] never even talked about doing anotherToy Story film. But when Andrew, Pete, Lee and I came up with this new idea, I just could not stop thinking about it. It was so exciting to me, I knew we had to make this movie—and I wanted to direct it myself".[33] According to Lasseter, the film was kept so secret that even Morris and his bossEdwin Catmull had no knowledge of it until the treatment was finished. He stressed that "we do not do any sequel because we want to print money" but rather to tell a new story.[34]
In March 2015, Pixar presidentJim Morris described the film as aromantic comedy and said it would not be a continuation of the third film.[35][36]Josh Cooley was revealed to be the film's co-director that month.[37] While concluding work onInside Out (2015) and directing its shortRiley's First Date (2015), Cooley was invited by Lasseter to join the project as co-director, a role Cooley accepted.[38] Docter, Hanks, and producerJonas Rivera were conscious that Cooley made another "younger generation" for filmmakers.[39] At theD23 Expo in August 2015, Lasseter revealed thatToy Story 4 would be a love story between Woody and Bo Peep, and the story would involve Woody and Buzz Lightyear setting out to find and bring Bo back home.[40] In 2016, Cooley replaced Lasseter as the director of the film and re-conceived the story as well as the purpose of Bo's return to the series.[38][39] At the D23 Expo in July 2017, Pixar announced Cooley as the film's new director.[41] In November 2017, Jones and McCormack were revealed to have withdrawn during production, citing "philosophical differences".[42]
Writing
It was important that it felt like [Toy Story 4] wasn't just another adventure. It had to have meaning to it, so that it left as important as the last one. I knew that there had to be a major change to Woody, and I used the fact that I was in this whole new position [as a first-time feature director] and the way I was feeling as inspiration for Woody being in a whole new room - a whole new position - as well. My questions and insecurity and not knowing quite how it was all going to develop were my inspiration.
After writing a treatment forToy Story 3 (2010), Stanton wrote one forToy Story 4.[44] This enabled Cooley to explore more ideas for Woody's overall story in the franchise, including an attempt to conclude the character's arc. Cooley and Rivera consideredToy Story 3 as the culmination of Woody and Andy's relationship; Rivera reasoned it that the franchise's focus was Woody.[45][46]
By January 2018, Disney had confirmed that the screenplay was being written byStephany Folsom,[47] who eventually rewrote three quarters of Jones and McCormack's original script, according toAnnie Potts.[48][49] Folsom collaborated on the screenplay with Stanton, who had co-written the first two films.[4][50]
According to Cooley, the center of the film's updated screenplay was around the relationship of Woody and Bo Peep. Bo Peep had been absent inToy Story 3, explained narratively as Bo Peep having been given away. This had set the stage for the conclusion of the third film, with Woody getting the idea to give Andy's toys to Bonnie. Cooley said that when they thought about bringing Bo Peep back in the fourth film, it was not only to rekindle the romantic interest between Woody and Bo Peep. Bo Peep's becoming a lost toy also reflects a fear Woody has had through the series, and challenges his world view.[51][52] Allen said that the film's story was "so emotional" that he "couldn't even get through the last scene".[53] Similarly, Hanks called the film's ending scene a "moment in history".[54]
Voice recording began in September 2018 and ended in January 2019.[53][55] Most of the previous voice actors, including Hanks and Allen, signed on to reprise their roles. Hanks stated in May 2016 that he had recorded his first lines for Woody.[5][56] Potts was confirmed to return as Bo Peep, after being absent fromToy Story 3.[7] She was told by Pixar's then chief creative officer John Lasseter that her character's absence in the third film was attributed to them saving her for the fourth.[49]Don Rickles intended to reprise his role asMr. Potato Head, but died in April 2017,[57] before any lines were recorded as the script was still being rewritten.[58] According to Cooley, Rickles' family contacted Pixar to search ways for his inclusion in the film. Pixar reviewed 25 years of archival material that Rickles had participated in, including unused lines from the first threeToy Story films, video games and other related media for the franchise, and other works, and repurposed them for use within the film.[24] The film is dedicated to both Rickles and animator Adam Burke, who died in 2017 and 2018, respectively.[59][60]
Tony Hale was cast as Forky, a homemade toy suffering an existential crisis. Hale has performed roles before with similar panicked characters, including Buster Bluth onArrested Development and Gary Walsh onVeep. When asked to voice Forky, Hale said, "A utensil's existential crisis? I'm in!"[61]Keegan-Michael Key andJordan Peele were cast as a pair of carnival prize plush toys named Ducky and Bunny. Cooley said that while they brought them on to provide some improvised comedy to the film, "they were story motivated which elevated Ducky and Bunny and the film to a level I never could have expected."[62] Additionally,Keanu Reeves was announced to be voicing a character in the film[14] named Duke Caboom.[15] Reeves said he was contacted by Pixar, much to his surprise, with the intention of voicing the part and letting him develop the character's verbal mannerisms.[63] On March 22, 2019,Madeleine McGraw, who had previously voiced Maddy McGear in Pixar'sCars 3, was revealed to be voicing Bonnie, who was voiced by Emily Hahn in the previous film and other works.[11] ComediansCarol Burnett,Mel Brooks,Carl Reiner, andBetty White were added to the cast to voice a set of four toys that Bonnie played with as a toddler but had since outgrown, acting as "veteran" toys to help Woody prepare for when the same happens to him.[26]
Randy Newman, who composed and wrote songs for the previous three films, was confirmed to be returning during the 2015D23 Expo.[64][65] DirectorJosh Cooley said that he hired Newman to return because he "can't imagine making a fourth [film] without Randy Newman."[59] Newman wrote new themes for Bonnie, Gabby Gabby, and Duke Caboom, with the latter's featuring accordions and mandolins to represent the character's memories of rejection.[59] He also wrote a "subordinate theme" for Forky.[59] Newman also reused his previous orchestral themes from the first three films. He wrote two new songs for the film, titled "The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy" and "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away", with Newman also performing the latter.[59] On June 5, 2019,Chris Stapleton's version of "Cowboy" was released as a single.[66] The film's soundtrack, featuring Newman's score, Stapleton's and Newman's versions of the two new songs, and Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me", was released on June 21, 2019.[59][66]
Release
The film was initially scheduled for release on June 16, 2017,[67] but was postponed to June 15, 2018,[68] and finally to June 21, 2019.[69]Toy Story 4 premiered on June 11, 2019, at theEl Capitan Theatre inHollywood, Los Angeles.[70] The film was also released inIMAX.[71]
Toy Story 4 is the first Pixar film since their first film, the firstToy Story (1995), to play worldwide without a short and the third overall to play without one at some point during its theatrical run afterToy Story andCoco (2017).[72][73]Toy Story 4 producers Mark Nielsen andJonas Rivera explained that the people at the studio were needed to work on their feature films at the time which did not allow for the resources to make their usual short films, and they also cited the studio's focus on making shorts in the form of theSparkShorts moving forward.[74] The release ofToy Story 4 without a short began a new trend for Pixar in which new theatrical shorts were only occasionally released before their new films.[75][76][77][78]
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment releasedToy Story 4 fordigital download on October 1, 2019, and onUltra HD Blu-ray,Blu-ray, andDVD on October 8. Physical copies contain behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes.[79] The film made a revenue of $56.3 million from home video sales with 2.8 million units sold, making it the fifth best-selling film of 2019.[80]
Reception
Box office
Toy Story 4 grossed$434 million in the United States and Canada, and $639.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.074 billion.[3] It was theeighth-highest-grossing film of 2019.[81] The film had a worldwide opening of $244.5 million, thebiggest for an animated film at the time.[82] It crossed the billion dollar mark on August 13, 2019, becoming the 43rd film as well as the fourth Pixar film to ever do so.[83] It was also the fifth film released by Disney in 2019, and sixth overall, to cross the milestone, both records for a single year.[84]Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $368million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it sixth on their list of 2019's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[85]
In the United States and Canada, on May 28, 2019,Toy Story 4 set the records onFandango for most tickets sold by an animated film in its first 24 hours of pre-sales (bestingIncredibles 2), while Atom Tickets reported it sold nearly 50% more than the previous three highest-selling animated films combined did in their first day (Incredibles 2,Ralph Breaks the Internet, andHotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation).[86] Released alongsideChild's Play andAnna on June 21, 2019,Toy Story 4 played in 4,575 theaters, the second-most all-time behindAvengers: Endgame.[87][88]Toy Story 4 made $47.4 million on its first day, including $12 million from Thursday night previews, the second-highest amount for an animated film, behindIncredibles 2.[89] It went on to debut to $120.9 million.[90][91] Although below projections, executives at Disney were satisfied with the debut, since it continued Pixar's "remarkable consistency" at the box office and showed "proof of audiences' long-time love for theToy Story franchise."[92][93] Additionally, it was the best opening of the series, the biggest for a G-rated film and the fourth-highest of all-time for an animated film.[82][91][94][95] The film opened in the number one spot and retained the top position at the box office the following weekend, but it was dethroned bySpider-Man: Far From Home in July.[96] Its second weekend saw the box office drop by 51% to $59.7 million,[97] andToy Story 4 grossed another $34.3 million the following weekend.[98] In August 2019, the film surpassed the traditionally animated version ofThe Lion King (1994, $422 million including re-releases), which held the title for the last 25 years (1994–2003 and 2011–2019) to become the highest-grossing G-rated film of all-time domestically.[99] It ended up being thefifth highest-grossing film of 2019 in this region.[100]
In other territories, the film opened day-and-date with the U.S. in 37 countries (64% of its total market), and was projected to gross around $100 million abroad for a global debut of $260 million.[87] In China, where the film opened alongside a re-release ofSpirited Away (2001), it was expected to debut to $15–20 million.[2] Through September 2, 2019, the film's largest markets were Japan ($90.1 million), the United Kingdom ($79.9 million, third highest all-time for an animated film), Mexico ($72 million), Brazil ($32.5 million), France ($29.2 million), China ($29.1 million), Argentina ($28.9 million), Australia ($28.9 million), and South Korea ($24.7 million).[84][101]
Critical response
On review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes,Toy Story 4 holds an approval rating of 96% based on 457 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Heartwarming, funny, and beautifully animated,Toy Story 4 manages the unlikely feat of extending – and perhaps concluding – a practically perfect animated saga."[102]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 84 out of 100 based on 57 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[103] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, and 89% of those atPostTrak gave it a positive score, with 75% saying they would definitely recommend it.[82]
The film received a four-star rating from Matt Zoller Seitz ofRogerEbert.com, who wrote "This franchise has demonstrated an impressive ability to beat the odds and reinvent itself, over a span of time long enough for two generations to grow up in. It's a toy store of ideas, with new wonders in every aisle."[104]The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday also gave the film four out of four stars and praised its "visually dazzling concoction of wily schemes and daring adventures", as well as achieving "a near-perfect balance between familiarity and novelty, action and emotion, and joyful hellos and more bittersweet goodbyes."[105] Peter DeBruge ofVariety wrote "Toy Story ushered in the era of computer-animated cartoon features, and the fourth movie wraps up the saga beautifully. At least, for now."[27]The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin wrote "Toy Story 4 reaffirms that Pixar, at their best, are like no other animation studio around."[106]
Writing forIndieWire, David Ehrlich gave the film a grade of B+ and wrote "Clever, breathless, and never manic just for the sake of keeping your kids' eyes busy, the action inToy Story 4 is character-driven and paced to perfection."[107]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone, who gave the film four-and-a-half stars out of five stars, praised its "visual pow, pinwheeling fun and soulful feeling" and lauded the voice performance ofTony Hale asForky.[108]Joe Morgenstern ofThe Wall Street Journal said that "the new film isn't flawless, but it's hugely enjoyable and speaks, with bewitching buoyancy, to nothing less than the purpose of living and the mystery of life."[109] While Peter Rainer ofThe Christian Science Monitor wrote that the film did not put him "through the emotional wringer the way its predecessor did," he still gave it a grade of A− and said "it's consistently inventive, funny, witty, and heartfelt. In other words, it's a lot better than it has any right to be. It's more than good enough to justify its existence."[110]
Conversely, Kyle Smith ofNational Review called the film "the weakest effort in the series", criticizing the characterization, and felt it prioritized comedy while the story's underlying themes were "tossed out haphazardly without much follow-through". He wrote, "It may be an essential element of Disney's corporate strategy, but as a film it's forgettable."[111]
A sequel,Toy Story 5, is scheduled to be released on June 19, 2026.[118]
Short film
A short film titledLamp Life reveals Bo Peep's whereabouts between leaving and reuniting with Woody.[119] The short was released onDisney+ on January 31, 2020.[120]
A 10-episode short-form educational series,Forky Asks a Question, debuted exclusively on theDisney+ streaming service upon its launch on November 12, 2019.[121] It focuses mainly on Forky, but otherToy Story characters such as Rex, Hamm, Trixie, Buttercup, and Mr. Pricklepants also make appearances.
Lawsuit
Evel Knievel's son Kelly and K&K Promotions sued Disney and Pixar in September 2020 for using his father's likeness without permission to the character Duke Caboom.[122][123][124] On September 23, 2021, the judge dismissed the case and stated "Duke Caboom is not a carbon copy of Evel Knievel minus a few details, The Duke Caboom action figure is a representation of Disney's expression in the film and not an attempt to imitate Evel Knievel."[125]
^Shanley, Patrick (January 18, 2018)."'Toy Story 4' Finds Its Writer".The Hollywood Reporter.Archived from the original on August 6, 2021. RetrievedSeptember 21, 2022.
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