There’s something to be said about the power of the child’s imagination. The ability to create, the something out of nothing. What if we all took that time to look at the world? What if we faced the world with the eyes of creation? Rather than seeing things for what they are, see them for what they can be. What if, much like a child, we see the potential of the world rather than the reality. And so, come with me as we ask the question, What is a toy?
There are many interesting questions posed by Toy Story 4. But one of the biggest ones it talks about is who has value and what is truly a toy. And thus we are introduced to Forky (Tony Hale). Forky spends much of the movie questioning his own reality. He lacks a full understanding for whether or not he is a toy. In his mind, he is not, he’s trash. But in the mind of Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw) he’s a precious toy. Bonnie makes him real, Bonnie makes him a toy. It is through her imagination that he comes to life and is given value. So when we look at a pile of trash, do we see a spork, a pipe cleaner, and a popsicle stick or do we see a new friend? Likewise when we see something around us, do we only see it for what it appears to be, or do we see it for something it could be if we only thought outside of the box.
Bonnie adores Forky, and Woody (Tom Hanks) sees this. His tenure as a toy has taught him how all toys, no matter how different, have value within the eyes of their kid. Woody spends much of the beginning of the movie convincing Forky that he is much more important than the trash he was made out of. He is in fact greater than the sum of his parts. Often in life we have to look at things the way Bonnie sees Forky. She created him with scraps but ultimately found those odd things to have value and used them to build herself something comforting and familiar. Often when given odd things, we cast them aside before giving them a chance. We look at the trash in our lives as just trash. But as the old adage goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Often we discard things before seeing the full potential, but in the right hands, those same things can be turned into something valuable.
But it is not only through Bonnie that Forky has value, eventually Forky learns he too has value. He finds his worth in Bonnie promotes worth in himself. And by the end of his saga within Toy Story 4, Forky has found himself. He sees his own value and he now knows that he is not in fact trash. Seeing the potential within those around us is even more important than seeing the value in things. People all have value, no matter how odd, or different, or unable to find their place in the world. What if instead of making harsh assumptions about those around us, we helped them find their value, their place, their calling. There is potential for everyone if we all just looks at them the way that Woody looks at Forky.
Here is my breakdown for reviewing and ranking the movies of the Pixar series:
Voice Performances
Storyline
Worldbuilding
Most Memorable Scene
Villain
Each category will be ranked on a scale of 10 points for a possible total of 50.
So here is my breakdown for Toy Story 4:
Voice Acting: The biggest issue I have is how little time it gives to a majority of its original cast. While Tom Hanks and Tim Allen get a significant amount of time to play, the remaining cast members are replaced by a new group of popular actors and it loses some of the impact because the time we thought we were saying goodbye was not it, replaced instead by a someone subpar sendoff. (6/10)
Storyline: The plot of this one is actually one of the most creative and interesting ones, it answers deep questions and really shows how toys can be resourceful in news ways and the treatment of older toys affect them. It’s not the most complex but it’s a very well told story (8/10)
Worldbuilding: The introduction of both antiques and carnival toys allows this movie to expand into new areas it had not ventured into yet. It shows a new world and we are no longer forced to hold within the simple and the suburban. And the idea that lost toys can have rich lives apart from children is a very unique and powerful story about what happens to our toys when we finally see them go. (8/10)
Most Memorable Scene: The finale of this movie is well staged, it has tension, it has humor, it has daring, it has heart. It allows for character redemption and big final gestures. It’s a great finale, and it’s only downfall is that it has to live up to the finale’s of it predecessors and it doesn’t quite make it there. (7/10)
Villain: Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) is a really solid villain. But unlike many of the previous Pixar villains, the thing about her that really makes her great is how her struggle is not rooted in malevolence, but rather in a genuine pain and longing for that void inside her to be filled. And by the end, she is able to see that her value is much more than one moment or one kid, and she gets a moment of redemption. (7/10)
Total Score: 36/50
Current Ranking:
The Incredibles
Coco
Toy Story 2
Inside Out
Toy Story 3
Ratatouille
Brave
Monsters, Inc.
Toy Story
A Bug’s Life
Incredibles 2
Toy Story 4
Monsters University
WALL-E
Cars 3
Finding Dory
Up
Finding Nemo
The Good Dinosaur
Cars 2
Cars
And then there were 2. With all the sequels out of the way we get to go into new territory and explore some original ideas. Next week’s movie is about a few topics I really enjoy so I’m sure I’ll have some fun things to say about that. Come back then, and as always, thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated!
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