'Toy Story 4' is a fitting farewell to Pixar's first franchise.

Story

After the events of Toy Story 3, Woodie and the gang have found a new home with Bonnie. While on a road trip with a new toy she created a new toy named Forky, they find out that there may be more in the world than they thought.

It's no secret that I was a little sceptical of this movie. Even though I have complete faith in Pixar, I  didn't know where the story could go, seeing as the last film felt like an ending. That being said, the story in this makes sense. It's like a soft reboot. While Toy Story 3 was an ending, it was Andy's ending. This movie is its own thing and it has room to tell a different type of story while still being true to the original.

Acting 

The original cast has my heart. I cannot talk about this movie without mentioning Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. The two of them are the heart of the franchise and their off-screen relationship translates to their on-screen relationship. Woody and Buzz are like brothers at this point and seeing the way they interact with each other really warms my heart.

The whole cast feels like a family. Typically voice actors don't record in the same booth, but in instances like this one, the actors feel like they're in the same room and much like Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, it comes from a place of comfort. A lot of them have been with this franchise for over 15 years and with that comes a deep love and understanding of not just the characters but of the other actors.

There are also new additions to the Toy Story franchise who are absolutely brilliant, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele who are absolutely hilarious (but then again what else do you expect), Christina Hendricks, Tony Hale and Keanu Reeves who is a scene-stealer. Duke Kaboom is perfect in every single way and I want to see more of him. 

Writing/Direction

This is Josh Cooley's dire choral debut and as fas as debut's go, this was a really good one. He's been part of Pixar since 2004, working as a screenwriter and storyboard artist and it's clear that he understands how the Pixar machine works. This movie a great addition to Pixar's collection.

The writers knew exactly what they wanted to do with the characters and the story and because of that, the story doesn't feel like its dragging in the unnecessary places.  This movie also has great balance. It's funny, dramatic and emotional all while never losing the core themes that we've attached to the Toy Story franchise. 

Animation  

When the Incredibles 2 came out last year, I remember saying that the difference in the quality of animation was evident when you put the first and second movies next to each other. and this one is no different. The animation in this movie is incredible. There are scenes that look like CGI incorporated in real backgrounds and that goes to show the amount of work that the animators put into making this movie.  There is an insane amount of detail put into the tiniest things from dust particles to lint makes the movies look and feel 'real (for lack of a better word. the world you know and love has been given a facelift and it has never looked better.

The animation also plays with perspective really well. The whole Toy Story franchise is told from the perspective of toys and none of the other movies have shown that the way this one has. This is because most of this movie takes places outside the confines of pretty small space like bedrooms, classrooms and offices.

Insider covered the evolution of the animation of Pixar's animation from Toy Story till Toy Story 4 here. 

Score/Soundtrack 

You've got a friend in my by Randy Newman is the song that we all associate with this franchise and I couldn't help but sing along in the cinema. Seeing as Randy Newman has scored every Toy Story movie the scores sound similar enough that you associate it with Toy Story franchise but different enough that each one stands out on its own. Randy Newman has built on an already established sound and it has evolved and grown much like the characters without losing what makes it special.

I'm just going to leave this here for your viewing pleasure.

Overall Thoughts

When this movie was announced, I was very sceptical as I loved the poetic ending of the last movie. It was the perfect ending and even though I have complete faith in Pixar, I wasn't sure that they could deliver a movie on par with the previous instalments, but I'm happy that I was wrong. I loved this movie. It filled me with a sense of wonder and childlike joy that I don't get to feel very often. It was the perfect blend of humour, emotion and heart. While this isn't my favourite Toy Story movie, (Nothing can beat Toy Story 2 for me) this is a fantastic addition to the series.

These movies have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and to see it come to an end is upsetting and while the end of Toy Story was the perfect ending, in my opinion, this one really is something special. It also has some lessons that we can all learn as most Pixar movies do.

Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to listen to 'You've got a Friend in Me' and cry that my childhood is ending.