Toy Story 4

In this latest entry in the long-running Pixar animated franchise, Andy is in college, so little Bonnie (Madeline McGraw) has inherited his beloved toys: Sheriff Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), Trixie (Kristen Schaal), Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), et al. In kindergarten orientation, nervous Bonnie crafts Forky (Tony Hale) from a discarded plastic spork, sporting mismatched googly eyes, pipe-cleaner arms, a wax-stick mouth, and popsicle-stick feet. “She literally made a new friend,” Woody tells everyone, explaining the clumsy creation. On a weekend RV road trip, Forky comes along, even though he’s convinced that as a utensil he belongs in the trash bin, not the toy box. Predictably, he gets lost, and it’s up to heroic Woody to find him. In an antique shop, Woody spies the lamp belonging to the shepherdess Bo Peep (Annie Potts), whom he hasn’t seen in years. Their reunion leads them to a defective doll, Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks), and her scarily servile ventriloquist-dummy pals who want to steal Woody’s pull-string voice-box. Plus, there’s Canadian daredevil motorcyclist Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) and a pair of carnival-prize stuffed animals (Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele). Director Josh Cooley cleverly explores the concepts of change, loss, letting go, and moving on, augmented as always by Randy Newman’s delightful score. Recommended. [Note: Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Josh Cooley and producer Mark Nielsen, deleted scenes (28 min.), the production featurettes “Toy Box” (13 min.), “Anatomy of a Scene: Playground” (10 min.), “Bo Rebooted” (7 min.), “Toy Stories” cast and crew memories (6 min.), “Let's Ride with Ally Maki” (6 min.), “Woody & Buzz” (4 min.), the brief “Carnival Run” and “View from the Roof,” as well as bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for another winning entry in the beloved franchise.] (S. Granger)