Woody (Tom Hanks) is becoming more and more superfluous to his new owners playtime. In an effort to still feel relevant he appoints himself as guardian to new toy Forky (Tony Hale) when their family set out on a road trip, where he stumbles into old flame Bo Peep (Annie Potts).

Pixar and Disney have made a brave move in making a fourth Toy Story film. Whilst cynics might just consider it a cash grab, there is a lot at stake given just how good the original trilogy is. These films were cinematically groundbreaking and all round excellent. It’s original audience had also grown up too, with the four films now spanning twenty-four years! A poor show here could tarnish that legacy. Thankfully this film is very much up to the task and whilst it pushes aside the Woody/Buzz double act it’s a worthy addition. It’s amazing to think that my first foray into Toy Story would have been as a fourteen year old and my latest as a thirty-eight year old with children in tow. And I’m pretty confident I was more excited than they were!

The film opens with a “nine years ago” prologue that explains Bo Peep’s absence from Toy Story 3 and a nice montage that takes us back to present day and reminds us of the passing of Andy’s toys to Bonnie. When Bonnie makes Forky at pre-school out of a spork and some pipe cleaner he comes to life. Unaware of what a toy is, Forky is drawn to the trash and continually tries to throw himself away. This is where Woody finds new purpose, if he can save Forky he can keep Bonnie happy.

The fourth instalment of Toy Story differs from previous films in that it focuses on a love story between Woody and Bo when they are reunited through a road trip that takes the family to a Carnival and an Antique Store. Buzz (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the original gang are mostly sidelined with only a few moments to shine. The focus here is on Woody and Bo’s relationship and the delightful new characters. Ducky (Keegan-Michael Key) and Bunny (Jordan Peele) are a hilarious and slightly dark set of plush toys, Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves) is a glorious spoof of an Evil Knievel stunt driver and the new villains of the piece are a lonely misguided doll called Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) and her scary ventriloquist doll henchmen. (My five year old daughter did not like them!)

The animation and stylistic flourishes are amazing and it looks awesome. Bo’s use of skirts as capes are a lovely touch and her crook being used as a multi use tool is reminiscent of Rey’s staff in the new Star Wars trilogy. It also features new songs from Randy Newman and a return to some of the originals perfect score.

As you can probably tell I loved this film. It’s genuinely laugh out loud funny throughout and features a few heartstring tugging moments mixed in with scares and morals. And it really does work as an additional story to the trilogy.

Make sure to stay during the credits, there are a few sequences up to the mid point worth watching and if you want to stay for some dedications to collaborators who have passed away they appear at the end.