One day she goes to kindergarten and makes a toy out of trash she calls Forky. She is kind to her toys but prefers other toys like playing with Jessie. As an old cowboy doll Woody is not a favorite toy of Bonnie. I think the people at Pixar realized this and that Toy Story 3 could not be the actual ending for these characters because as happy as it was for Bonnie it wasn’t really a happy ending for Woody. We could leave Woody to be played with by Bonnie but doesn’t that lead to the same cycle over and over again? Is that a happy ending for our friends? There has to be a way for them to progress or what once gave them joy (playing with a child) will become miserable. This leads us to the question of how can Pixar retire the toys if they can’t be killed? They have no bodily fluids so arms can be removed, they can be reassembled into new toys without any reduction to their sentience. As far as I can tell their sentience is eternal. So what about Toy Story 4? What is left to learn? Well, to answer that question we have to think about the nature of toys in this universe. In Toy Story 3 the team has struggled and become a family and that deep and abiding bond gets them through the prison that is the daycare center. It’s his mission and calling and it is more important than being worshiped in a Tokyo museum. Then we get to Toy Story 2 where Woody learns to think of Andy, and his commitment to letting Andy play with him as long as he wants. It is only through becoming friends with Buzz that Woody learns to let go of his pride and serve others. He begins the story as a good leader but as many leaders are, he’s also self-interested and prone to jealousy and deep insecurities. In Toy Story we have a confident Woody who learns to be a friend to the new and different Buzz. It’s impossible to talk about Toy Story 4 without discussing the trajectory of the previous 3 films. Toy Story 4 is another wonderful addition to our team of toys and a fitting conclusion to our best friend Woody’s story. How could Pixar bring another entry into their treasured franchise after Toy Story 3 ended in such a satisfying way? It seemed like an impossible task but the Pixar folks have always said they only do sequels if they have a story, so I trusted them to get it right! Today I am happy to tell you my trust was not in vain. Like many people I was a bit anxious when I heard the announcement of Toy Story 4.
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