Another Toy Story 4 trailer is here. Trilogies are a thing of the past. I mean, come on, look to the industry and tell me when any of these film franchises will end. You can’t? Thought as much. So, I know there is one way to kill a franchise. Is it to starve it of artistic integrity and good storytelling, you may ask? No, of course not. The answer is to starve it of money. Big surprise; one of the trilogies we thought was done is back for its fourth instalment. Toy Story 4 the film no one asked for and no one expected, and one that I touched on in my Superbowl recap. After finishing off a well-constructed narrative arc in the third instalment, where can this story go? Pixar really is just trying to rake in the cash now, aren’t they? These were just a few of my thoughts upon first hearing of this fourth instalment. So, now that we have a trailer, why don’t we see if it alleviates my preconceived doubts of this film’s necessity and thoughts that Pixar really has fully given into the mouse’s ever-growing greed.
The trailer begins with Woody presenting to all his friends a new toy. However, this toy is different; the current owner of Andy’s old gang, Bonnie made this toy. It’s a spork with pipe cleaner arms. Yep, a spork with pipe cleaner arms that can talk, because somehow it is now classified as a toy. I guess once you stick together random inanimate objects and give it a face you create life in this world…okay. It should be quite clear that I don’t like the spork, it’s weird and doesn’t sit well with me. The thing is… I can’t say it’s a bad idea, just a really weird one. From here, the spork seems to have an existential crisis during a road trip and jumps out the window with Woody following close behind. This existential crisis seems like it is going to be a central theme throughout the film, but again, having it come from this weird spork, toy, hybrid thing is off-putting. From here, Woody and Forky (yes, it’s a spork called Forky) bump into an old friend and the most interesting part of the trailer ensues. A small sort of horror chase sequence with Woody and co being chased by what looks like various Slappy the Dummy toys (the dummy from Goosebumps) ensues. Toy Story has never shied away from scary imagery, but for people who hate dolls, this scene is going to be especially hard to watch. Then, we receive two more sort-of main plot points; one familiar and one not as much. Buzz is left behind with the task of going to find his missing friends, something we have definitely seen in these films before, while Woody reunites with Bo-Peep who was presumably lost and is also now a badass. Bo-Peep seems to want to change Woody’s allegiances away from owner Bonnie because… reasons?
So does this trailer stink of greed and a lack of artistic integrity? Not any more than Toy Story 3 initially did. There seems to be a story that the creators at Pixar want to tell here. Whether it’s entirely focused on a sort of analogy for a midlife crisis in the form of a spork, I don’t know, What I do know is that while we are partially getting a story we have seen before, there looks to be more under the surface that will probably remain un-found until the film’s release. Until then, I can just hope I’m right and that there is more to this than meets the eye. I still don’t like the spork though.
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