Toy Story 4
4K | Blu-ray | DVD | Digital
Director: Josh Cooley
Writers: Stephany Folsom, Andrew Stanton
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Ally Maki, Joan Cusack, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Blake Clark, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Rated G | Minutes: 100
Release Date: October 8, 2019

Practically everyone who has seen Toy Story 3 would agree that it was a perfect end to a long trilogy that defines Pixar Animation Studios. So it was a bit hard to understand why they would ever want to continue the franchise given how it all ended.

However, Toy Story 4 defies that by giving its fans the perfect epilogue. And now we get to bring that home on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital. Along with the terrific sequel, there are a ton of bonus features to look forward to, all of which we will cover in our review below.

Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) has always known his place in the world and what he was ultimately meant to do in life. However, that all changes when his new owner, Bonnie, creates a beloved new craft-project-turned-toy, Forky (Tony Hale). Though Woody has been cast aside, something that he is unfamiliar with, he takes it upon himself to protect Forky at all costs, including watching over him whenever the spork, who declares himself as “trash” and not a toy, tries to throw himself away.

When Bonnie takes the whole gang on her family’s road trip excursion, Woody teaches Forky what it means to be a person’s toy. Along the way, Woody reunites long-lost friend Bo Peep (Annie Potts), who is more of an adventurous toy and less of a porcelain lamp-post these days. It’s through Bo’s change that Woody starts to realize everything he’s known about being a lost toy has changed.

Pixar’s flagship franchise explores some pretty heavy themes but, per the norm, finds a way to address them in the most compassionate, honest, and lightest of ways. Long-lasting friendships are put to the test, sacrifices are made, and characters start to question their purpose in life. Part of what makes Pixar films so appealing is that they are able to address these dense themes in a very real way. It may be animation, but it is still a very human story.

With the visual technology constantly evolving, the standards for the quality of pictures are being raised. The Toy Story 4 release on 4K does not skimp on any of that. The colors pop, and the qualities of the visuals are raised. Here we see that the raindrops in the opening sequence have a real tangibility. It brings a new meaning to photorealism. And the quality and textures in the fabrics and plastics are also sharp and feel real. This is especially true during scenes in Second Chance’s Antiques, where the camera follows characters through a dusty old antique shop that’s beginning to show its age and deterioration and is full of forgotten relics of the past, dust bunnies, and webs.

That hyper-realistic feel is maintained even with animated and colorful textures from the characters and brightly colored rooms. We also get a sense of size and scale because the majority of the film takes place from a toy’s perspective. From the ground, cabinets and shelves seem like towers, and humans are like giants. And this world is full of interesting knick-knacks. There isn’t a single frame that is lifeless or empty. There is either a lot of action as the toys go on a rescue mission or humans are just moving about, or the antique store shelves are full of interesting items.

The use of lights or distortion as we see the Benson dummies walk behind the glass. All of that shows how much technology has changed, and how Pixar is pushing the boundaries on animation.

And the 4K is chock-full of interesting bonus features, all of which take us behind the scenes on what it is like to create a film from all of the different artists involved. One of my favorite bonus features is “Let’s Ride with Ally Maki,” where the actress, who voices Giggle McDimples, gives viewers a look at the recording process and all of the silly antics that can happen during it. Plus a look at what you can do at Pixar while you wait for the recorded dialogue to be processed.

“Anatomy of a Scene” is as described, with Pixar animators breaking down a scene and talking about how it evolved from paper to story boards to the final product.

Other interesting bonus features to look for are the “Toy Stories,” in which the cast and crew share their love of toys; “Woody & Buzz,” which explores the relationship between the two iconic characters; “Bo Rebooted,” which takes a look at how Bo has changed since Toy Story 2; and the obligatory deleted scenes.

Here’s a full list of the bonus features you can expect to see on the 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital releases:

BLU-RAY & DIGITAL:

• Toy Stories – The Toy Story 4 cast and crew share their love of toys!
• Woody & Buzz – Take a look at the relationship between these two legendary characters.
• Bo Rebooted – Discover how Team Bo reimagined all aspects of Bo Peep’s identity to arrive at the fully realized character seen in the film.
• Toy Box – Enjoy a collection of mini-docs on the film’s memorable new characters, featuring the voice actors, director Josh Cooley and Pixar artists talking about the many elements that make these characters fun and lovable.
• Let’s Ride With Ally Maki – Ally Maki, voice of Giggle McDimples, learns all about Pixar’s dialogue recording process from director Josh Cooley and his team.
• Deleted Scenes introduced by director Josh Cooley including:

— Scamming Playtime
— Bo Knows Hippos
— Desperate Toys
— Knock-Offs
— Recruit Duke
— She’s The One

• Audio Commentary, Trailers and more!

DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE:

• Anatomy of a Scene: Prologue – Filmmakers and crew review key scenes of the movie and dissect the practical and technological methods used to bring them to life.
• Additional Deleted scene – Bonnie’s Playtime

Click right here for Toy Story 4 trailers and more.

Trailer