Toy Story 4

This is certainly the worst of all the Toy Story movies, yet Toy Story 4 still continues the series’ tradition of revolutionizing the animation industry with its technological breakthroughs. The toy characters of course all have their familiar toy-like ways of moving, with the new challenges added from the new set of characters, including Bo Peep’s elaborate stunts, the awkward Forky, the plushy Ducky and Bunny, the creepy Gabby Gabby, and her ventriloquist dummy henchmen. But the animation achievements are far more ambitious than that: The lights from the sun and the carnival all look scarily realistic, which in turn makes the textures on the toys, with all their minuscule scratches, look more lifelike than actual live-action does.

​When creating the antique store, over 10,000 items were built with varying degrees of aging; to complete the atmosphere, new software was developed to create the cobwebs. The camera further pushed for the photorealism by using filming techniques previously only used in live-action; this doesn’t just include the handheld camera system used in previous Pixar films, but also the imitated look of an anamorphic lens. These techniques mean in the near future, the line between animation and live-action could blur to the point where the two sides become indistinguishable from each other. These ambitious strides in utilizing the computer to recreate the real world prove how much more room for growth this beloved franchise has potential for still.

​G
Comedy/Fantasy
1 hr. 43 min.

Watch it for FUN.
Watch it to THINK.
​Watch it to feel HAPPY, SAD, and AFRAID.