Why 'Toy Story 4' Is The Adventure We All Needed

Alaina April 17, 2025

Let me take you back for a second. If you're a fan of the Toy Story series, you probably remember that gut-wrenching moment at the end of the third movie. You know the one I'm talking about—Woody, voiced by the legendary Tom Hanks, and Buzz Lightyear, played by Tim Allen, along with the rest of the gang, are moments away from being incinerated. But instead of panicking, they accept their fate together, clasping hands. It was an emotional rollercoaster for everyone watching. Then, just when you thought it couldn't get any more heart-wrenching, Andy, their beloved owner who's about to head off to college, hands them over to a young girl named Bonnie. It felt like the perfect ending to an iconic trilogy, right? So, why in the world did they decide to make Toy Story 4? Well, here's the thing—it turns out we needed it more than we realized. And guess what? Disney and Pixar have delivered yet again!

A New Beginning for Woody

As director Josh Cooley puts it, "Like most people, I assumed that Toy Story 3 was the end of the story. But the more we thought about it, the more we realized it was only the end of Woody's journey with Andy. Life, as we all know, is full of new beginnings. Woody is now in a different room, with a fresh set of toys and a brand-new kid to care for. It’s a world we’ve never seen him in before, and the questions surrounding this new dynamic became the foundation for a story that was too good not to explore." The beauty of this movie lies in its ability to take a beloved character like Woody and put him in a situation that feels both familiar and entirely new.

Introducing Forky: The Toy Who Thinks He's Trash

In Toy Story 4, Woody finds himself with a new responsibility. Bonnie, his new owner, has created a toy from scratch during arts and crafts class—a spork with googly eyes named Forky, voiced by the hilarious Tony Hale. The problem? Forky doesn’t see himself as a toy—he sees himself as trash. Woody takes it upon himself to show Forky why he should embrace being a toy. But when Bonnie takes the whole gang on a family road trip, Woody ends up on a detour that leads to a surprising reunion with his long-lost friend Bo Peep, voiced by Annie Potts. After years of being on her own, Bo’s adventurous spirit and life on the road have given her a toughness that belies her delicate porcelain exterior. As Woody and Bo realize they have very different ideas about what it means to be a toy, they soon discover that these differences are the least of their worries.