I didn’t expect Toy Story to keep going, but having enjoyed this fourth installment, I’m thinking that the franchise could probably continue indefinitely. This time around, we pick up the tale of Woody, Buzz, and the others after they’ve been with new child, Bonnie, for a while (long enough for Bonnie to neglect Woody and leave him in the closet — even after promising never to do that at the end of Toy Story 3!). Of course, this movie is firmly rooted in the philosophical fundamentals of the Toy Story universe: Kids give the toys their sense of meaning. Woody once again gets in trouble trying to save the new addition to their group, Forky. If you’ve seen the commercials, you already know (and his name also makes it pretty obvious) that Forky is a fork (actually, “spork” if we’re being nitpicky). Bonnie added googly eyes and pipe-cleaner arms to the spork during her kindergarten orientation, also writing her name on its popsicle stick feet and magically bringing Forky to life. Bonnie and Forky become inseparable — except or all the times she lost him, or when he kept suicidally jumping into the trash.

Despite a big returning cast of familiar toys, there are also a number of new toys added. My favourite of the new characters is Ducky and Bunny. Played by comedy duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, they are a tough-talking pair of carnival-prize stuffed animals who hilariously fantasize plans where they repeatedly attack humans. You’ve got to see it, but who would not find it hilarious to watch people get pounced-upon by a pair of fluffy, plush animals? The other notables are Duke Caboom, the Canadian daredevil played by Keanu Reeves (props for authenticity, casting a former-Canadian in the role!); and Gabby Gabby, a classic girl dolly from the 50s, with a sinister streak (played by Christina Hendricks).

Fortunately, it’s not a sweeping ensemble film with a true cast of thousands. Most of the older toys only make cameos as the plot is really focused on Woody and his quest to save Forky. The toy universe gets expanded when Bonnie’s family takes a road trip in an RV and ends up in a trailer park near a carnival. This new environment makes for a lot of good action sequences, and the quality of Pixar animation these days makes these scenes thrilling and impressive. In fact, the animation is so good that every scene has a realism that you can feel. There’s a cat in the antique store where Woody ends up early on his quest, and much comment has been made of how that cat looks photo-real in comparison to a dog from the first Toy Story movie (which was painstakingly animated at the time, but still wasn’t fooling anyone). Beyond the realistic feline, the environments are incredibly detailed and vivid, and even the various textures of the toys (some being shiny porcelain dolls, others made of matte plastic or rubber) are amazingly captured in the animation.

As much as I enjoy them, I find the plots of the Toy Story movies to be difficult to distinguish from each other (it’s kind of like the Mission Impossible or the Fast and Furious franchises in that respect). The same elements recur in each movie, and the themes of belonging and being-loved giving life purpose, are always there. This time we’re introduced to the idea of independence. The gang meet all kinds of “lost” toys, and toys without owners, and face the idea of what “life” is without a kid to own them and play with them. It’s a bit of a philosophical dialogue going on in the subtext that grown-ups could extrapolate into a larger conversation about freedom and self-determinism.

Nevertheless, it’s still a kids movie and the film itself does not get too heavy or deep — mostly just sentimental. The adventures are still pretty wacky. Some highlights include: Buzz learning to follow his “inner voice” (a.k.a. the toy’s own pre-recorded sayings) to guide his actions; the toys ganging up to take control of the RV (they actually somehow hijack the GPS voice) and get Bonnie’s dad in trouble with the police; and turning Bo Peep into a kick-butt female action hero. Throw in a love story plot as well, and you’ve really got a jam-packed movie.

I love how Pixar has been able to take that Toy Story premise of the secret life of toys, and really stretch it into a fantastic little universe (they didn’t have quite the creative success attempting the same thing with Cars). I think this is supposed to be the final Toy Story movie after all, and it makes a nice, satisfying wrap-up to the tale of Woody. Hopefully that means Pixar is even freer now to explore more imaginative and wondrous stories in future films. (4 out of 5)