Toy Story 4 (Josh Cooley, 2019)

[sir_luke]

I was worried that this would happen, and sure enough

[domino harvey]

And now I'm interested: Rashida Jones and Will McCormack are writing Toy Story 4!

[bearcuborg]

Toy Story 4

I have to say, based on the trailer, I have little to no interest. It looks like a rehash...

[domino harvey]

Too bad the Rashida Jones-scripted version never came to fruition, this indeed looks like Retread City, and why they’re bringing back a character from the worst installment like it’s a big deal is a mystery

[Glowingwabbit]

Too bad the Rashida Jones-scripted version never came to fruition, this indeed looks like Retread City, and why they’re bringing back a character from the worst installment like it’s a big deal is a mystery

I haven't watched the trailer yet, what character from Toy Story 2 comes back?

[domino harvey]

Bo Peep

[Kirkinson]

She was in the original, too.

[domino harvey]

Was she? Shows how much I’ve retained from this franchise

[Glowingwabbit]

Blah... but I'm glad it's agreed that number 2 is the worst installment so far

[domino harvey]

I thought it was apt that even without specifying you knew I was talking about the second one!

[Glowingwabbit]

I thought it was apt that even without specifying you knew I was talking about the second one!

It was a test. But I also forgot that Bo Peep was an original character too (which makes sense given the character's absence)

[Kirkinson]

As far as I recall, she was never much of a "character" outside of being Woody's love interest, especially in the first one. She was just important enough that being written out in a line of dialogue in Toy Story 3 was enough for a momentarily sad character beat for him, but not enough for her absence to really affect the story or the cast dynamic in any way.

[Brian C]

I’m confused. 2 is clearly the best one, and 3 is the mean-spirited and unnecessary retread.

[knives]

I think we can agree all three are terrible and we should just watch Musker and Clements films instead.

[domino harvey]

I think you know almost no one here is going to agree to that. I liked the first one a lot, for the record, though I’m not sure I have any desire to see it or the other films again

[knives]

I was being cheeky, but I guess the internet's inability to convey tone strikes again. My personal feelings are that all three are okay, but inessential.

[mfunk9786]

All three are sold children's films, but now that popular culture as a whole has required that we treat kid pix (like that new Spider-Man animated film, which was very enjoyable but still ostensibly a film made for children) like all ages blockbusters, it'll likely be held to a needlessly high standard despite just being the fourth Toy Story film

[domino harvey]

The original Toy Story and the third one were massively praised on release by adult critics and audiences alike precisely because they were not mere “children’s films”

[knives]

All three are sold children's films, but now that popular culture as a whole has required that we treat kid pix (like that new Spider-Man animated film, which was very enjoyable but still ostensibly a film made for children) like all ages blockbusters, it'll likely be held to a needlessly high standard despite just being the fourth Toy Story film

I'm not sure if I get you. Obviously first and foremost they need to be judged as movies intended for single digit kids, but that doesn't mean that you should have low standards. After all there are hundreds of great films which meet that standard even within Disney's own canon.

[mfunk9786]

I liked them both, but I suppose like you mentioned above Dom, I see very little reason to revisit them at this point. But the entire crux of why I said that is: I don't see a problem with that at all, not everything is gonna be for everyone. If this is a stale retread that makes a bunch of kids happy, then good on 'em for making it. My nephew was over the moon for Cars 2, but there's plenty of cinephiles in their 20s and 30s who inexplicably took it personally when it didn't live up to Pixar's artistic standard and hot streak of positive critical reception. Not everything should have to.

[knives]

Couldn't you apply that logic to any film/ group? How is that any different from the latest Transformers or whatever for example. Children deserve respect for their intelligence as well and there is enough of a surplus of great childrens work out there that being made happy strikes me as a needlessly low aim. In recent years, for example, you have The Peanuts Movie, Song of the Sea, and Paranorman just to name a few obvious choices.

[Glowingwabbit]

I only remember the entire Car's franchise being hated on (for good reason) by cinephiles in their 20s-30s.

[mfunk9786]

Yes, I could apply that logic to any film/group, although films made for children inevitably have an entirely different audience to please than most other genres of films. It's not as though Cars 2, to continue that example, wasn't made about as well as it possibly could have been considering what it is. It just didn't hold much appeal for adult viewers. And that's alright. Toy Story 3, in particular, held an unexpectedly immense amount of appeal for adult viewers (myself included to some extent), but that doesn't mean that Pixar needs to have that in the back of their minds every time out from now on, does it?

I only remember the entire Car's franchise being hated on (for good reason) by cinephiles in their 20s-30s.

Because it wasn't made for them?

[domino harvey]

Cool cinematic fascism bro

[knives]

Yes, I could apply that logic to any film/group, although films made for children inevitably have an entirely different audience to please than most other genres of films. It's not as though Cars 2, to continue that example, wasn't made about as well as it possibly could have been considering what it is. It just didn't hold much appeal for adult viewers. And that's alright. Toy Story 3, in particular, held an unexpectedly immense amount of appeal for adult viewers (myself included to some extent), but that doesn't mean that Pixar needs to have that in the back of their minds every time out from now on, does it?

I only remember the entire Car's franchise being hated on (for good reason) by cinephiles in their 20s-30s.

Because it wasn't made for them?

I haven't seen the Cars sequels so I can't speak to them. To use an example I am familiar with though, Carlos Saldanha's films are very popular with children and definitely shouldn't be judged according to adult standards. That said I would argue in spite of their popularity they aren't as well made as their goals entail and they could easily be improved upon while remaining engaging and fun for children. I don't think I'm expressing a ridiculously high standard either. While for older children then I think we are talking about the last three or four Dreamworks films strike me as at least striving to be great films directed at children. (this again to say I'm basically indifferent to Pixar on the whole; I am merely arguing that there are better choices for children out there so they don't deserve a pass when they do act lazily).