You can’t go back. 
Sequels have diminishing returns.
Don’t ruin a good thing.
There was a lot of hand-wringing when Pixar announced that they were doing a Toy Story 4. How could they? It seemed they had done the impossible already: wrap up a beloved series in a perfect way – handing off Woody, Buzz, and the gang to a new child who would love them as much as Andy. It was such a fitting ending. Why would they risk ruining things with one more go?
Cars 2 anyone?
I almost didn’t join my family for the movie on Sunday, but didn’t want to miss out and went at the last minute. I was treated to an amazing movie. The animation is so gloriously good, it is ridiculous. The cobwebs, the lighting, the detail. Holy moly. The characters we love are back, along with a slew of new toys that join right in. It was a very entertaining move.
But if you haven’t seen it, I’m going heavy into SPOILER TERRITORY below, so be warned.
As we walked out of the movie, my family discussed how much they enjoyed it. When it was my turn, I said, “It was the best movie I’ve ever seen that botched the ending.”
What was my problem?
The movie centers on Woody getting ignored by Bonnie, the girl that Andy left his beloved toys with from Toy Story 3. He sneaks into her backpack on kindergarten orientation day and helps her by giving her the raw materials to make Forky, a spork with googly eyes, pipe-cleaner arms, and sticks for feet with “Bon-nie” written on them.
Forky becomes her new favorite toy. He has an issue though. He believes he’s trash, as that’s where his raw materials come from. So as Bonnie’s family goes on an RV adventure, Woody is trying to keep Forky from returning to whence he came, as he tries to hit the garbage can whenever the opportunity arises.
So Forky gets lost in a town with an antique store and a carnival. Woody goes to rescue him, and runs into Bo-Peep, the friend from the first movie who disappeared after that. She was given away and made her way to fight for lost toys by rescuing them.
I could go on with the synopsis, but I don’t want to summarize the whole movie. In the end, the toys part ways. Forky is reunited with Bonnie. But Woody decides to stay with Bo and help lost toys find homes or purpose.
Here, after another beautiful movie (but not tear-inducing to my teen who cries every time he watches the end of 3), Pixar makes a fatal mistake.
I couldn’t accept Woody leaving his friends behind.
My wife disagreed, and argued that they spent the movie building the case for him to make this choice. Sure, they did. But it still went against everything we loved about Woody from the first three movies. He is neurotic, jealous, and insecure – but he’s the heroic sheriff that keeps the toys together. He constantly puts himself at risk to keep them together, whether it’s Buzz in the first, Jessie and Bullseye in two, or the whole gang in three.
His character had been well-established. Yet he went against who he was for the sake of the plot in 4. Woody had the same choice in two, and he chose his kid. And three was possibly the best ending of any movie trilogy ever.
I will admit, four is a beautiful movie. Lines aren’t wasted. The animation is so freaking good. The ideas it presents deserve more blog posts. 😉 It effectively ended the possibility of another movie. Woody and Buzz are finally separated, and it would such a stretch to see them brought back together.
I loved Toy Story 4, despite the way they mess up the characterization for Woody established in three prior films. If it weren’t for that, it would be the clear best movie of the series.
The lesson for writers is simple: stay true to your characters. Even over years and four movies, it is important to keep them consistent to who you’ve made them to be. Even the best stories, like Toy Story 4, can be undone if you miss this crucial point.