Toy Story 4 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Toy Story 4 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 2, 2019

1995's Toy Story launched a franchise and propelled Pixar to studio stardom. Over the past quarter-century (hard to believe, isn't it?) many Pixar films have come and gone, from one-and-done titles to other franchises in their own right, but none have surpassed Toy Story (and its sequels) for popular culture infusion and sheer number of franchise films, now at number four with Toy Story 4, first time feature director Josh Cooley's continuation that manages to successfully further the brand even after it felt finished at the end of Toy Story 3. While it may subjectively be the least memorable film in the franchise, it explores a number of salient emotional currents while ramping up action and adventure to match.

As Bonnie's (voiced by Madeleine McGraw) orientation day at kindergarten draws near, Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) takes it upon himself to accompany her to school in her backpack. Good idea because she needs a little help, even if she doesn't quite know where it's coming from. When a bully throws away her craft supplies, Woody digs a few items out of the trash with which Bonnie makes a crude new toy she dubs "Forky" (voiced by Tony Hale). Forky instantly becomes Bonnie's favorite toy and is one of several she brings on a family vacation. As Woody works to reassure Forky of his place in the world, he by chance reunites with a long-departed Bo Peep (voiced by Annie Potts) and encounters a troubled, dated, and malfunctioning doll named Gabby Gabby (voiced by Christina Hendricks) whose nefarious actions only mask her desire to feel wanted and loved.

Compared to its predecessors, and particularly the emotionally satisfying third installment that all but appeared to bring the story to a close, Toy Story 4 plays light on its feet and hearkens back to the adventurous spirit that propelled the world while still exploring ideas of purpose, loyalty, and love. The story digs into those ideas from several perspectives, with Woody in the center of them all: Forky's struggle to identify his place and purpose in the world, Gabby Gabby's quest for relevance, and his own place in Bonnie's and Bo Peep's lives and amongst his friends. The storylines intertwine in action and connect through shared emotional fabrics that give the whole movie a sense of identifiable purpose and heart, all while exploring new worlds, introducing new characters, and bubbling over with delightful zaniness that always feels directed and complimentary rather than forced and focal.

But neither the film's emotional currents nor its action-adventure would matter without a character roster worth caring about. Pixar makes movies audiences can invest into, not simply watch from afar, movies with a fabric of family and not simply names and faces performing empty actions. Toy Story 4 does well in balancing the process of advancing its established characters -- notably Woody but also Bo Peep, who has been thrust into a primary role -- while building new characters from the ground-up, characters with identifiable personality and purpose who do not just fit a plot point of convenience but rather make a difference in expanding the world and opening the heart. The film does struggle, at times, to build a wholly unique identity. It does recycle some core dramatic content and essential themes about belonging and purpose and loyalty, but Director Josh Cooley, his animators, and his voice actors accomplish what should be impossible: making a fourth film in a series that seemed to finish after its third feel not only relevant but required, not recycled but real.

Toy Story 4 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Toy Story 4 is an animated feature, yes, but on UHD the movie has a much more natural look to it. The toys appear more alive, their definition superior, the picture firmer, the colors more effortlessly accurate and more fully saturated, well beyond anything the Blu-ray can muster. Clarity and vitality, punch and pop: everything the UHD should improve upon, it does. The picture borders on photorealism at times. It's a pleasure to simply look at the transfer rather than watch the movie, to absorb the mastery of every little throwaway detail that is actually vital to the overall presentation. Background art elements like pavement, brush, scuffs, and cushion fabrics greatly befit from the clarity boost. No, it's not an overhaul, but yes, it's vital when one sees the UHD in action. The film was reportedly finished at 4K, and the result is one of the most dynamic digitally animated presentations the format yes seen yet. Whereas so many are often more a product of the HDR color spectrum, there's a legitimate clarity and detail boost here that really springs the movie to life. This is very polished and technically advanced movie, and the UHD almost has a look of film about it. It's visually refreshing and looks stellar in 4K.

The UHD's HDR colors are superior to the Blu-ray's SDR spectrum. The basic adds to depth and pop are obvious, with every color presenting with more dynamic intensity that takes the Blu-ray's excellent color grading a few steps further. The finer nuance, the improved contrast, the more intense brights, the deeper blacks, and everything in between proves the perfect compliment to the tightened textures. From the well established earthy tones that comprise much of Woody's outfit to some of the new tones like Forky's red arms, the HDR color spectrum only adds to the visual excellence. Continue with more intense blue skies, deeper nighttime blacks, and perfectly explored splashes of color around the amusement park at night, and this is a total package UHD that is well worth the added cost over the admittedly excellent but comparatively lacking Blu-ray.

Toy Story 4 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Toy Story 4's UHD features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack while the studio's Blu-ray includes a rather flat DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. Both are challenged to deliver top-tier heft, though this is certainly a little more throaty than the DTS offering. The overall presentation isn't bad with the volume turned up beyond reference. It's typical Disney in its range but the output offers more organic weight and low end balance. The track opens up nicely with the added channels; a toy's voice reverberates inside a tube slide in chapter 10 to very nice, if only momentary, effect. Music is pleasantly expansive, clarity is good, and balance around the stage proves pleasantly immersive. Atmospheric effects enjoy spacious placement and natural positioning. Action scenes are expansive and energetic with a solid feel for low end depth and good detail through the range and expert placement for both fast-moving sounds traversing the stage or one-off discrete elements. Dialogue clarity is fine. It's well prioritized and focused in the front-center speaker.

Toy Story 4 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Toy Story 4 contains supplements across two included Blu-ray discs. No extras appear on the UHD disc. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

Disc One:

• Bo Rebooted (1080p, 6:21): An exploration of how Bo Peep makes the transition to main character status in Toy Story 4.
• Toy Stories (1080p, 5:38): Cast and crew share their memories of favorite childhood toys.
• Audio Commentary: Director Josh Cooley and Producer Mark Nielsen cover the film in detail, including propelling Bo to main character status, the importance of making a worthwhile successor to the other three films, characters, voice work, story details, animation, set pieces, digital cinematography, and much more.

Disc Two:

• Let's Ride with Ally Maki (1080p, 5:41): Ally Maki, who voices Giggle McDimples, leads a humorous dissection of the voice recording process, from temporary "scratch dialogue" to the final recording heard in the finished film.
• Woody & Buzz (1080p, 3:35): A quick look back at the relationship that is at the heart of the franchise and a quick recap of where the characters go and what they learn and experience in Toy Story 4.
• Anatomy of a Scene: Playground (1080p, 9:31): A complex breakdown of one of the movie's most pivotal moments. From theater seats, Sets Supervisor Thomas Jordan, Character Tailoring Lead Mariana Galindo, Sets Supervisor Steve Karski, and Story Artist Carrie Hobson explore the scene for its dramatic content and production essentials.
• Carnival Run (1080p, 1:00): A ground-level run-through of the film's massive carnival set piece.
• View from the Roof (1080p, 0:29): A view of the carnival set piece from a nearby rooftop.
• Toy Box (1080p, 13:00 total runtime): A quick exploration of some of the film's new characters. Included are Gabby Gabby & Her Gang, Forky, Duke Caboom, Ducky & Bunny, and Giggle McDimples.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 28:00 total runtime): A broad Introduction precedes the following scenes: Scamming Playtime, Bo Knows Hippos, Desperate Toys, Knock-Offs, Recruit Duke, and She's the One. The scenes are presented in fairly basic hand-animated storyboards with scene specific intros by Director Josh Cooley.
• Trailers & Promos (1080p): Following Carnival Prizes (3:25), a character montage, are the following trailers: Booth - Global Teaser in Spanish (1:39), Playtime - Global Trailer in English (2:20), Freedom - Global Trailer in Russian (1:46), and Pixar Pedigree - Exclusive for China (1:35).

Toy Story 4 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite the lighter emotional impact and familiar story refrains, Toy Story 4 expands the world through new adventures and new, satisfying next chapters in the lives of several of its characters. Many of the familiars have been relegated to background duty with greater focus on Woody, Bo Peep, and a cast of new faces, but through this lens comes a heartwarming story of purpose and place intermixed with the sort of vividly realized adventure that has acted as a counterbalance all these years and through all four films. It's not the best in the series, but it's a delight. There may not be much room to grow, but Pixar has given fans four first-class films that see an evolution in digital construction but a consistency in tone, heart, and spirit. Disney's UHD is superior to the Blu-ray. Video is a clear step above and the Atmos audio is a little better than the BD's DTS track. Extras are identical across both releases. Highly recommended.