I have to agree with Quentin Tarantino about ‘Toy Story 4’
Earlier this week, a quote from legendary director Quentin Tarantino went viral and sparked spirited debate. The topic at hand is perhaps not what you would expect from the man behind such violent, profanity-laden films as Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. The debate is about Toy Story 4.
The quote comes from an interview Quentin Tarantino did on Bill Maher’s podcast. But because Bill Maher sucks, everyone found out about the quote from the popular X (Twitter) account DiscussingFilm. The Toy Story films come up in the discussion. “The third one is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen,” Tarantino says. “I have no desire to see the fourth one. You ended the story as perfect as you could, so I don’t care if it’s good, I’m done.”
When this quote found its way into my feed, I felt absolved, because I have been saying the exact same thing about Toy Story 4 since its premiere in 2019. And now I can quote one of the visionary directors of our time not just in backing me up, but in affirming that Toy Story is more than a “kids’ film,” as so many people in Hollywood are wont to dismiss anything animated. It’s cinema.
Why mess with perfection?
I grew up with Toy Story—like, with Andy, the toys’ owners. I was around Andy’s age when the first Toy Story came out in 1995, and Toy Story 3 released the same summer I graduated from high school. I vividly remember being in the movie theater, on a vacation with my parents, shortly after my high school graduation ceremony. I was actively (and unsuccessfully) trying to stifle my tears, because there was no way in hell I wanted my parents to know how much the film was affecting me.
In fact, I don’t think any other film has made me cry as much as Toy Story 3. It’s a deeply sincere, emotional look at what it means to “grow up,” and so it’s a powerful movie regardless. But seeing the famous conveyer belt scene, and the final scene where Andy lovingly hands off his toys to the next generation—at the same moment when I myself was about to go to college—was one of the most profound movie going experiences I’ve ever had. Like Tarantino said, it was “perfect.”
It’s incredibly rare that a film trilogy closes its loop so profoundly and successfully. It’s a true artistic feat. And the only reason I could think to tamper with that is money.
Disney is no stranger to excessively milking their IPs for spare change. I know Toy Story 4 is apparently great, but its very existence just feels cynical to me. It kind of bums me out—all the more so when Toy Story 5 is apparently on the way.
So yeah, I’m with Quentin Tarantino on this one. I feel no need to watch Toy Story 4. Or 5.
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