RJ Writing Ink

Toy Story 4 Review

Mention the words “Toy Story” to a lot of millennial’s today, and they’ll probably respond with nothing but praise and affection; myself included. Watching Toy Story on VHS is one of my earliest childhood memories. I consider Toy Story 2 to be one of my all-time favorite movies. Plus it gave us this scene:

I never get tired of that. For all my love of Toy Story, though, I never saw Toy Story 3 in its entirety. I was too sad about it being the end to see it in theaters (note to self: watch it this summer). Then out of the blue, Pixar gave us another Toy Story film this summer. While experience has taught me that this could potentially be a shameless cash grab, I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt. It is Pixar, after all. After going to see the new Toy Story 4, I’m pleased to say that it is no cash grab.

Quick Plot 101

It’s been two years since Andy’s toys got adopted by Bonnie, and they’ve settled into their new lives pretty well. Woody’s being neglected by Bonnie for weeks now, something that bugs him more than he’d care to admit. When Bonnie comes home from her kindergarten orientation with Forky, a toy spork she made with trash, Woody takes it upon himself to look after Bonnie’s new favorite toy. As we see in the trailers, Forky doesn’t want to cooperate, leaving the two stranded while on a road trip. As Woody tries to get them home to Bonnie, he ends up running into his old sweetheart, Bo Peep, whose post-Andy life makes him reconsider his purpose as a toy.

Now that that’s out of the way let’s get to the meat of this review: what I loved, and what to nitpick.

The Spectacular

Forky Is our Spirit Toy

The Internet has spoken, and it adores Forky! The Toy Story 4 website describes him as the kind of toy that only a kid who spent twenty minutes making him would love. That’s accurate for the newest toy in Bonnie’s room. Of course, that’s Forky’s main problem: he’s not a toy, and he knows it. The other toys realize it, too, but they support him in his new life anyway. Forky wants nothing to do with them, though, and insists that he’s trash, and tries several times to throw himself out.

While annoying at first, Forky reveals his obsession with trash is because it’s his comfort zone. It’s what he remembers from before being a toy, and it’s warm and comforting to him. It’s like his security blanket, and he’s not ready to part with it.

At a crucial point in the film, Woody uses Forky’s love of trash to get through to him finally: he makes Bonnie happy the same way garbage makes him happy. Once that realization hits, Forky begins to embrace his life as a toy and his newfound purpose.

I can see why everyone loves Forky so much: he’s an insecure fish out of water that’s thrown out of his comfort zone, and that’s scary for most people. He tries to reject his new circumstances in life, but as time goes on, he learns to embrace them and starts forming an actual personality. He’s kind-hearted, naive, friendly to other toys, and has a mischievous streak that we can’t help but smile at. He also proves to be insightful, as he picks up that Woody hasn’t gotten over Andy.

Woody’s Character Growth

Remember how jealous Woody was of Buzz in the first film, and how much trouble that put the two of them in Toy Story? As if coming full circle, this film puts him in a very similar set of circumstances: his favorite toy status gets replaced by Forky. Thankfully, Woody takes it all in stride and tries to put Bonnie’s happiness over his own status. At least, that’s how it looks on the outside.

No matter how he denies it, two things become apparent. He’s upset at no longer fulfilling his purpose in life, and he misses Andy. So he attempts to cover up the fact that he misses Andy through his loyalty to Bonnie and protecting Forky, even when the other toys want to give up. This almost alienates him from the now childless Bo, who embraces the freedom of being a lost toy.

Woody’s always been unfailingly loyal to his child and his friends. It’s his biggest strength, but Toy Story 4 shows that it can be a weakness. He’s too loyal to Bonnie to accept that, maybe, she doesn’t need him anymore. The experiences that Woody has in the film, though, help to give him a new perspective on life. Serving as Forky’s mentor helps him move on from his past as Andy’s toy, and reuniting with Bo makes him realize that he could help a lot more kids and toys in the world.

The Less than Spectacular

I had to nitpick to find things about this movie that I didn’t like. I can’t help it, I love the franchise. In the end, this was the only major complaint that I could think up.

Franchise Veterans Get Neglected

As I was walking out of the theater after seeing the movie, a thought crossed my mind: I don’t remember seeing the Little Green Men. I didn’t even hear them say anything! Considering they’re some of the most popular characters in Toy Story, this was a disappointment. It also serves as a springboard for a problem I had with the film: it neglects the veteran cast members.

That’s right: the Potato Heads, Hamm, Rex, Slinky, Jessie, and Bullseye have little to no effect on the plot. They only say a few lines, but that’s about it. If this is the last film in the Toy Story franchise, then this will be the last time we may ever see a lot of these guys. To see the characters we loved growing up with being pushed aside was sad.

My Final Verdict

When Toy Story 3 came out, it felt like the proper end to the story that gave Pixar its big break. So when the studio announced Toy Story 4, we could be forgiven for worrying that it was a cash grab. Plenty of movie series got wrecked because people got greedy. Thank god Toy Story didn’t end up like that.

This movie may not have been necessary, but that doesn’t change the fact that we welcomed it anyway. Toy Story’s just that kind of story: simple yet oh, so elegant. The best part of it is that the kids who grew up watching the original are old enough to have kids of their own, and they’re taking them to see Pixar’s latest film. That inspires a new generation that will love the movies as much as we did.

I don’t think this is the last we’ll see of Woody, Buzz, or the others. I know that its’not the last we’ll see of Forky. In some form or another, Toy Story will continue. For now, though, I think this film ties the series up with a neat bow.

I give Toy Story 4 a 4.9/5. It’s Playtime.

Click here to see my reviews for various films.

Star vs. Fan Week, Day 4

One of the big things that I’ve learned about the fan community for Star vs. The Forces of Evil is that there’s a lot of shipping. When there’s a lot of shipping, that leads to the concept of next gen original characters, and there are kids from almost every pairing in SvTFOE. Kids from Star and Marco, Star and Tom, Marco and Jackie, even a few for Marco and Janna. Basically, if anyone thought they’d make a good pair, the fans made kids for them. So MoringMark and a bunch of other fan creators had the idea of banding them together in one place. That leads us to today’s Star vs. Fan Work, SvTFOE Metaverse.

Fan Work: SvTFOE Metaverse

Created by: MoringMark (Originally)

Type of Fan Work: Webcomic/Anthology

Status: No Idea

This doesn’t really have a synopsis to it, so I’m skipping that in favor of giving an explanation.

The whole concept’s based on the Citadel of Ricks from Rick and Morty. Which, in turn, was based on the Council of Reeds from Marvel Comics. Existing in a dimension separate from the rest of the Multiverse are bases for every next-gen fankid where they can hangout with their inter-dimensional siblings. The focus is mainly on the largest base, the Citadel of Starco, home to all the fankids of Star and Marco.

Since MoringMark originally created the idea of the Metaverse, his Starco kid, Elizabeth Butterfly, plays a major role as head of security. Unfortunately for her, she ends up getting into a lot of trouble dealing with threats and fankids from other bases. Her biggest headache seems to be dealing with the kids from the TomStar base. They keep trying to sneak in or just mess with her all the time. I think it’s a funny meta reference to the rivalry fans have over who Star should have ended up with.

As far as a plot, there really is none, and while that would normally bother me, there doesn’t need to be one. The SvTFOE Metaverse was created to give fans of the show a means to collaborate and work on. It does a pretty job of it, too. Most of the comics are funny, slice of life stories that will make a fan chuckle, and anyone can add onto it. I don’t think anyone’s posting about it lately, but it can’t hurt to at least look it up.

Also, check this out:

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Star vs. The Forces of Evil Fanfic Week Pt. 1

Hello everyone, and welcome to my week of Star vs The Forces of Evil Fanfiction. After getting inspired by the SvTFOE event on Tumblr, I decided to do a week of talking the best fan works from the Star vs fan base. Unfortunately, I started too late last week, so I’m starting this week. We’re starting off with a crossover story of epic proportions, Starfall.

Warning: The following story does contain explicit content. All characters involved are above the age of 18. You have been warned.

Starfall

Written by: GolfAlphaMike

Type of Fanwork: Crossover with Gravity Falls

First Published: 11/4/2015

Status: Complete

Synopsis

It’s been four years since Star began living on Earth with Marco, and the two are about to graduate high school. Years of adventures have given them an unbreakable bond, as best friends, and as lovers. Just as the two prepare for their future together, though, things change for Star. Her mother doesn’t have long to live, forcing Star to assume the throne soon than anyone planned. According to the laws of her world, she must take a husband, but when she tries to summon Marco, something terrible happens. Earth’s sealed off from the Multiverse; Star and Marco are literally worlds apart.

On Earth, all memory or trace of Star’s been erased, with only Marco able to remember her. While everyone he knows thinks he’s crazy, the boy knows that none of it was a lie. Thus, Marco Diaz sets off on a quest that will take him from a familiar town in Oregon and beyond to reunite with Star. Little do either know that there are dark forces at work and a centuries-old conspiracy that covets Star’s magical bloodline, and will stop at nothing to keep the two apart.

Review

I will be blunt: I think Starfall’s one of the best pieces of fan literature that I’ve ever read. I daresay it, but it’s good enough to publish into a book. It’s an epic romance novel that spans years of the characters lives as they live, grow, and fight. I can tell that GolfAlphaMike put his heart and soul into this work because it shows from the first chapter. It grabs hold of you and refuses to let go until the very end. The fact that GolfAlphaMike started writing Starfall in 2015, with only the first season to go on, makes it even more impressive.

Star and Marco’s Relationship

Considering that the author only had one season to go off of, it’s impressive that he was able to correctly guess that Star and Marco end up together in the end. He also wasn’t that far off when it comes to their character development, either. Star becomes more responsible than when we first met her, but she’s still the same fun-loving girl. Marco’s learned to be more of a risk-taker, but is cautious enough to avoid being reckless. Above all, the bond between them is the main focus of the story. No matter how big it may get, it always comes back to them.

The Crossover

Like I said in the description, Starfall’s a story that combines Star vs. The Forces of Evil with Gravity Falls. Since the latter show had ended by the time this was written, it had more to work with. The cast of Gravity Falls comes in at the right moments, but they never steal the spotlight from Star and Marco. They play a big role in helping Marco get to Mewni, and their personalities are the same as when we left them in 2016. The main difference is that eight years have passed since Weirdmageddon, so Dipper and Mabel are adults now. Otherwise, they’re the same.

The Characters

Being a fanfiction, Starfall has a mixture of both canon and original characters. Most of the casts from both shows plays a secondary role, helping Star and Marco on their journeys, but that’s about it. The only other canon character who plays a big role is Tom, who, ironically, mellowed out as much as he did in the show. The difference here is that its because he fell in love with another girl, an original character named Marina. So he no longer sees Star as anything more than a friend, yet he’s being forced to marry her by somone else.

That someone is Tom’s mother, who in this story is called Empress Ishtar, not Wrathmelior. Unlike Tom’s mother in the show, who genuinely cares about her son and his happiness, Ishtar barely does. In Starfall, she uses any means to keep Star and Marco apart, from blackmail and political red tape to outright attempting to murder Marco. She’s a good antagonist, and her motivations are very dark. Think Cersei Lannister; only she’s smart.

Original Concepts

Since Starfall’s written in the gap between the first and second seasons, a lot of elements from the show don’t exist in this. There’s no Eclipsa and Globgor, no Magic High Commission, among other things. GolfAlphaMike more than makes up for it, though, by coming up with some great original concepts. I don’t want to spoil them, but if you’re a fan of the show, you’ll recognize them. Golf’s acknowledged that they directly contradict the show, yet the concepts are interesting enough that I give them a pass.

Very Good Read

So this fanfic doesn’t follow the show that well, but to be fair, it was written when the show had only one season under its belt. The fact that the writer’s ability to create a great story from that one season is an impressive feat. Making it enjoyable enough that you can’t stop reading it, though, is a sign that this is worth your time. It does contain explicit moments of “adult things,” but all the characters involved have reached adulthood by that point.

I know fanworks aren’t for everyone; I’m still not that into that, honestly. I made an exception for Star because I’ve seen how passionate the fanbase can be about the show, and it hasn’t let me down. Its works like Starfall that give me hope that the fandom will keep the show alive for years to come. If you like SvTFOE and don’t want to say goodbye, then this is for you.

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Click here to read the story for yourself

Favorite Non-Human Race

One of the biggest questions humanity has asked whether or not we’re alone in the universe. If you lived in the Marvel Universe, you would know that we weren’t, because there are hundreds of sentient species that share the cosmos with humanity. This is my favorite non-human race.

The Skrulls

Featuring green reptilian skin and pointed ears, one look at a Skrull’s enough to tell you that they’re not from Earth. That is if you can see their true form. Appearing near the beginning of Marvel’s run in the 1960s, the Skrulls are a race of shapeshifting aliens that a universe-spanning empire. They use their abilities to transform into almost any being imaginable, from sentient beings to common house-pets. This makes them naturals at espionage and infiltration. It’s also led them to clash with the heroes of Earth on several occasions.

Unfortunately, fate hates the Skrulls, as they’ve seen a lot of bad things happen to them over the years. First, their homeworld was devoured by Galactus, leading to their empire collapsing into civil war. Then attacks from other civilizations and villains weakened them even further. Desperate, the Skrulls put almost everything into conquering Earth to use it as their new homeworld.

The Secret Invasion

Unfortunately for the people of Earth, the Skrulls figured out how to copy the memories of anyone they transformed into, and even any powers they may possess. Their disguises got so good, not even those with super senses could tell them apart. They came close to conquering Earth, but their attempts failed once more after Reed Richards developed a way to identify the Skrulls. The resulting final battle in Central Park ended with the death of the Skrull Queen at the hands of Norman Osborn.

The Skrulls may be at odds with the heroes of Earth a lot of times, but I can’t help but admire their powers, making them my favorite non-human race. The reason why is actually pretty lame: I’d want to use them to turn into my favorite voice actors and use their voices for entertainment. It would be awesome to turn into Steve Blum and hear his voice come out of my mouth! I could do so many cool things with shapeshifting, which makes them my favorite non-human race.

Click here to see the rest of my comic book related writings, including the 30-Day Challenge