So I’ve been reading Toy Story 4’s Reality Ensues page on TV Tropes. Some of these examples have popped out on me more than others. Here are the five that I found to be the most interesting:
While Bonnie does love having Woody as part of her group of toys, he isn't her favorite since she has a different style of playing with her toys than Andy. Additionally, a child can only play with so many toys, and one or two are bound to get sidelined. Bonnie even lampshades this, establishing why she's playing with Woody less and less.
The fact implies that even to a child that has so many toys, there is a limit. I wasn’t any different either. This also reminds me of how many hobbies I have available at home, yet I only utilize one to three of them at a time, which is why I got into a bad habit on suspending projects for too long.
While Andy's speech to Bonnie in the last film about how important Woody was to him was certainly heartfelt and meaningful, it was also something that a child of Bonnie's age wouldn't fully appreciate. As such, she doesn't see any reason to take special care of Woody now that he's her toy.
The fact states that although Andy put a lot of heart into describing Woody, a child Bonnie’s age wouldn’t understand it because they haven’t learned enough. We were all kids once, remember? Of course kids wouldn’t understand something adults understand.
The minor difference between Woody and Buzz's voice-boxes in this film actually highlights an interesting reversal on the long-term appeal of older and newer toys. Namely, Woody's voice box runs on a mini-record and still sounds crisp despite being over half a century old, while Buzz's voice box, which uses an electronic speaker, sounds noticeably aged and distorted after more than two decades of wear and tear.
This one popped out the most to me. Although the Buzz Lightyear part should’ve been like 11 years rather than 24 years (judging by story events), this fact reminds me of how different Toy Story 4 is compared to the rest of the tetralogy. Since the series is so old by the time Toy Story 4 came out, you shouldn’t be surprised that it’s going to be a lot different. Andy’s already grown up, most main characters are downgraded to side characters, and Woody and Buzz are showing their age. The other thing this reminded me of is how older video game consoles tend to last longer than newer ones (hint: why were there still functional N64 units after 20 years of usage, but PS3s and Xbox 360s last for only 5 years).
Gabby Gabby has become obsessed with Harmony, the granddaughter of the antique shop owner, believing that she'll take Gabby Gabby as her own toy. Gabby Gabby has even been practicing playtime with Harmony and staked her entire life on being loved by the perception of Harmony she has developed in her mind. When Gabby Gabby does get her chance to be taken in by Harmony, the girl looks Gabby Gabby over for a moment before dismissively casting her aside, proving that Gabby Gabby's perception of Harmony was just that - a perception.
This one reminds me of how I daydream about stuff I want to do, but it can only exist as a dream, not reality. You may have the wildest of your dreams, but all they are is just dreams. It’s not reality.
In the end, Woody ultimately decides to stay with Bo as the events of the movie showed that, while he does care for Bonnie, she really needs someone who can look out for her, a prospect Jessie, Buzz, and Bonnie's previous toys can fulfill without him. Essentially, it's the equivalent of retiring from a job and passing over the reigns to somebody else. The last meeting between Woody and Buzz is bittersweet, since with where Bonnie's family is and where the circus ends up, it's almost a certainty that Woody will never see them again.
Another thing that reminds me of how old the Toy Story franchise is. Everybody gets a chance of being a star, but they all have their part of the play. In this case, Woody has already served his role as the leader and a toy to be played with.
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