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Review of Toy Story 4 (Randy Newman)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you desire a predictably sentimental continuation of
the style and themes from the first two Toy Story soundtracks,
Randy Newman playing a heavier hand of nostalgia in the fourth entry's
music.
Avoid it... if you demand any substantial evolution of the franchise's musical style, for the four new themes in this work fit seamlessly with the reprises of old favorites and become a rather anonymous mesh of Newman's standard fare.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Toy Story 4: (Randy Newman) For many years, a
consensus opinion had maintained that the conclusion of 2010's Toy
Story 3 was the perfect ending for the toys and human characters of
the original trilogy of films. The franchise can't shake the warm and
fuzzy appeal of the concept, however, and with the support of much of
the voice cast, not to mention a billion dollars in profits, Disney and
Pixar have left the door open indefinitely. The fourth film, 2019's
Toy Story 4, reprised the themes of separation and farewell, so
much so that the franchise should be renamed "Goodbye Story" given its
perpetually melancholy tone of the more recent entries. It elevates the
female character of Bo Peep into a lead role, and the story follows her
adventure in an antique shop near a fairground. Meanwhile, Woody, Buzz,
and crew salvage an annoying spork that their new child owner, Bonnie,
has built, and their own unlikely journey to the same fairground results
in a culmination of a battle against yet another set of
not-so-benevolent toys. It's an unnecessary film with highly obnoxious
new characters (the spork really needed to die), continuous torture of
favorite old toys, and a coda that loses the upbeat tone that made the
franchise so appealing at the start. On the upside are absolutely
spectacular animated visuals, particularly of the carnival lights, and a
notable prologue reprising the scenes of better times with the previous
owners of the toys. Also hitting the right notes of nostalgia is
composer Randy Newman, so much a fixture of these films that the
producers never considered any alternative for Toy Story 4. The
formula for Newman on this fourth entry seems familiar to the previous
films on the surface, with the composer's standard underscore
sensibilities joined by a pair of new songs. But the equation is a
little different this time because Newman made a concerted effort to
revisit considerable material from the first two films. The soundtrack
opens with the original recording of "You've Got a Friend in Me" during
the flashback sequence. The all-new "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself
Away," representing the spork, is a vaguely gospel song about suicide
that might feel more at home in 2009's The Princess and the Frog,
and despite its short running time and rather irritating interlude in
the picture, the song was nominated for an Oscar. Better is the
Grammy-nominated "The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy," another very short
entry for Woody that jives with the tone of the soundtrack as a whole.
None of the songs' melodies, including "You've Got a Friend in Me,"
figures strongly in Newman's score.
Generally, Newman's music for Toy Story 4 is on par with the quality you hear in the rest of the franchise. These are all competent works with a solid musical voice, and the fourth score offers nothing unexpected or transcendent compared to the previous three. There is one significant shift in this sequel, however, and that is a return by Newman to substantial phrasing from the first and second scores, notably in how he reprises action segments for Woody and Buzz. Listeners hoping for a nostalgic fix will best hear these passages in "Operation Pull Toy" at the start and "Buzz's Flight & a Maiden," the latter an extended homage to the Zurg sequences in Toy Story 2. The three-note fanfare fragment that Newman has dropped humorously into moments of Buzz's one-liners is back. Woody's material becomes understandably defeated as the film progresses, though by "Parting Gifts & New Horizons," the work shifts to redemption in adequate doses to satisfy. The love theme for Woody and Bo Peep has a touch of "A Part of Your World" from Alan Menken's The Little Mermaid in its rising progressions, but it bookends the score well in the opening and closing cues. Several new themes were devised for the new human owner, Bonnie, and new toys: Duke Caboom, Gabby Gabby, and Forky, the ridiculous spork. Of these, the Bonnie and Duke Caboom themes are attractions, the former conveyed beautifully early in "School Daze" and the latter infusing faux-Eastern Canadian tones into "Recruiting Duke Caboom." The Forky theme is introduced late in "School Daze" but formally comes to life in "Trash Can Chronicles." It's odd that this melody doesn't have much in common with Newman's song for the same character. The Gabby Gabby presence, while inspiring quick bursts of suspense in the middle of the score, evolves into a sad but somewhat underplayed theme in "Gabby Gabby's Most Noble Thing," where it shares time with Bonnie's theme. The "Parting Gifts & New Horizons" conclusion is strong summary of most of the score's ideas, sharing time with a tribute to John Williams' E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial as a parody near the end. The album appends the "Plush Rush!" mini-feature cue for the new comedy relief characters, Ducky and Bunny, complete with the closing scream from the scene. Overall, the songs are rather weak in Toy Story 4 but the score is slightly better than Newman's average for the franchise. The entire package retains a three-star rating just like its three predecessors, and something must be said consistency. There is comfort in hearing the work of the 75-year-old Newman persist in this franchise. Whether or not it meets your tastes, the concept's music retains valuable personality unlike any other. ***
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 72:39
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes a list of performers and lyrics to the songs but no extra
information about the score or film.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Toy Story 4 are Copyright © 2019, Walt Disney Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 7/5/20 (and not updated significantly since). |
