It turns out even the weakest Toy Story film, two films after the franchise came to a natural conclusion, is still pretty good. More of a Jessie (Joan Cusack) and Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) movie than a Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) film, the story focuses an imaginative put lonely Bonnie struggling to make friends whose life is changed by the introduction of a new Lilypad (Greta Lee) tablet which draws her away from her toys.
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Re-released in theaters for the film’s 30th Anniversary, Toy Story was never the quintessential film for me that is is for some. While I certainly understand its importance to the company, and thoroughly enjoy the film, the animation is still rough in a couple places (most notably in the human characters) and it lacks the emotional impact to me that both Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 deliver. That said, it’s still a damn fine movie taking us into a world of what happens to a child’s toys once they leave the room.
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“Picnic” focuses on the rivalry between Matt (Tim Allen) and Eve (Jenna Elfman) when Riley’s (Kat Dennings) boss adds a picnic table to the shared alley. The bickering between the pair never really escalates to anything of note, they eventually come to shared understanding and peace which is broken by a misunderstanding that is discovered but never acting upon. All in all, it’s a pretty lazy episode that also bleeds into the B-story involving both Matt and Riley struggling to give Carter (Maxwell Simkins) the sex talk which, like the main storyline, doesn’t have a real resolution either.
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On Valentine’s Day, the main storyline involves Matt (Tim Allen) visiting his wife’s grave and making a new friend (Nancy Travis). While the episode doesn’t set up Travis as a romantic interest, the interactions between them (first at the mausoleum and then at the pharmacy) does build on Matt learning how to move on after his wife’s death. Sadly, neither of the B-stories have much to offer in terms of Riley (Kat Dennings) fretting over a dance video which is really just an excuse for Dennings and Seann William Scott to dance badly, and Georgia (Barrett Margolis) getting sick when left alone with Carter (Maxwell Simkins), both feel very much lazy paint-by-number sitcom filler.
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“Jimmy” is something of a misfire for Shifting Gears which introduces Lucas Neff as Riley’s (Kat Dennings) husband Jimmy. It’s always tricky when introducing an ex after never showing us an example of the couple together. The show never really sells Riley and Jimmy as a couple who would have stayed together for years other than that Riley appears weak in the knees for the man’s musical talent (which we don’t see a single example of on-screen). Nothing here does anything positive for the Riley character. Arriving in time for Carter’s (Maxwell Simkins) birthday, the premise of the episode moves from Jimmy attempting to win back Riley to instead win back his son’s love. Once transitioning to that aspect, which is something even Matt (Tim Allen) can get behind, the episode works better. However, overall it’s quite hit-and-miss.
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