MOVIES · STORY NOTES

Toy Story 4

Toy Story 4 is a 2019 American animated comedy-drama film directed by Josh Cooley and written by Andrew Stanton and Stephany Folsom. Toy Story 4 follows Woody as he, Buzz Lightyear, and the other toys go on a road trip with their new owner, Bonnie, who brings along with her, Forky, a spork made with recycled materials from her school.

Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Toy Story 4 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text adapted for this entry.

FULL SPOILERS AHEAD

The story, including the ending.

These write-ups discuss major events and outcomes for this listed work. Each source and its coverage are identified below.

Source plot synopsis — includes the ending

Nine years ago, Woody and Bo Peep rescue Andy's remote control car, RC, from being washed away in a storm, before Bo and her lamp are donated to a new owner. Woody attempts to rescue her, but she insists it is okay as it is "time for the next kid". She asks Woody to come with her but when he hears Andy calling out for him, he chooses to stay.
In the present day, after a college-bound Andy has donated his toys to Bonnie, Woody struggles to adapt as she shows little interest in playing with him and her toys already have a leader. Bonnie is quite nervous about starting kindergarten, so Woody sneaks into her backpack as moral support. When she creates a toy from a spork at her kindergarten orientation, it comes to life as Forky, who immediately suffers an existential crisis, seeing himself as trash and not a toy. As Forky quickly becomes Bonnie's favorite toy, Woody tries to stop Forky from throwing himself away.
When Bonnie's family goes on a road trip, Forky jumps out of the window of the RV, and Woody goes after him. As they walk to the park, Woody convinces Forky that his place is with Bonnie, and Forky overcomes his existential crisis. As they pass an antique store, he recognizes Bo Peep's lamp in the window, and detours inside to find her. They encounter a talking doll named Gabby Gabby and her ventriloquist dummy friends, who try to take Woody's voicebox to replace Gabby's broken one. Woody escapes, though Forky becomes Gabby's prisoner. At a playground nearby, Woody reunites with Bo and her sheep, who have become "lost toys", free from owners and able to do as they please, along with their new friend Giggle McDimples. They agree to help Woody rescue Forky.
Buzz Lightyear, trying to find Woody, gets lost in a traveling carnival and encounters prize toys Bunny and Ducky. They find Woody and Bo, who take them to stunt bike toy Duke Caboom. They attempt to rescue Forky, only to nearly get killed by the store owner's cat Dragon. The toys refuse to go back due to the danger, but Woody, overwhelmed by the ordeal of being neglected by Bonnie, indirectly ensued a dispute with Bo who dejectedly leaves with the others except Buzz. Upon confronting Gabby, she explains that she means no harm, only wanting his voice box so she can be played with by the store owner's granddaughter, Harmony. Woody voluntarily sacrifices his voice box to Gabby, in exchange for the safe return of Forky, only for Harmony to reject Gabby afterwards.
Woody sends Forky to the RV and convinces Gabby to return to Bonnie with him. Bo and the rest of the gang return and help the pair escape, and Bo and Woody reconcile. Buzz and Jessie rally Bonnie's toys to use the RV to drive back to the fair. On the way, Gabby notices a lost child at the carnival and leaves the group to comfort her until the parents arrive; the girl takes Gabby with her. Woody chooses to stay with Bo as a "lost toy" with Buzz's encouragement to live in happiness. Woody shares an emotional goodbye with his friends as they return to the RV and leave the fair. Some time later, the "lost toys" help prize toys find owners, while Bonnie creates a companion for Forky from a plastic knife.
Sources and content license

Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Toy Story 4. Section headings and formatting adjusted. · Content license