'Toy Story 4' is another tearjerker from the geniuses at Pixar

I was really skeptical going into Toy Story 4. The previously entry in this nearly 25 year old franchise was not only my favorite, but it felt like the perfect finale for this heartwarming series about a collection of toys that come to life when they young owner is away.

And for stretches of Toy Story 4, which is laugh out loud funny, I still questioned if this film needed to exist for any reason other than to make money.

But then the last act sticks the landing so hard with so many rich emotional content, that I found myself balling over these neurotic animated characters all over again.

It's some kind of remarkable magic trick that the Pixar team pulls off -- getting us to care about Woody, Buzz, Bo and the rest as if they were a part of our family. Granted for some viewers they have literally grown up with these characters and if this is truly the last installment, they too will have a huge lump in their throat by the end of this one.

So much care and creativity went into every ounce of this film, and even when a few story beats feel redundant with previous entries (yes, Woody yet again gets separated from the others), the artistry on display here is mind-blowing.

This may be one of the best looking animated films I've ever seen. It's also just as dark as Toy Story 3 occasionally got, even a little scary in some sequences that make wonderful nods to The Shining.

There are welcome vocal additions here, especially Tony Hale as a hilarious new character called Forky, and Key Peele as a couple of wisecracking carnival prize stuffed animals.

Like all of these films, they can be totally enjoyed as a straight ahead kids film and as a very adult meditation on letting go and acceptance.

Most of the best Pixar films have this perfect mixture of the sour and the sweet, but there is something special about the Toy Story films. It might be because these were the films that started it all. It also may be because the voice acting of Tom Hanks in particular is a step above everyone else.

Whatever the secret is, I have to tip my cap to this franchise. Just like the Marvel movies, you can't discount and dismiss them as pure commercial fodder. A lot of thought and care went into making this as moving and memorable as it is.