Something I’ve been grappling with is the route of Bo Peep’s characterization in Toy Story 4. The movie did the impossible and conceivably brought her back into the story, which was something I was very grateful for. But her design and personality are a far cry from her portrayal in the first two films, and is another one of the hard pills to swallow of an overall divisive film.
I suppose one of the critiques that can be given is that Bo was not a strong female character in the first two films; such was even said by John Lasseter’s wife. But not being a full-on action hero doesn’t make you weak, nor is it something to be ashamed of. Rather, I think the Toy Story crew dodged a bullet by actively not making her a damsel in distress (something potentially implied by earlier drafts). Being a love interest unfortunately opens up a character to criticism of being an “object”. Bo defied this by having her voice of reason and being source of sound advice defining her character instead.
Bo was capable, but never an action hero. In fact, the first film was hardly heavy on action at all. Her delicate construction was what kept her sidelined during the adventures of the second and third films, not any socio political factors (I kid).
To comment on the physical aspects; why shouldn’t Bo get to keep her dress? I think the metaphor of her running around in a cape and her undergarments is a little too on-the-nose. Toys have also always kept the personality of and traits of the character they were made to be. Even if they don’t literally believe they are that character like Buzz, Buzz is still athletic, Woody can still throw a lasso, Slinky speaks dog, etc. Bo’s gentle nature is diminished and she doesn’t uphold herself in the same manner as previous.
It’s hard to explain exactly what doesn’t resonate with the new Bo Peep, but the original Toy Story felt timeless in both its story and characters, thus has aged gracefully over its 20+ years. But something like turning the soft-spoken shepherdess into just an embodiment of Sarah Connor seems like a very 2019 bandwagon to hop on. Could Bo still be turned into a strong and non-passive character? Absolutely. But the team should have asked themselves; what made audiences resonate with Jessie in 1999? Hint: it wasn’t turning her into a full-on action star.