Should You See Toy Story 4 Or Child's Play?

Toys have taken over movie theaters this summer. In one corner, we have Toy Story 4, a charming continuation of cowboy Woody's journey through a world of sentient dolls (and now, thanks to a spork named Forky, also trash.) In another, we have Child's Play, a reboot of the popular franchise about a murderous doll. In this iteration of the character, Chucky is akin to a walking, talking Amazon Alexa.

Child's Play and Toy Story 4 are clearly aware of their similarities. Child's Play even utilized its same-day release date to its advantage by creating posters of Chucky murdering just-different-enough versions of Toy Story's iconic characters. With two toy-centric movies in theaters on the same day, it can be hard to decide which one you need to see right away, so we made a guide to help you figure things out.

Here's how to tell which toy movie is worth your money.

Yes, Child's Play is technically a remake, but it's wildly different from the 1988 film of the same name. Instead of the Chucky doll being inhabited by the spirit of a serial killer hellbent on possessing his child owner, the Chucky in the 2019 version is a "smart doll" whose settings are rigged by a disgruntled employee to their most dangerous capacities. By contrast, Toy Story 4 is a straight-up sequel with all your favorites returning — if nostalgia is more your thing, you know what to do.

Oh, you thought Toy Story 4 was a safe bet? Clearly you haven't met the Vincents, ventriloquist dummies who want to rip the voice box right out of poor Woody! No, they don't murder anyone, but if Slappy from Goosebumps still conjures nightmares — steer clear.

Woody is still hung up on his OG owner Andy, even if Bonnie is now written on his boot. The main character in Child's Play is also named Andy (Gabriel Bateman). You can blame Toy Story for not finding a more original name, as the original Child's Play came out seven years earlier than the first movie.

Sure, cotton stuffing may be a toy's version of blood and guts, but it's a lot less graphic than the bloody mess Chucky makes in Child's Play.

If you are the person who whispers to your friend "The robot revolution could happen," then you'll appreciate Child's Play's "the internet will kill us all!" attitude. Chucky's not necessarily a bad person — he's just doing as he was programmed, which is to make his boy Andy happy. If that means murdering Andy's mean cat and pseudo stepparent, so be it!

As Tom Hanks promised, Toy Story 4 has a poetic, if downright bittersweet ending. If you watching Woody evolve from Andy's favorite to a toy ignored at the bottom of the box broke your heart, you'll definitely weep when you see where the Toy Story 4 journey takes him.

Oh, did we not mention there's a third doll movie of the summer, out June 26? Honestly, just go see all three — and make Toy Story 4 and Child's Play a double feature.

Toy Story 4 hits theaters June 20. Child's Play arrives June 21.