Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010)

Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 3′ stars no other than the original voices of Tom  Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz and Joan Cusack as Jesse. This movie  had more of an emotional impact then most of the rides at Disneyland. On  this 3rd chapter reality sets in as you realize that your beloved  characters have now been out grown by the soon to be collage student,  Andy. These slightly used toys find themselves feeling abandoned and fear  they will end up being thrown away or just stored in the attic with the  rest of the unused and forgotten items. With a week away Andy must pack  his things for collage and has 3 choices of where his things will go. 1  being the box labeled collage stuff, 2 stuff for the attic and 3 the  awful black bag that will be taken out to the curb as TRASH. Anxiously  awaiting their destiny they secretly watch Andy as he starts to pack up  his thing. And true to the other 2 stories lines things end up more  complicating then they should have been, ending up in what most of  Andy’s toys think to be the next best thing to Andy’s room is the ‘Day  Care Center’.
Meeting some friendly new toys they are welcomed to the day care with  open arm, but friendly has it’s own definition in this day care..  Watching this movie unravel, so did my emotions. I can truly say that I  was so glad to have been watching this in 3-D as the glasses helped hide  the water works, the anger, the sadness that took over. I highly  recommend this movie as the entire theater went quite at one point and  you could hear a pin drop along all those little kids who filled the  iMax seats. Tissue is recommended for those of you who grew up with  these fun loving group of Toys.

THE SCOOP
Director: Lee Unkrich
Plot: Woody, Buzz, and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, departs for college.

Genre: Animation/Adventure/Comedy/Family/Fantasy
Awards: -
Runtime: 103min
Rating: PG

IN RETROSPECT
At the end of my review of Toy Story 2 (1999), I challenged Pixar to “convince us (with Toy Story 3)…that we have been frozen in carbonite all these years, that we haven’t really aged at all.” I am extremely delighted to say that Pixar has done it again. Director Lee Unkrich takes rein and flies the Pixar flag with confidence and conviction. The co-director of Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Finding Nemo (2003), Unkrich finally proves that he has what it takes to be fully in charge of a Pixar picture.

Toy Story 3, I would guess, is the last installment of a very remarkable trilogy, which in modern cinema, is perhaps only bettered by Peter Jackson’s action-fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003). Its success also breaks the “curse of the third film” that has plagued popular series such as Spiderman, The Matrix, Pirates of the Caribbean, and maybe even Shrek. Pixar’s eleventh straight box-office hit, Toy Story 3 is the epitome of consistency, not only for the famed animation studio, but for animation cinema as well.

If there is a minor blip, Toy Story 3 is the least original in the series. Visually, it is arguably the most creative. But plot-wise, it copies the structure of its direct prequel. An action-packed prologue in which the toy character(s) live out their (or their owner’s) fantasy? Check. Meeting of new toys in which one of them appears to be kind but is actually wicked? Check. A flashback sequence that details the fate of a toy? Check. Indiana Jonesque action and adventure in another great escape? Check.

Nevertheless, it is still very entertaining to see Woody and co. pick up from where they left off eleven years ago. They have not lost any character trait, nor our love for them diminished over the years. The story goes like this: Andy is all grown up and going to college soon. The toys fear that they will become unwanted and unloved. They are then accidentally donated to a day-care center, to their delight of course, where children could play with them. Their enjoyment turns into horror when they realize that at night, the center becomes a prison controlled by a gang of “veteran toys”.

Toy Story 3 is less funny (dialogue-wise), has less film references, but hits the jackpot with great character interplay, of which the most memorable ones include that of Buzz and Jessie, and Barbie and Ken, most of them of a romantic nature. Many of the action set-pieces are thrilling (and sometimes frightening) including one involving a garbage incinerator in which the fear of death brings a collective sense of identity that has never been exhibited to such a heart-wrenching extent in a Pixar film.

Unkrich leaves the very best for the last. The final act is touching, with enough emotional resonance to warm even the coldest heart. The younger viewers in which the film is targeted at may not be old enough to appreciate the nuances. But adults who tag along with them, and children who grew up with Toy Story (many of whom are now slightly older than Andy) will find tears in their eyes as they recollect memories of childhood that now look like a distant afterthought. Suffice to say, Toy Story 3 is a definite shoo-in for one of the top ten films of 2010.

SCORE: 9/10
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Last updated: 2010-07-19 22:10:14 by eternality_tan

Eleven years after the last Toy Story outing, I would say that it was definitely worth the wait.
Containing all the elements that made the past Disney/Pixar films a huge success, Toy Story 3 was a well-done, beautiful masterpiece that has joined the long line of films which have been both a financial and critical triumph. Onto the film.
Toy Story 3 was equally as incredible as the previous two feats, but on another level; the story in this film is what made it that little bit more exciting. Toward the climax of the film, there was a moment where I foolishly thought it would abruptly end. How naive I was. Everything that took place in the film was extremely gripping, moving and I felt emotionally touched throughout, having grown up with the film. Although the previous plot involving Buzz Lightyear being recalled sounded more exciting, the new plot was still an exciting, and well-done replacement.
The ’3D’ used in the film was adequate; very reminiscent of that used in the re-release of Toy Story back in January (Review HERE). Honestly, it wasn’t required. It feels like the studios are literally slapping a ’3D’ label on anything to make that extra dollar(or pound, or whatever), and it really didn’t work. There were some moments where you could really see the difference(Really just differences in depth of field), and some moments where it just wasn’t needed at all.
I couldn’t help but notice the huge similarity between one of the characters in this film(no spoilers here) and ‘The Prospector’ from Toy Story 2. Wasn’t a bad thing, just felt it needed to be pointed out.
This, was a Pixar film, so it was difficult to pick out any flaws. If there were any, I didn’t want to know.
Toy Story 3 was well worth the 11-year wait, and whether they choose to make a sequel or not, I’ll be happy watching the trilogy for years to come.
9.5/10 (Because nothing’s perfect)
Kazed