It’s no secret that movie studios have a penchant for using and reusing tired material, especially in the animation medium. Walt Disney Studios is perhaps the most notorious abuser of its own material, milking the proverbial cow to no end with regard to many of its franchises.
For most, sequels to classic animated movies are nothing more than another 90 minutes in a day that a guardian can keep a vivacious little tot occupied. However, the Toy Story series, much like architect Pixar Animation Studios, has always felt a bit different than its peers. While allegiances were split over whether the new installment would be a triumph or failure, it is now safe to say, without a doubt, Toy Story 3 lives up to its namesake tenfold.
With the announcement of a third Toy Story film, there was a great deal of uncertainty among fans and the generation of movie-goers who held the originals in such high esteem. It’s been almost 11 years since Toy Story 2 and about 15 years since the one that started it all.
That’s an incredibly long gestation period for any film, especially a sequel based on a movie that found much critical acclaim in what is now seriously outdated animation technology.
For those that still aren’t convinced, Toy Story 3 should be the final argument that Pixar has never been about of-the-moment visuals. The movie studio has always been about story and characters — and fabulous ones at that. Consequently, don’t bother seeing the film with all this new-fangled 3-D mumbo-jumbo: It adds nothing to the experience but a bigger gap in the audience’s wallet.
Of course, there’s the obligatory opening short, entitled Day & Night, an entirely satisfying piece and a return to form for a Pixar quirk that has been dwindling in quality.
The feature presentation is where the magic really starts. From the very first moment, this film is non-stop action.
Since the now 17-and-going-to-college Andy is ready to move on, the toys of his youth are in near constant, nail-biting danger. Just as in the originals, the toys are never safe from being left behind, with constant — often insurmountable — obstacles thrown in their way.
Most of the toys audiences have grown to love return, including Woody (Tom Hanks, The Pacific), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen, Crazy on the Outside), Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles, The Catch), as well as Rex, Hamm, Jessie and many more. Sometimes, the characters’ actions are dependent on how they have grown in previous films, which could be a problem for some but is to be expected from the third film in a series. Every character is treated with great care and becomes integral to the plot at some point or another.
Those that don’t return, such as Woody’s once-beloved Bo Peep, stand as a constant reminder of the toys’ inevitable end — the trash can — which in grown-up terms is a stand-in for mortality.
For those who saw Pixar’s last film, the Oscar award-winning Up, many of the more complex emotions portrayed in that film have found their way into Toy Story 3. Those viewers who were little kids when the originals came out are now about college age and by growing along with them, this film series is still being marketed directly at that generation.
Even still, Pixar has yet again managed to strike a perfect medium between comedy for kids and comedy for adults. There are side-splitting laughs — jokes adults can enjoy on levels far different than those a child will. Even wilder, the action sequences are some of the best in recent memory for any film.
Humor, drama and exciting scenarios blend together almost perfectly. When the toys finally do reach that trash dump and their perceived fates are imminent, audiences will realize just how much real emotion they can feel for computer-generated plastic.
New characters are handled with just as much, if not more care than the familiar stars. The villains are particularly malevolent in this film, including Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty, The Killer Inside Me), the ruthless leader of abandoned toys at a prison-like day care center, and his sincerely terrifying, wordless lackey Big Baby, a broken baby doll.
Perhaps the best inclusion to the cast is Ken (Michael Keaton, Post Grad), an absent minded and effeminate Mattel-approved Ken doll from the Barbie line. Not only does he steal many of the film’s greatest moments but his burgeoning issues with morality add depth to his character.
However fearful one might be that the characters of their childhood were to be slaughtered by a rendition nearly 11 years too late should stop fretting. Toy Story 3 is an amazing force of family and personal entertainment. It’s a film that, for just about 100 minutes, can make anyone feel like that vivacious little tot one more time.
RATING: 5 stars out of 5
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