Toy Story 3 Review

"Now guys, we all knew this day was coming." - Woody

We all have a childhood (unless yours is horribly scarred by a confidence man named "Mr. Sawyer"), and in my childhood there was Toy Story. And it was awesome! It had colorful, lovable characters that had dimension and personality. It had computer generated imagry that was new and exciting for its time. It had a story that was not only fun, but compelling and sweet. It was a kids film at its finest, it began the long string of great movies from Pixar Animation, and few animated features can hold a candle to it to this day. But like most successful and marketable movies, a sequel had to come along. And it did, in the form of Toy Story 2. Now I actually was able to go to the theatre to see this when I was about six or seven and it was great too. Just as fun, just as lovable, and just as personal. That was around 1999. Rumors of a third Toy Story were floating around throughout the eleven years of thinking another would never come along. But surely enough, just recently in 2010, Toy Story 3 has come to theatres again. And I just got back from it.

Though I had my doubts when I first heard another TS was in the works, I couldn't help but smile whenever I saw promos for the film. Thankfully I was able to see it and I don't think I would've forgiven myself if I hadn't. Even if the film was going to suck, I was personally obligated to watch this movie on a towering screen in dark room with a bag of popcorn and a Coke in my hands. I did all of that, and in 3-D too. Did Toy Story 3 let me down? Hell no! It's the best movie I've seen in awhile and the last movie I saw in theatres was Iron Man 2 months ago. But yeah, I had no idea how tight my bond with these characters still was until the beginning scenes (and you'll know what I'm talking about). It has been one of the most lovely animated experiences I've had in awhile and probably one of Pixar's best.

After the really touching scenes of child Andy living out his fantasies with his toys, who joyfully play along, we flashfoward to when Andy is a seventeen-year old going off to college. The toys (Woody, Buzz, Jessie and Bullseye, Rex, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Slinky, Ham, and Barbie) haven't been played with in years. They all feel like they will never be loved or played with again and are prepared to let go of Andy as he seems to have let go of them, all except Woody of course. After a series of unfortunate events, almost all of the toys are accidentally sent to the Sunnyside Daycare Center. At first it seems like heaven: a perfect little home where kids will play with them for ages and they can interact with new and interesting toys. A place where they will always be loved and cherished. But it quickly turns out that the kids are too young and their idea of play is the toys' idea of a massacre. Not only that but the local toys aren't as friendly as they seem. So, being the only one who didn't stay to get trapped, Woody embarks on a quest to save his friends and get them all back to Andy before he leaves for college. And trust me, you will be reeled into this plot. It's too fun, sweet, and very often suspenseful to not get into.

Many of my online sources have called this movie "epic" and I agree after watching it. It is an epic movie. One of the best of the year, if not THE best so far (still holding out for Inception). There are scenes in here that call back to two previous films and every one is not the least bit subtle but are still funny and touching. You'll hear the Little Green Men talking about "THE CLAW" quite often and every time they do you will no doubt chuckle or at the very least smile. The opening scenes once again are the biggest and best call back scenes of all though. If you aren't brought back to the time when you were little and watching the first movie or when you were younger and watching it with your kids there must be something wrong. As for the suspense, it had as much if not more suspense than the other two. That place wasn't Sunnyside Daycare, it was Shawshank Prison for toys. It might as well have been a house of little Sids. The toys are brutalized so bad by these kids it almost makes you cringe and be ashamed of the time when you were that age and so careless. In the past there have been sole villains for the Toy Story movies, but now we have a Legion of Doom of toys, they can be found in the highrise vending machine. Most movies I can read and see the bright and shining exit sign for the characters, but not in this one. There is a point where I was afraid the toys weren't going to survive this movie (just watch out for the fires of miniature Mordor). It is intense and I liked it. There is nothing worse than a kids movie that talks down to children like they were nothing but ignorant children. Disney and Pixar very rarely do that, they prefer to treat children like responsible kids. Their movies can break our hearts in one moment and lift our spirits in the next. Toy Story 3, and 2, and the first are movies like that. If you aren't in tears or choking up by the end of this movie you don't have your heart in it.

Now for the technical passage. The effects were done as well as ever. They kept the original designs and added a fresh and wild world of modern CGI around them. It's safe to say all our favorite characters look just as they did in the 1995 original. If anything was touched up a bit it was the effects on the "people" people. As far as voice acting goes, it was just as great as it has always been. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen make Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear practically live and breathe. Few characters have been better fit together. All of the other actors make their character just as lively as ever. The one exception may be Joan Cusack as Jessie, who I never have thought was all that great. We have two new star actors in voice roles here, Ned Beatty as the shifty Care Bear reject Lotso and Michael Keaton as the feminine but repressed Ken doll. Both are great actors and fit perfectly into these roles. You can spot Lotso's true intentions just based on the fact that he's voiced by Ned Beatty. You know, Ned "Squeal like a pig!" "YOU HAVE MEDDLED WITH THE PRIMAL FORCES OF NATURE!" Beatty. Yeah, let's not trust him. So yeah animation and voice actors are pretty much top notch like the rest of this movie.

In closing, Toy Story 3 is a wonderful film. If you have the misconception that this is a movie just for little kids, you are very wrong. I'd recommend this movie for people aged 1 to 80. It is a delight, a fun ride, and a bittersweet end to a part of our childhoods. Odd that this is the second beloved group of characters I've had to say goodbye to this year, after Lost. Funny when fictional characters become like old friends who one day you'll have to part ways with hugs and handshakes and fond farewells. I had Woody and Buzz Lightyear action figures for christ sake's. I think if this movie had one message it was that at some point we all have to grow up, let go, and move on, another slight Lost parallel. I was two when I saw the first Toy Story and today I am sixteen watching the last Toy Story. Saying goodbye is never a good thing, but it has to happen. Finally, I will say go out and see Toy Story 3 as soon as you can. If I'm right, you won't be disappointed.

This has been a bit of a nostalgic review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.