Rarely do films get the recognition of being “perfect” in anyway whatsoever. Even more rare does a series of films gain the same accolade. Pixar, however, is the one studio that I would expect to see a perfect film and/or film series emerge. Toy Story is one of those films that you just might have grown up with, whether you were a child, a teenager, or even a parent who watched it with your family. No matter the age when you first saw Toy Story, chances are you instantly fell in love with the concept and all the characters; doesn’t hurt that it was the first computer generated feature film ever.
Up from the first Toy Story came Toy Story 2, equally beloved on almost every possible standpoint. Now, to be honest, I have only seen Toy Story 2 once and that was when it first came out… when I first watched it, I didn’t particularly enjoy it all too much. This may not be fair, though, because I probably didn’t know how to appreciate things as much when I was 10 years old. Still enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as the first.
Fast-forward ELEVEN years (yes, it’s been that long), and the final addition to the Toy Story saga is released to the masses on June 18, 2010.
Ever so rarely, ever so once-in-a-blue-moon does a film come around that garners that “perfect” emblem… and Toy Story 3 is that once-in-a-blue-moon movie.
To nitpick at Toy Story 3 is just like picking off pepperoni from your pizza, even though you love pepperoni pizza. Maybe there was just too much of it at any given point… and that might be the only real drawback of Toy Story 3.
The story deals with a lot of different themes, most notably the leaving of childhood toy connoiseur, Andy, to college. After turning 17, he leaves no room in his life for his toys, and thus has to choose between storing them in his attic, donating them to a day care center, or just throwing them away. Events lead to all of your favorite Toys from the other 2 films being sent to Sunnyside Day Care where they can be played with by infinite generations of children for eternity. However, a certain evil lurks behind Sunnyside as a tyrannical bear named “Lotso” (Ned Beatty) who tricks the Toys into living a miserable life tormented by ultra hyper, messy toddlers. Woody (Tom Hanks) ends up being the only Toy that Andy decided to bring along to college, but when he realizes what is happening to his fellow plastic companions, he risks everything to help them.
So I’m just going to get any negative things I have to say out of the way first (here comes the nitpicking). A lot of sequences in Toy Story 3 are cliché, simple. Too often you’ll be predicting exactly what will happen next and what will happen in the long-run. Plenty of scenes are also “been-there, done-that” scenes like typical cliffhangers and multiple twists occurring within a 5-minute timeframe. It also definitely feels a tad bit formulaic at times, which is mostly due to the predictability of it all.
Now I’m done being a jerk and beating up the kid everyone loves. Toy Story 3, while “formulaic,” is classically told and immensely engaging. From pulse-pounding start to heartwarming finish, you’re not going to want to leave your seat for even a second. All the characters you know and love are back, namely Woody, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Rex (Wallace Shawn), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head (Don Rickles and Estelle Harris), Slinky (Blake Clark) Jessie (Joan Cusack) and Bullseye… and, of course, the Pizza Planet martians.
It takes considerable skill to deftly blend elements of romance, horror, drama, action, comedy and elements of satire and perfect-pitch tongue-in-cheek parody, but Toy Story 3 managers all of this with near-perfection. It really is astounding in and of itself that Pixar can keep churning out ridiculously successful films, both critically and commercially, without missing a beat. Of course, all this mastery draws from one key sources, and that’s simply the lovability of all the characters. Each one has its own distinct personality and enough nuances to distinguish themselves apart so clearly. It’s hard to just pick one to be your favorite (although with a gun to my head I’d certainly say Rex), and that whole feeling just emanates love for the rest of the film.
Of course, Toy Story 3 introduces a slew of new characters, including a fantastic villainous bear and a metrosexual Barbie (Jodi Benson) matchup named… well, who other than Ken (Michael Keaton)?
Once you get passed how much you love any given character at any point in time, you realize that the story is perfectly paced and really pulls the punches when it comes to emotions. You’ll cry, you’ll gasp, you’ll laugh and you’ll cheer and you’ll have way too much fun doing it. Then again, this is Pixar… this studio just knows people. It knows how to make people exert all these actions at just the right time. Whatever stars aligned to bring together the development team behind Toy Story need to align more often (and fast, considering they’re apparently making a Cars sequel… not that there’s anything wrong with Cars, but it wasn’t my favorite Pixar feature and it boggles my mind that they’re making a sequel to what is probably the least successful Pixar film yet).
I digress. The action sequences in Toy Story 3 are intense, and there’s one point toward the end of the film that almost every single possible emotion to emote will be emoted emotionally. I can’t tell you what it is, of course, but it’s truly a moment of enlightenment. The last 10 minutes or so are really what get to you… for all of us college kids out there, the overall theme rings true and close to the heart, beset only by the fact that we grew up with this fantastic series and we must now see it end. ‘Tis a bittersweet ending, though, considering how extraordinarily beautiful the film is, both to the eyes and to the mind.
Whether you’re 1 year old or aging in a retirement home, whether you loved the first 2 films as a child or never really even got into the series, whether a fan of animated films or more edgy ones… Toy Story 3 has something for everyone. Being able to juggle all its themes, genres, and target demographics into one bombastically brilliant film, Toy Story 3 would be a contender for Best Motion Picture at the Academy Awards, and is thus far my favorite film of 2010. Disney-Pixar is just one grand ol’ studio.
10/10.
-Kyle Shelton
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