Review: Toy Story 3 (2010)
July 4th 2010 02:26
Toy Story 3 (2010,Unkrich)
Written July 3, 2010
Watching the Toy Story trilogy as an adult is like revisiting childhood. The last two films, especially, touch on the difficult themes of irrelevancy and the loss of innocence. The back-story of Emily in the second film was not a frivolous storyline; it mirrored Woody’s situation at the time and foreshadowed his future obstacles. When the second film ended with Woody and Buzz discussing if Woody was still worried over losing Andy, Woody responded with surprising maturity, “Nah, I’m just going to enjoy the time I have with him.” And we’re sure he did, until eventually each toy ended up in Andy’s trunk. We learn no one has been played with for some time and Andy is leaving for college in a few days. The toys attempt to gain his attention by stealing his cell phone and calling it from the house phone. It works and it doesn’t; Andy finds the phone but doesn’t play with his abandoned toys.
We learn that many toys, including Bo, have been given away, sold, or possibly even thrown out. These were obviously traumatic events for the remaining toys, which include Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Ham, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Rex, Slinky, and Bulls-eye. Once it is learned that many of the beloved toys are no longer with us, one may think that given the course the storyline takes we may end up seeing some again and happy reunions will occur; you’d be wrong. Toy Story 3 does not take the easy way out; it doesn’t pander to children and it doesn’t give you happy endings. Instead Toy Story 3, the best of the series, is harsh in its realism and meticulous in its execution.
Like many sequels or second sequels, there is always the danger of the film being created for the wrong reasons (more often than not that fear is a realistic one). This is not the case here. Toy Story 3, unlike the Shrek or Ice Age sequels, was not made as an attempt to garner more revenue for the franchise. It was a necessary sequel, a labour of love, and was a completely necessary addition to Pixar’s first outing. Helmed by Lee Unkrich, finally in the driver’s seat after co-directing Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. and Toy Story 2, there is not one shot out of place, not one bad decision made. The comedic timing is spot-on and the reliance on reaction shots greatly pays off. The inclusion of new characters such as Ken and the telephone make for hilarious subplots; the only true flaw was in the new villain, who, while entertaining and strong as a character did resemble the characteristics of Stinky Pete a bit too much, right down to the limp and the accent.
The direction of the story is incredibly layered and in many aspects, rather surprising. Some old themes are revisited and some new obstacles occur. However, Toy Story 3 is more about the internal struggles and feelings of its characters rather than the exactly what is going on in each scene. The film has a palpable intensity throughout its core due to the complexity of its themes.
It was wonderful to see Andy, very much an idea and more often than not off-screen voice rather than a true character, finally have a chance to shine; he is part of one of the most touching and devastating scenes that I’ve ever seen, animated or live action.
On a personal level, these films make me think about my childhood and in specifically my toys and the way I played with toys. Much of that is lost this ever evolving age of technology and video games. A montage in the beginning of the film shows Andy in home video footage over the years as he created numerous heart-pounding and entertaining stories using only his imagination and his toys. A new character in the film, a young girl, plays with her toys like Andy did, like all kids should. She creates brilliant stories in her mind and does not rely on any sort of technological enhancements. When watching these films, Toy Story 2 and 3 especially, I think of the way I played with my Barbies, Polly Pockets, and Precious Places. I think of the stories I came up with, I think of my favorite stuffed animals, and I wonder where they all are. How did I lose track of them? Did my parents give them away? Does someone else have them now?
Toy Story as a trilogy has given us incredibly realistic characters with rich personalities; to me, Buzz, Woody, Ham, Rex, etc. are real. I never once have questioned the believability of the fact that these toys can actually talk and move; it makes sense. It makes sense that they have feelings and that these feelings are hurt when their owner casts them aside. It makes sense how much they love Andy. And it makes me wonder about the toys I had and their function; to be played with. It makes me wonder if I did a good enough job.
Toy Story 3 is not to be missed. It’s a rare second sequel gem and deserves all of the praise it is getting from critics and audience goers alike. It continues to prove why Pixar is so fantastic and will continue to make films that are funny yet also emotionally heartbreaking and touching, for both children and adults alike to enjoy.
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