Movie Info
Movie Name: Toy Story 3
Studio: Pixar Animation Studio
Genre(s): Animated/Comedy/Drama/Family
Release Date(s): June 12, 2010 (Taormina Film Festival)/June 18, 2010 (US)
MPAA Rating: G
The movie that made you feel like crap about your old toys…
The time has come to set aside childish things away as Andy prepares for college. With hopes that they will be sent to the attic, Andy’s remaining toys find themselves accidentally left on the curb for the garbage. Through a failed rescue, Woody and the toys end up at Sunnyside Daycare where it seems that they might actually be played with again. With Andy soon leaving and Woody needing to get back to him, Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear and Sunnyside Daycare might not be as innocent as it seems.
Directed by Lee Unkrich, Toy Story 3 is the 3D finally to the Toy Story series which began in 1995. Following Toy Story 2 in 1999, Toy Story 3 not only became the biggest grossing animated film of all time (until unseated by Frozen in 2013), but it also became one of the biggest grossing films of all time. The movie received rave reviews and won Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (“We Belong Together”) with nominations for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Sound Editing.
We had (have) this monkey as a kid…and it was just as terrifying
Toy Story 3 was a big deal. Not only did it advance the story, it also dealt with some tough issues while maintaining the quality of the first two films and improving on their format. Though I find Toy Story 2 “the fun one”, Toy Story 3 is a more rounded film.
The script for Toy Story 3 is great, though I do question about its place for children. The film is rated G and has some very intense moments…many might go over kids’ heads, but you also have to consider that the children who started watching Toy Story in 1995 weren’t kids anymore and like Andy have grown up. The movie is good for those (former) kids, but scenes like the toys facing their death and the ending sequence might be too intense for younger viewers.
Looks like the toys are going to die, kids
The movie also is one of those movies that is such a downer. It is rather preachy at points and makes you a bad toy owner. The ideas that toys should be played with is a legitimate one, but what does it also say about kids who don’t play with their toys right (like at the daycare)…is destruction just as valid? It seems like the kids at the daycare were not good for toys either…I am guessing that this movie did not help increase donations to daycares of beloved toys. The movie feels pretty manipulative at points by forcing emotion from its viewers, but it still is pretty touching.
Buzz….get ready for the end
The cast is strong and a majority of the cast is back from the original film series including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Jodi Benson, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey, Wallace Shawn, Estelle Harris, and John Ratzenberger. Some characters were “lost” and new characters were added. The new blood includes Michael Keaton as Ken, Ned Beatty as Lots-O’Huggin’ Bear, Timothy Dalton and Mr. Pricklepants, Kristen Schaal as Trixie, Richard Kind as Bookworm, Bonnie Hunt as Dolly, Whoopie Goldberg as Stretch, and Jeff Garlin as Buttercup. With the death of Jim Varney, Blake Clark replaced him as Slinky Dog. It also has a minor appearance by the destructive Sid from the first film as the garbage man (played by Erik von Detten).
The adventure lives on!!!
The movie’s visuals have actually improved on the original format of Toy Story without making Toy Story look ancient. The art of computer animated film is quite strong and movies and the stylized “human” characters don’t stand out as much as in movies where they try to make them look real.
The whole Toy Story “saga” is interesting in that it almost plays out in real time. Kids who grew up with Andy might find themselves looking at their unused and discarded toys differently. With all the talk of Andy never outgrowing them in Toy Story 2, it was interesting to see that time cannot be stopped. With the toys now residing with Bonnie, a new Toy Story could continue…and Toy Story 3 was followed up by a TV Halloween holiday special Toy Story of Terror! in 2013.
[easyazon-block align=”center” asin=”B004RKXW0E” locale=”us”]
Related Links:
