Henry Saw: Toy Story 3

Pixar does it again...


So I'm not a Toy Story acolyte. I think the first one is a splendid film but have always felt Toy Story 2 was over-rated. I was also troubled by the fact that Pixar is starting to do more sequels, Cars and Monster's Inc. are getting their own Part Twos in the next few years, when their original output has been so strong. Lastly, none of the trailers or promotions did much for me and it just felt like an easy crash grab.

Well, I was wrong to doubt Pixar...as Toy Story 3 is a fantastic film. As far as I am concerned it blows Toy Story 2 out of the water and contains heights not reached in the first film. While not quite as original as the first film, and how could it be, it does perfectly continue the themes of the series thus far and gives the characters the perfect conclusion.



Disney's plot description: Woody, Buzz and the whole gang are back. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice. So, it's all for one and one for all as they join Barbie's counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear to plan their great escape.

Pixar has always been great at economical storytelling (outside of Cars) and continue their great job of pacing their films here. The film is constantly moving forward, slows down enough for the heavier beats, and contains some of the more exciting scenes of the year. The "prison break" sequence, and an action scene on a conveyor belt at a trash dump, are as well executed as any scene you'll find in a live-action blockbuster.

That moment on the conveyor belt leads to what could be the best scene in a film this year. Facing certain death in the form of an incinerator, our characters make a choice that surprised and moved me, and I was embarrassed by a Pixar film yet again. I teared up during Wall*E, I teared up during Up, and I really welled up during this sequence. Again, the fact that I was made to care that deeply about CGI characters who are made of plastic is quite a feat of animation and storytelling.



The voice acting is, as one could expect, just as solid as in the last two films and the animation has only gotten better and better in Pixar's films. The film never achieves the beauty of Wall*E but the Toy Story films have always done an amazing job of immersing us in the toys' world. There's a sequence involving a bunch of younger kids assaulting the main characters that is just brilliantly conceived.

A great film and one just has to marvel at Pixar's consistency. It's a pity their next film is Cars 2, I just have no interest, but I'm sure it will be well made. Toy Story 3 is not my favorite CGI film of the year, that would be How To Train Your Dragon, but it's right there. The Toy Story films now take their place as one of the great trilogies of all time. Pixar should be very proud of these films and I can't wait to share them with my nephews...especially this third one.

Grade: A

Best Scene: That moment when the toys are about to fall into the incinerator...