Hey Toy Story, long time no see!
Toy Story 3 came eleven years after Toy Story 2, which ordinarily would be a bad sign. But this film knew the smart thing would be to take advantage of the time that’s elapsed, that the audience who loved the first two films as children will have grown up by now. The result of embracing the lost time to convey themes of growing up really works in the films’ favour. Consequently, Toy Story 3 was a more deserving Best Picture nominee than Up.
It’s been years since any of Andy’s toys have been played with and many of them are now gone. As he’s about to go to college, the survivors plan for what will happen next. Though Andy intends to put them in the attic, a mistake results in them being taken to the Sunnyside Daycare Centre, an apparent utopia for toys. However the reality is it’s run on the whim of one disgruntled toy purposely making life hard for the new arrivals. Woody meanwhile in an attempt to get back to Andy, is taken home with Bonnie, the young daughter of the daycare owner, where he meets her toys. But he’s compelled out of loyalty to save his friends and return them home.
This is the only Toy Story movie not directed by John Lasseter and the first Pixar film by Lee Unkrich, a long-time editor for the company. And while Unkrich does a great job, the script by Michael Arndt is probably what gives the movie its strength. While the principal story arcs of the first two films belonged to Buzz and Woody respectively, this film is much more an ensemble piece. True, Woody is at the centre of it, due to being Andy’s oldest and favourite toy as well as leader of the gang; but aside from the portion of the movie where he goes to Bonnie’s house, he’s with the rest of Andy’s toys virtually the whole time. There’s a sense of sadness to their existence and abandonment, which makes their unity all the more important. A vital scene early on is when Woody calls a staff meeting in direct parallel to a scene from the first movie. But where then there seemed to be a hundred toys convening, now there’s only twelve. Woody no longer has the advantage of being the favourite, they’re all in the same boat. Thus it’s Andy’s toys as a group that this story is about, which is rather nice considering most of them began as mere side characters. The daycare is a great change of environment, and the way it comes upon them as a paradise lost is a really interesting choice, devolving into a prison where Andy’s toys are incarcerated in the toddler room (where they’re completely mistreated) and the whole daycare is under control of a strict warden. That scene where Lotso, flanked by goons, paces in front of the toys’ cells, I half expected him to go into Bob Gunton’s introductory speech from The Shawshank Redemption.
This is definitely the least funny of the Toy Story movies. It doesn’t fail at a ton of jokes, it just isn’t going for comedy. Mostly it’s going for sentiment. That being said there are some really creative and funny scenes, including easily the best opening play sequence of this entire series, as goofy and random as any kids’ imagination. The break-out also, though a little too corny in places, is generally pretty good -and that telephone toy is hilarious. But as much as I love Michael Keaton, his appearance here as Ken is mostly unnecessary, except as a slightly more important lackey for Lotso. The scenes devoted to him and especially his romance with Barbie aren’t very good. For her part, Barbie seems to be in this movie mostly because she was introduced in the last as one of Molly’s toys, and Pixar knew they could make some money off Mattel. This film has a thing for emphasizing comical love at first sight, first with Barbie and Ken, and then with Spanish Buzz and Jessie. Spanish Buzz I didn’t mind, and in fact was funnier than doppleganger Buzz of the second movie. But the whole bit with him being reset to factory settings was a bit of a slog considering this is now the third movie we’ve seen this version of Buzz in. And it just feels a bit of a disservice to Buzz after what he’s done in the previous two movies to have him just be a brainwashed enforcer for a good period of this one.
Nevertheless, Tim Allen is doing a good job and is clearly enjoying returning to this role. There are definite advantages and disadvantages to the ensemble focus of this movie, and one of them is that Buzz doesn’t feel as singularly important as in previous films. The script tries, by making him the clear leader in Woody’s absence and giving him some extra bits that other characters don’t have, as well as an emotional motif of being paired solely with Woody in a few moments as the two who started it all. But he doesn’t quite stand out as thoroughly as he should. However I wish even more that Jessie was given more to do, seeing as she was such a crucial part of the second movie. Joan Cusack is still very good, but aside from being an enthusiastic personality among the toys, she never gets a moment on her own to shine, which I really feel she deserves. The rest of the characters however are done well and just as enjoyable as ever. John Ratzenberger still cracks some great jokes as Hamm, Wallace Shawn is wonderful as Rex, the late Jim Varney is replaced by Blake Clark as Slinky, and he’s a fitting replacement. Don Rickles is so entertaining as Mr. Potato Head, he gets more screen-time, as does Estelle Harris as his wife (though she has an inconsistent plot device in leaving her other eye in Andy’s room). Bo Peep’s absence is remarked upon, but it still kind of bugs me (though supposedly she’s going to factor into Toy Story 4).
The best performer of the movie is obviously Tom Hanks, who’s so effortlessly endearing. Woody is the heart of the group and in this movie he really earns it. He’s a good leader who’s learned so much over the course of the series that has impacted his behaviour. But he still has just the right glimmer of optimism, like in his failed attempt to trick Andy into playing with his toys again, or when he tries to look on the bright side of being kept in the attic. More than any of the others, he’s attached to Andy so it makes the moment all the more meaningful when he subtly directs Andy to donate the toys to Bonnie. Andy is great too. He’s voiced by John Morris, the kid who’d voiced him in the first two movies, coming back to the series as an adult. This extra authenticity is not lost, as Andy comes off as a genuine teenager about to embark on a new chapter of his life, but uncertain when it comes to the relics of his childhood. They even brought back the same kid who’d played Sid, now a garbage man. It’s a nice bit of irony that Sid is ultimately the one to bring the toys back to Andy.
Bonnie is a worthwhile imaginative successor to Andy, and one who does have a bit more personality than Andy originally had. Her toys are also a neat crew. Even though they don’t appear for long, I like them, and the little family they’ve formed. They’re voiced by some great actors including Timothy Dalton, Kristen Schaal, Jeff Garlin, and Bonnie Hunt once again. And of course I gotta love any collection of toys that includes Totoro -clearly a John Lasseter decision that I approve of. Ned Beatty voices the villain, Lotso Huggin Bear, and as usual he’s great. His backstory is very similar to Jessie’s, having once been loved by an owner but then was lost -typical reason for a grudge. But the more interesting thing is that he was replaced by a carbon copy, and when he discovers this, he convinces two other beloved toys that they’ve been replaced too. Lotso doesn’t just want to prevent other toys from being loved, but he’s directly responsible for destroying that opportunity for Big Baby and Chuckles the Clown (that must be a Mary Tyler Moore reference), purely so he wouldn’t have to suffer alone. Chuckles escaped, but Big Baby is still under his power. It’s long-term deceit and manipulation towards a toy who trusted him. And thus it’s satisfying when Big Baby lifts him up and tosses him into the dumpster (you see Toy Story 2, this is how you do a Star Wars reference!)
That’s the point where the movie goes dark. And while it is a little jarring, it’s very earned. As I’ve noted repeatedly, this movie is focused on the group and one of its central themes is togetherness. Working together the gang is able to escape Sunnyside and their loyalty to one another is strong. Gone are the days when Potato Head or Hamm were content to let Woody rot in Sid’s house. Now that they’ve all been together for years, stuck in a trunk with only each other, there’s a deep comradery and it’s important to really emphasize that connection. So we get the scene where they’re headed into the incinerator, left to die by Lotso. It’s a powerful and very emotional moment when they all hold hands, but the more powerful notion is just the fact they’re resigning themselves to their fate, finding solace in being with each other. They escape to return to Andy of course, and its the resolution of the other major theme of the movie, growing up, that’s more poignant. Andy takes the toys to Bonnie and introduces them one by one before giving them to her, even Woody at long last. This is where the movie is directly targeting those of us who grew up with Toy Story. And while there is a bit of a manipulative streak in how it provokes you to feel sad for all the toys you left behind, it does try to reiterate one of the themes of Toy Story 2, that there’s nothing wrong with that -though not as strongly as that prior film. Andy can take comfort that his toys still have purpose, bringing joy to a new child. It’s a perfect ending to this series, punctuated by Woody’s emotional “so long partner” and a bookend of clouds not unlike the ones we first saw painted on Andy’s wall in 1995.
Toy Story 3 is a very fitting ending to what’s often forgotten is one of the great movie trilogies. And while it’s the least of the three, I think maybe because it relies a bit too much on emotional attachment from the previous two, it’s still absolutely satisfying.
I’m biased towards it, I’ll admit. I watched Toy Story a lot through my childhood, and though I didn’t see Toy Story 2 as often, it was one of the earliest movies I saw on the big screen. Early in this movie, Andy chooses Woody to take with him to the college. There’s no animosity among the toys and when they return at the end, they expect Woody to go into Andy’s college box while they go to the attic. There’s a bittersweet farewell between Woody and the other toys with a particular lingering on Buzz. This scene more than the incinerator, more than the “You Got a Friend in Me” montage (ending with a cut to black on the “our friendship will never die” line), and more than Andy giving the toys to Bonnie, is what got me choked up the most when I first saw it. Because I love this cast of characters, and with them all sitting in a box marked “attic”, that’s when it hit me this was over, it was time to grow up, and that I actually cared about these characters and these movies a lot more than I realized. And now of course there’s going to be a Toy Story 4 coming out in a few years. But as good as that may be, I can’t help but feel this was a neatly wrapped up series. There’s so much finality about Toy Story 3 and for the most part it’s done very well. Sure I want to see more of these characters and their adventures, as well as the new characters among Bonnie’s toys, but the specials and shorts that have come out are enough. But I’ll be optimistic. This series has been around for most of my life and it hasn’t let me down yet.
To infinity and beyond!
It’s really interesting seeing Pixar do 2D animation, especially considering they’re arguably the studio that killed it. I’m glad they did use it though for Night & Day, mixed with 3D animation, because the result is absolutely brilliant! It’s the kind of abstract work of art and life that animation is made for. It’s about the anthropomorphic manifestations of Night and Day who exist in the same relative space but not time, their bodies being windows into each state. When they first meet, they’re at odds, but soon become curious of one another, showing off a beautiful beach in Day or a glorious Las Vegas in Night for example. They come to really enjoy each others’ company, and by the end, the sun sets in one and rises in the other so they’ve switched positions and can now enjoy what the other had. This short is utterly beautiful and spellbinding, the traditional animation of the characters melding perfectly with the 3D animation inside them. There’s a lot of fun in just the little touches of how the world moves with them, like when a tree falls down in Day just as he’s falling back from a blow dealt by Night. The relationship between them is well-developed and the sheer artistry is tremendous. Perhaps the greatest moment is when the sun rising in one and setting in the other reaches the same point, and Night and Day look virtually identical. It’s a strong visual and allegorical moment. The short is scored by Michael Giacchino and directed by Teddy Newton. I hope he gets a feature film soon, because Night & Day was incredible, and I can’t see another Pixar short topping it.
Next Week: Cars 2 (2011)
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