Welcome back everyone to a brand new Pixar review! Last time we did this (before my Onward review) we finished off the 2000s era with Up and now we will be starting with their 2010s output which on the whole got an arguably divisive reception from fans as many complained with a couple of exceptions that it was too sequel heavy and not as strong as their work from the previous decade. While that’s all subject to opinion personally I don’t feel this way at all and have quite liked the films they produced during this period time and today we will kick things off with one that actually did get a significant amount of acclaim, Toy Story 3. Yes at the time the supposed final installment of the trilogy was a huge success with both critics, and audiences with many praising it as a perfect end to the series and it became one of the most successful animated films of all time (the first one to reach the billion dollar threshold worldwide). But how well does this one hold up now after more than a decade later and is still as good as the other films. Well in my eyes it most certainly does! So let’s go right ahead and dive into Andy’s toybox one last time to see why this trilogy capper left such a huge impact on many.
Kicking off with an exciting sequence revolved around one of the stories Andy is making while playing with his toys we then to several years later when Andy is 17 years old and is getting ready to go to college not having played with his toys for a long time leading them to wonder what will happen next and if Andy still cares about them anymore. While Woody reassures them that everything will be okay even he is unsure of their future. Andy then decides to take Woody with him to college while putting all of the other toys in a trash bag to be put in the attic, however his mother mistakes the trash bag as being for the garbage and goes to put it by the curve. The toys mange to escape just in time, though they feel betrayed since they thought Andy was putting them out to be thrown away with only Woody knowing that was just not the case. So before Woody can convince them to head back Andy’s mom comes in as they hide in a donation box, along with an upset Barbie, as she takes them to Sunnyside Daycare and the toys end up being very impressed as they are introduced to the place and it’s residents including one Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear, the one in charge around here. Still while the rest of the toys see this as a brand new opportunity to get played with, Woody himself still believes in Andy and wants to get back to him and thus separates from the rest of the gang. But while everything may seem fine at first, the gang is about to find out that Sunnyside doesn’t exactly live up to it’s title and thus begins an adventure for the toys as they all must figure out what’s going on.
One of things that catches my eye whenever I watch these three movies is how they each manage to stand out from each other and have a different feel to them. The original is primarily a fun buddy cop comedy, the second while still a comedy digs deeper into it’s themes, and strikes a nice balance between drama, and comedy, and then there’s this one which I feel leans further into the drama, and themes while also functioning as an exciting, and often very intense prison escape adventure. The stakes are the highest they’ve ever been here and there’s a great amount of tension involved as we see how the plan unfolds and all the things that could mess things up. Heck it’s so intense to the point where I always genuinely believe that the movie would end with the toys ready to face the fiery furnace as it’s just that gripping, and investing. It’s a really fun, and well done part of the movie that makes it stand apart from the rest and like I said this movie definitely has a lot of emotion to it in how it deals with the passage of time that has past and how it looks at how the toys are starting to question whether Andy truly cares for them anymore what’s going to happen when their gone (one of my favorite aspects of this franchise is how it deals with the existential nature of the concept increasingly with each movie). It’s never afraid to look into these things and it all leads to some of the most powerful stuff the studio has ever put out like the aforementioned furnace scene, and of course the ending which even after 4 (which I think works excellently as an epilogue to the story) still hits hard as it serves as an appropriate full circle endpoint for the gang as a whole and bittersweet as it may be it still is very satisfying and tugs on the heartstrings. But just because it’s the most dramatic of the bunch doesn’t mean it still doesn’t have a lot of fun things to offer as once again the comedy is on point with lots of great laughs throughout, and it’s neat seeing how the writers were able to put the toys in new situations, expanding the concept, like how they would navigate/react to being in a daycare. It all comes together beautifully to make for a heartwarming story that never feels like it’s relying on nostalgia to get the emotion across but rather our investment in the story and these characters that we know and love.
Due to the passage of time between installments the animation quality is also something that has improved with these movies and it’s very much apparent, and remarkable seeing how far the artform has come when watching these back to back. Everything from the environments to the character models just look polished, and often time pretty darn realistic. Sunnyside is made in such a way that it is a character in and of itself and the animators clearly had a lot of fun with that setting and how it is utilized in some clever ways throughout the film for some really fun sequences, and a lot of fun details sprinkled throughout. As for the character designs well the characters look even better than ever due to how polished the models look and we even get to see some new toy designs which is always neat (love how Lotso’s main henchmen all of different looks that fit their personalities) while the movements are smoother as they capture just how each specific toy would be able to move like. Visually there are also plenty of great gags that always get a big laugh out of like with how Mr. Potato Head is supposed to navigate as a tortilla being a highlight. new time director to the franchise, Lee Unkrich, does great job behind the camera as he brings a lot of excitement, and tension when needed to the action sequences like the whole escape sequence is a stand out while the part where Woody has to navigate through the school is also fun, and intense and of course that opening action sequence which involves a terrific train chase is so good that it makes me want to see a movie solely based off of one of Andy’s adventures. while also bringing the right amount of sincerity to the emotional scenes. Also helping in that regard is Randy Newman who once again composes the score for the feature and this is one of my favorites of his as it’s exciting when needed to be, and really does add to a lot of scenes, especially the ending, without ever feeling overdone (also really like his song for the credits, “We Belong Together” which does a fine job of making me smile once everything wraps up). Even though I still think that the first two hold up mostly very well in terms of animation this still does a fantastic job showcasing how much the technology has advanced over the years.
Of course though among the reasons why this movie hits so hard for many is just how compelling, and well written these characters are and knowing what they been through in the previous films and what’s happening to them now years later it just makes things hit all the more. Woody is once again our main character here and he continues to show why he is one the most interesting, and compelling characters out there in how he’s reaching a point in life that he knew was coming ever since the second film and while he’s definitely unsure of what the future holds and is afraid of letting go of Andy he remembers that as long as the gang sticks together they’ll be alright and it really ties into these themes about growing up, and watching the ones we love grow up right before our eyes so well that I can absolutely see parents resonating with this one in particular. Also Tom Hanks is terrific as the character once again always having a nice mix of energy, and emotion to his performance. There’s also Andy (voiced very well by Andy Davis this time) who gets a bit more screen time here as his arc is very similar in that he’s growing up and also unsure of what the future brings and I love how through his emotions, and actions we know what he’s thinking, and how he feels in the scenes where he interacts with the toys. It was neat to see more of him and this movie wraps up his story nicely as well. As for the rest of the gang each and everyone of them gets some scenes to shine providing lots of fun along the way with Buzz (once again played by Tim Allen) having a funny gag involving him speaking Spanish, and I thought it was cute how he tries to proclaim his love for Jessie (Joan Cusack) who on a related note does get a number of effecting scenes this time around. Plus this also probably the funniest stuff I’ve seen from both Mr., and Mrs. Potato Head (Don Rickles, and Estelle Harris respectively) with both getting some great laughs and I like how the latter’s missing eye plays a role in the narrative. But it wouldn’t be a new Toy Story movie without some brand new characters to join the fun and there are plenty of great ones here. First I thought Jodi Benson as Barbie was a lot of fun as I like her strong personality and she gets some fun laughs throughout, and it always great to see (or in this case hear) Michael Keaton in a movie and here is no exception as I love his performance as Ken as he brings a lot of charisma, and charm to the role and the character himself gets a clever little gag involving the many clothes he has while Teddy Newton does strong work as Chatter Telephone a toy whose seen a lot at Sunnyside, and has a detective like voice to him. Then there’s the toys Woody meets when he goes to a little girl named Bonnie’s house who each manage to stand out and are played by some delightful actors like the sassy Dolly (Bonnie Hunt), the jokester, Buttercup (Jeff Garlin), the porcupine with a flair for the dramatic, Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton), the quirky dinosaur, Trixie, and the sad clown, Chuckles (Bud Luckey giving a very effective performance) who has sad backstory which ties into Lotso, and his upbringing. Speaking of which (spoilers if you haven’t seen the movie) that brings us to the villain of the feature, Lotso, who is someone I’ve come to like more and more over time as a bad guy who has a tragic past of thinking he was forgotten by his owner and becomes this tyrant with a dark heart that’s willing to make other toys suffer just as much as he has at Sunnyside. It’s a sympathetic backstory that makes the audience understand how he came to end up like this and the film does a great job in setting him up as a seemingly kind hearted head of the daycare toys but then the twist is handled perfectly and at the perfect timing where it doesn’t feel like it comes out of nowhere and he’s personality remains intact just a little more devilish with Ned Beatty doing a fantastic job hiding that giving him some menace, and a despicable nature under the strawberry scent. And while I may not have loved it before I’ve come to like how he doesn’t get redeemed at the end as it fit the character appropriately. Plus as I mentioned his henchmen are a lot of fun with Big Baby (Woody Smith) getting the most depth as a long time companion of his. On the whole like any great follow up there is a nice mix of both old, and new favorites who each leave a lasting impression and just like any finale it further develops our old friends even more.
Despite 4 being the end Toy Story 3 still is a fantastic installment in this wonderful series as it does what any good trilogy capper should. It has a great plot that adds a lot of new dynamics, and elements to the proceeding, it hits all of the right emotional beats, it’s exciting from beginning to end, it still maintains the sharply written comedy, the animation is even better than ever showing how far animation has come, the action suspenseful, and well crafted, the characters, old, and new get a lot to do, and are developed even more, and it comes to an extremely satisfying conclusion that tugs on the heartstrings. While the second one is still probably my favorite, all four of these movies are excellent, and powerful entertainment that represent some the finest the studio has to offer and there’s a good reason why they left a huge impact on so many with their willingness to go to Infinity and Beyond! So that about wraps up my review of not only Toy Story 3 but the whole quadrilogy in general and now it’s time to look forward to the next review in my Pixar series and oh boy am I excited for this next one as those who’ve ever read my 30 movies I enjoy more than most post will probably know why! Anyway let’s get ready to dive back into the world of sentient vehicles but instead we’ll be traveling around the globe getting caught up in some international espionage!
Rating: A+
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