Toy Story 3 (2010)

Oh, to be a kid again. I was 8 when the original Toy Story came out. At the time, Toy Story was a breakthrough in animation. A completely computer generated animated film had rarely if ever been seen before. Now, they're everywhere. Now, you're lucky if you get the chance to see a new traditionally animated film. This is all to say that there's really not much more to be said about animation these days. It looks great, has for a long time. This is the third Toy Story, that we've been given, so again, nothing new about the animation. That leaves, the story. It is here that I see Toy Story 3's biggest issue. Or, it's simply my biggest issue. I have no idea what Toy Story 3 wants to be, and I transfer that confusion onto the movie itself. 

Toy Story 3 kind of picks up where the second one left off, except it's about 10 years later. Andy hasn't played with any of his toys in years. One by one they've been thrown away, sold, or given away. The group of toys in Andy's room has gotten noticeably smaller. Despite all the lessons they've learned during the first two movies however, most of Andy's toys are still constantly worried that they're not wanted and that they're going to be forgotten and/or thrown away. This, of course, would be one of the only real worries a toy could possibly have, that and being given to someone younger than your age recommendation. (More on that later.) Andy's mom tells Andy, who's going off to college, that he has to decide what he wants to do with his toys. He has to decide whether he wants to bring them with him to college, throw them away, donate them to the local daycare, or put them in storage.

 

One thing leads to another; Andy decides to put all the toys but for Woody up into the attic for storage. However, his mom mistakes the black garbage back full of his toys that Andy leaves below the attic, for garbage and brings the bag out. The toys, not realizing that they were in fact destined for the attic, believe that Andy has left them for the garbage, so once Woody rescues them from the garbage man, one of many stressful sequences for the toys, they decide that they'd rather go to Sunnyside day care and be played with all the time.

When the toys find themselves at Sunnyside, they're greeted by a seemingly generous and genial cuddly bear named Lotso. At first, Sunnyside seems like a godsend to the toys. However, they quickly realize that the heavenly environment they're shown isn't where they'll be spending their time. Instead of the 6 and 7 year olds that play rather nicely with their toys, Andy's toys are put in the toddlers section where toys aren't played with, they're tortured and abused. When Buzz goes to talk to Lotso, the cuddly bear is gone, and a fascist dictator is found instead.

The rest of the movie includes nods toward an array of different movie plots from a lot of great movies. An elaborate prison break scene, a touching and painful flashback explaining Lotso's horrible detachment towards owners, and a rather terrifying trip down a garbage incinerator that seemed incredibly out of place for a kids movie. Everything leads up to the toys finding their way back to Andy, and Andy passing on his toys to the next generation in a very touching scene that honestly may have drawn a tear or two from this reviewer.

There's really no saying that this movie wasn't good. It was. Considering that it's all about toys, the movie's ability to elicit anxiety, fear, love, and hatred from the audience is amazing. However, that's not something new we saw that in the first two Toy Stories. What makes many of the original Disney/Pixar cartoon movies so successful was the fact that they of course catered to children while still having subtle hints towards adult humor. You have to keep the parents interested too. Toy Story 3, on the other hand takes this nod for adults and absolutely runs with it. I'd say half of the movie or more was directed more towards the parents and/or the college age students who were kids for the first one. Maybe that's who it was meant for. IF it was, that's unfortunate. The best thing about Toy Story and its sequel, was that they were both first and foremost kids movies. The fact that adults could enjoy them just as the kids was a great addition. It seems that Toy Story 3 will be best enjoyed after you've graduated high school at least.

 

Like I said before, it's most certainly a good movie. If it was a little bit more original, I feel like it could have been a great movie. What happened to keeping your childhood toys to give to your children and your grandchildren? I think they writers missed an opportunity here. Can you imagine a Toy Story 3 where the toys spent the time in the attic? It would be like a less terrifying more interesting Sid's room. Seems like they lost a lot when Andy gave his toys to the little girl. Yes the girl will play with them, but she's not Andy, she's not even related to Andy. The toys should learn to wait, that family is family, and that we trust our family and eventually they will be played with again, by Andy's son/daughter.

Again, it's a good movie. A very good movie. I just think that when you're talking about Toy Story, it should be a great movie. This wasn't a great movie. There was no real human commentary, like there was in the first two. It's not all the time that you get a decent third movie in a trilogy, but it seems Toy Story has done just that.

7/10