Toy Story 3 - Review

Wow.

The amount of creative and cinematic ability Pixar Studios has continues to astound me, and I’m pretty sure it will continue to do so as long as it keeps making these masterpieces. I’ll tell you now, this isn’t really a review.

It’s an ode to a film franchise that will never cease to amaze me.

I hadn’t watched Toy Story in what seems like more five or so years ago, nor the sequel. The fact that I remember it so vividly really does prove the point of how long that film lasts in your head, especially when you’ve grown up with it. And I think that’s the main thing about this kind of movie: you’ve grown up with the characters.

And the wonderful irony about that is that these movies are about a bunch of toys.

But Pixar has done something they do best—play with our hearts. There’s a lot of that in this film, simply because of the history behind the franchise, and the key part of the target audiences: the teenagers. The ones who have literally grown up with Toy Story, like me.

As soon as I see Woody, Buzz and all the others jump out of the toy chest in Andy’s room, it’s like I’m back to where I stopped, the five or so years after watching Toy Story 2. And I agree that this threequel couldn’t come at a better time, when, fittingly, I was graduating high school and moving on too, like Andy in the film.

This emotional setup during the beginning parts, even beginning minutes of the film, establishes a setting that is maintained and dynamic at the same time. The two sequences were perfect. They brought us into the mind of a kid, and really did let us join in on their adventures. After which, we’re brought back into this setting of nostalgia, remembrance and unification with the characters that we saw long ago.

By the 15-minute mark, the smile hadn’t left my face.

Perfect scriptwriting, talented animation that keeps the style of the previous two films, voice acting as genuine as talking toys can be, and a plot that’s classic and always works. I mean, it’s undoubtedly a perfect formula.

Throughout, there are enough laughs to entertain the young ones, and the old ones, because all the characters are just as they were, which is why we fell in love with them. And the new characters as well only add to the value of the characters, and don’t subtract, as most sequels inevitably do in bringing in new characters.

Accompanied by the high notes are the low ones. The special thing about these is that we’re feeling them too—most specifically Andy’s separation and passing on of his toys. It’s safe to say we are feeling the say way as we watch the crew try and work around the fact that Andy, like me, is going away.

The empathy is there, the humour is there, but it’s not until later that we finally get to see where this is all going.

Now that I think about it, it may not be the most cohesive plot progression in regards to keeping it with the previous two films, but it’s hardly noticeable when you watch it, because it’s amazing how well Pixar does in keeping you interested. But, as I said, it’s all those elements that come together to make a damn good emotional ride.

When we get to the main part of the film, It got better than what I was already seeing, which is hard to believe. But I think the best way to gauge how much you enjoyed a film is how often your facial expressions change on cue with something happening on the screen.

Like I said, my smile never left my face, but in between them were gasps, laughs, and a constant open mouth with all the suspense and action that occurs.

This is an escape film, after all. But with toys. How awesome is that?

I won’t go into the technicality of it all, because there’s no point in reviewing it. As wholly a film, Toy Story 3 is pretty much flawless, and any flaws you could figure out would be trumped by all the positives, which pile and pile up with each one-liner, emotional sequence, and step in character development.

Plus, there is a part where I am sure you’ll enjoy, or already have enjoyed, involving Andy and all this toys, with a certain other character near the end. Cute.

And you know, that’s all this film needs to be, despite it being so much more.

It’s a cute film, but it’s also a nostalgic film. It’s immersive, funny, witty and heavy at the same time. It’s a mosaic, not a melting pot of film elements.

I can’t say enough about it, but I can’t find what the best thing to say is.

So I’ll say, go watch it if you haven’t already. If you have, I’ll wait until you can grab it and watch it at home with as many friends and family as possible.

Oh, and again with the whole Andy-going-to-college thing struck home, especially for me. There’s a lot of thematic subtext in this film, which I’m pretty sure you can figure out, but the important thing is taking it home with you.

If you take a movie home with you, in your mind, your heart, and everything else—if you’re talking about it, thinking about it, and wondering why its such a wonderful film, and why you can’t watch the characters do everything they do outside the given screen time—that’s a good movie.

No, a great movie.

But this, Toy Story 3, is one of the best.

It’s the last, and its bittersweet, but it was a great time.

And, after all, there are always new toys to play with.