Toy Story 3

→ in
Tools    





28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds


So A Third Film In A Series Can Be Good?

Andy is going off to college and is given the option of putting his toys in the attic or throwing them out. Through a series of unfortunate events, the toys actually end up being donated to Sunnyside Daycare. Which at first, seems like a wonderful place to be, but the truth about the place is soon discovered by the toys and they try to escape.

In 1995 when Toy Story first hit the screens, I was around 7 or 8 years old. I am in disbelief at how young I was, 1995 doesn't seem that long ago, but it's been 15 years. I was still in elementary school when the second one came out too. I was young and was able to connect to both of the films, I saw a little of myself in Andy. I grew up playing with plastic army men, dinosaurs and cowboys. There is a special bond between a boy and his toys and Toy Story got it perfect. The original Toy Story introduced us to a few things. One was Pixar, a studio that would go on to create dozens of films that are entertaining and brilliant. Another was the first fully computer animated feature film. It changed the way animated films were made. Finally it gave us two of the most recognizable animated characters of all time, Woody and Buzz.

Flashforward 11 years after Toy Story 2. I have recently graduated college and don't play with my toys anymore. Andy is heading off to college and he doesn't play with his toys anymore. The big question I had was, can a third entry to a series that is more than a decade old, still hold true to the original and will I still be able to connect to it? The answer is yes, on both accounts. Toy Story 3 is magical, entertaining and heartfelt. It reminded me of my childhood and my toys, the biggest thing this film has going for it is nostalgia. I found it funny that more than half the people in the audience were not alive when the first film came out.

The constant fear of being discarded is present here, as it is in all three of the films. With this entry it is the forefront issue. The themes of loss, friendship and courage are all present in this third installment. Usually the third film in a franchise falls short of what the first two are, but this is not the case. Toy Story 3 is just as good as the first two. My minor complaint is that there is that one thing that is missing. It might be the 11 year gap between the films, but there is that little special thing that made me love the first two films that this one doesn't seem to have. Buzz seems a little underused as do the other toys, but this is a small issue that doesn't ruin a great film.

There are 3 scenes in the film that made me almost cry. Hey, I said ALMOST. The first one is pretty early on, when Woody calls for a meeting, something we are accustomed to in the previous installments. But this time we don't see dozens of toys coming out from under the bed, behind closets or out of bins. It's just these guys. All the other toys that we see in the background are gone. Even though they were never the main characters, or given a lot of screen time, there was something about each one that we seemed to love. This people were a family and that family is broken. Wheezy, Bo Peep, Etch, RC, Lenny the Binoculars, Mike the tape recorder, Rocky Gibraltar the gladiator. Dozens of lovable background characters that made us love that room so much more.

The other two scenes are near the end, one in which the toys join hands in fear of their ultimate doom. It's their realization of the end and their bonding together that got to me. The other is the final send off from Andy. The film builds on the previous adventures these characters had to tug on the heart strings. It never reaches the emotional depths of Up, but these are two totally different films. The way they chose to end the series, in my opinion was perfect and sad.

There are hundreds of new characters, all introduced at the Daycare. At first you would seem to think that you will be overwhelmed with all the additional characters, but it is never an issue. The two most prominent new characters are Lotso Hugs and Ken, who is voiced by Batman himself. Some of the more interesting new characters are never given a chance to shine, they belong to Bonnie in her room, mainly my new favourite Mr. Pricklepants.

The film mixes adventure, comedy and drama all perfectly. It's not as funny as the first two, but it is more adventurous. The animation doesn't call for anything fancy, these are toys after all, yet Pixar finds a way to still dazzle the eye. The climax of the film has a lot going on and it is edge of your seat entertainment.

To end this review, I'll simply say the last thing Andy said before leaving the toys..."Thanks Guys"

__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews



I am burdened with glorious purpose
ALMOST cried? Well.... it seems I was frantically trying to find a kleenex because the tears were actually falling. A man about my age -- and we're not that young, lol -- was sniffling near me.

Only Pixar. I'm reminded of the guy who made his kids stay after the credits were rolling for Finding Nemo. Seemed he didn't want to walk out of the theatre with red, teary eyes.

I agree, this film is magical and heartfelt. I didn't think that after Up, I could be more touched by a Pixar film. Well, I am. Truth is, I wasn't even that much of a Toy Story fan. Sure, I loved the movies like everyone, but I came to love the films more that came after Toy Story. Yet, this third film is, by far, the best third film probably ever made!

There is a scene (that you mentioned) where the toys find themselves in a situation where the only choice that comes to them is to hold hands and be with each other at the end. I imagined this was the seed of the film -- what if, the Pixar writers most likely asked -- the toys were thrown away and they were facing their doom? Wala, I'm guessing this film was born at that moment. And what a moment it was. There wasn't a sound in that theatre, and I could barely breathe.

I can't imagine one child in that theatre -- or parent for that matter -- would ever throw away their toys after watching that scene.

I glanced over at my 14 year old son who went with me. He was the "toy kid" in the family. He played with toys all the time, as opposed to my older son, who wasn't all that interested. He glanced sideways at me, then looked away. I saw the glisten in his eyes.

I found it interesting that the real ending of this trilogy did not involve the toys at all, but Andy. For three films, we laughed and shared these toys' adventures. But in the end, it came down to the boy who loved the toys and why he loved them. Once again, the boys at Pixar proved yet again what kind of hearts they have.

Every parent in that room knew full well this film wasn't about growing up and getting rid of childish things. It's about celebrating our children. And the kids watching? They think the film is for them.

I'm convinced the Pixar films are never really for the children. Not at all.


Rating: 5 out of 5 (couldn't get the popcorn to show up)



Saw this on Saturday. Yes, I cried, too.

Was struck by how tense the film was at times! I was genuinely nervous at times, and dozens of kids in the theater let out a very audible gasp at one point. Just an absolute masterstroke. I figured they could only go down after Up, but they've managed to match it in both humor and heart. Best film I've seen this year.

Toy Story 3



Toy Story 3 is a reminder both of how far CGI animation has come, and how little it's actually changed. If the early 90s were the Golden Age of animation, Pixar's gone Platinum....READ MORE




Just got back from it, I'll explain a
tomorrow.
That's gonna need a lot of 'splaining. Though there are some valid complaints (even if I don't agree with them) that would lower one's rating from great to merely "pretty good."



There are 3 scenes in the film that made me almost cry. Hey, I said ALMOST.
ALMOST cried? Well.... it seems I was frantically trying to find a kleenex because the tears were actually falling.
Saw this on Saturday. Yes, I cried, too.
I cried real hard in the end...

Oh dear... my niece has been after me to take her to see this... and now, I don't know... I can't have her seeing Auntie Caity get all teary eyed... she thinks I'm the tough one...


Great reviews guys...
__________________
You never know what is enough, until you know what is more than enough.
~William Blake ~

AiSv Nv wa do hi ya do...
(Walk in Peace)




I have only seen Yoda and Suspect's reviews so far and they are both extremely well written. Love the original Toy Story but no so much the 2nd one. But you guys make this film sound like some sort of unexpected masterpiece. I will definitely be seeing it as soon as it's out. If it does turn out to be as emotional as you lot make out then I will probably go by myself.

Fantastic job again guys



That's gonna need a lot of 'splaining. Though there are some valid complaints (even if I don't agree with them) that would lower one's rating from great to merely "pretty good."
I'd say a
is a "really good" on my scale. But of course you would have had to enter the meat zone.




I am burdened with glorious purpose
Oh dear... my niece has been after me to take her to see this... and now, I don't know... I can't have her seeing Auntie Caity get all teary eyed... she thinks I'm the tough one...


Great reviews guys...
There's nothing better than crying watching a movie.

GO!!!



A boring re-hash of the first movie 15 years ago. Why they bothered to even make it and not just use #1 and then put "3" behind the title would have saved the studio a lot of money.
__________________
The original dean martin show dvd was in black and white colors



Did you seriously see Toy Story 3? Because that doesn't make a lick of sense. I could kinda-sorta understand if you said it was a rehash of Toy Story 2 (though that's pretty unfair anyway, if you ask me), but not Toy Story. It's nothing like the first film.



Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
No, he's just pushing Dean Martin TV shows, and it's funny because he's never watched one, and I grew up with them because it was my dad's favorite show. HA!

If he did watch it, it was all blurry and grainy on his computer.
__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page



Animation very much was pleasant! Has taken great pleasure from viewing! Very ridiculously!



Welcome to the human race...
At the risk of sounding like a spammer, I'm just going to say I liked it. A lot. Suspect's review is spot-on.
__________________
I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0



We waited and waited and waited and now it’s here! What a wonderful movie. An amazine feat of 2 sequels to a movie that each was greater than the one before. It’s the strength of the characters.
I don’t want to spoil any of your enjoyment of this film (assuming there is anyone out there who hasn’t seen it yet), but this movie did bring some surprises.
First, you would suspect that this is a great family film for all ages. Well, it is that, but it’s a surpise how many grown, macho men, come out of the theater with their hat brims pulled down, staring at the ground, not wanting anyone to see the tears rolling down their cheeks. I don’t think men cry at movies, but in droves the do at this one. That wasn’t expected I’m sure. Why? Because, especially in the last part of the movie, it really connects to a guy’s deepest feelings. We’ve all put away our toys and gave up that wonderful part of our life because we grew up. We didn’t want to, but we had to. So facing what Andy is facing, strikes a chord that hits us. We did that too. Perhaps today’s world is too complicated. Toys today are not a simple as Mr. Potato Head, a Slinky dog, a toy dinosaur, or a raggedy old pull string cowboy. We used our imaginations. Kids today have high technology toys, but they don’t build the connection to them like we did. There are many moments like this.
But the kids are going to love it too. There are lots of new characters, some scary, some trying to be scary, but they’re all trying to survive in their own way and determine their own worth. The story is very strong, the old characters are there, and still load of fun, and the new ones are nice to get to know.
I can’t see any reason for anyone on earth not to love this movie. It has to get the highest rating of any movie of the year so far!
__________________
EdsReview.com
A Movie Review Blog