Carrie will attest that I have an age-inappropriate fixation for Buzz Lightyear. I own various Buzz lightyear action figures, a Buzz Lightyear radio, a Buzz Lightyear poster ... you get the point. I even have several photos with him. Needless to say that I have been anxiously awaiting Toy Story 3.
It's hard to imagine that it's been over 10 years since the last Toy Story sequel. Wow - lot has changed in the world since then, so it was nice to see these familiar characters on screen again in a brand new, and final, (we'll see about that) adventure.
Toy Story 3 picks up with the toys' owner, Andy, now 17, getting ready to head off to college. His room needs to be packed up of course, which means an uncertain future for the Woody and friends. Andy intends to take Woody to college with him, and leave Buzz and the rest of the toys packed up in storage in the attic. Through a mix-up, the gang ends up being pitched to the curb and ultimately being donated to the nearby Sunnyside Daycare Center.
At first, Sunnyside seems like a great gig for the toys, but it turns out to be a torturous toy prison run by a bitter old teddy bear named Lotso. A good part of the film is a clever and exciting prison break spoof, with Woody trying to lead the everyone back home before Andy leaves for college. We are also introduced to several new characters at Sunnyside, including Ken & Barbie, who do a good bit of scene-stealing.
I wouldn't have anticipated that an animated movie about plastic toys can deal with concepts of change and mortality so vividly. We see the Toy Story gang brought face to face with the end of their existence, a "toy hell" if you will, in a very dramatic and heart-wrenching scene. As an illustrator, I was blown away with the depiction of emotion and sensitivity that Pixar's animators are able to instill into the these charactors. Warning: Bring plenty of Kleenex. I know that these are just plastic toys that we are talking about here, but they are are real as any character in any movie, live action or otherwise. Pixar carries on a rich Disney tradition of making movies that are not just great films for kids, but just flat-out great films.
I was exhausted after this movie. The action seeemed to be non-stop, and I feel like I need to see it again to catch many of the film's details. I was concerned that the story's resolution wouldn't be up to snuff, as so often is the case with a sequel, but the film's final scene is both heart wrenching and satisfying. Fear not, the toys are in good hands.
#3's in a trilogy can be tricky - think Spiderman or Godfather, but Toy Story 3 was better than I had hoped or expected. I say "Go."
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