It seems a fact that quality and Pixar animations are hand in hand creating a new way of presenting animated film. The first is the now classic Toy Story (1995), a film about the lives of toys. Over the past 15 years, others have tried to match their success with only few making a mark (eg. Shrek), but Pixar has continued with a constancy of quality, with A Bugs Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008) and Up (2009), with each picture raising the stakes in the field of animation. And now, in 2010, Pixar returns again to the world that started the sensation, the world of Toy Story, 11 years since its previous installment, to bring the third in the saga, Toy Story 3.
Whilst long periods of time between installments in popular franchises can hinder the overall quality of a film (Indiana Jones 4, Terminator 3 etc.) but here time makes the heart grow fonder, and this being an animated film, there is little worry about the look of aging actors, the effects of time are hardly noticable.
After a pre-credits sequence that brings us back into the world of Andy and his toys, the film moves across time 11 years to the present day, a time where young Andy is now 17 years old and is ready to leave home for college, whilst what is left of our much loved gang of toys are stored away in Andy’s chest wondering what to do now that Andy doesn’t play with them anymore.
The heart strings are already firmly tugged at at this point, with these scenes of loss and despair being extremely raw in emotion. After a few obsticals the film truly takes off when the toys are mistakenly donated to the Sunside Daycare, a place which is seemingly a resort for unwanted toys to live forever run by the seemingly huggable bear Lotso (Ned Beatty) and his muscle in the form of Big Baby, a bog, creepy plastic baby. But this paradise reveals itself to be toy hell, where toys are ruthlessly played with by violent toddlers. Seperated and desperate, all the toys have to find each other and find a way to escape the seemingly unescapable daycare.
This third installment has been antipated by every child from the last 20 years, with the kids who grew up with the first two films are now in their late teens/early 20s as well as whole new generations of children who have been subsequently exposed, not to mention everyone else on the planet, due to Pixars fantastic talent to appeal universally. This film had to satisfy many, and it does it in spades. You can tell that everyone making the film has great affection for this small series about toys with big hearts, and havent abused the series for monetary gain like other animated series (see Shrek sequels), but commented on a subject in a way only this series could, growing up and moving on from your toys.
The animation has again pushed the visual quality of Pixar, and manages to keep it at the top of its visual field, with a very noticable careful attention to detail , and with the sudden 3D craze, the film managed to creatively add it to the already pleasing visual style. It is state of the art.
However, this isnt the true reason why the film is so good and why so many have waited for the film, it is because of the very tight and smartly written script, which brings back most of the characters we all love, as well as introduce a healthy array of new toys, all of which manage to add the humour and depth of the idea, playing excellently on universal ideas about toys as the previous films have established, such as changing the setting of your toy, those music playing monkeys are an excellent security device, the Ken doll is just another Barbie accessory etc.
Most of the cast has returned to voice, (minus the voice of the Slinky Dog, Jim Varney, who died in 2000, but replaced by his friend Blake Clark). Lead by Tom Hank’s Woody, Tim Allen’s Buzz Lightyear and Joan Cusack’s Jessie, the whole cast bring their characters to life as brilliantly as before. Noteable additions to the cast that stand out is the brilliant Michael Keaton, who voices Ken, giving him a great humour that only a man of his caliabre can, hes smug, hes model and a frustrated accessory to Barbie to which he is eternally anamoured, as well as Timothy Dalton’s Mr Pricklepants, a thesbian hedgehog toy who is passionate about giving a great performance as a toy.
The film is endlessly entertaining and goes as a fantastic speed right until the end. It has something for everyone, its a comedy, with the humour is as sharp as ever giving many memorablely laughout out loud sequences, eg. Spanish mode Buzz Lightyear, its a prison movie, as the toys struggle to escape in pure Great Escape mode, it is also a drama, with poignent moments out the wah-zoo, that hit home to any individual who played with toys as a kid.
Pixar raises the bar again for not only animated films, but cinema itself, creating yet another masterpiece and a shoo-in for a Best Picture nomination at next years Oscars. The film successfully bookends the series to an emotionally satisfying effect, in what is possibley the best of the three films. The final scenes are almost impossible to most whimper, or to become comepletely choked up. Never has a film series managed to truly grasp the world of childhood and growing as wholistically as the Toy Story series has, and it would be difficult for other films to come even close. Thanks guys.
5/5
