Toy Story 3

Voices of: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles, Michael Keaton, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, Timothy Dalton, Jeff Garlin, Bonnie Hunt, Whoopi Goldberg, R. Lee Ermey, Jan Rabson, Richard Kind, Frank Welker (uncredited)
Directed by: Lee Unkrich
Rating: G
Genre: Animation
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: As Andy packs up to go to college, Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the gang accidentally end up at Sunnyside Daycare. At first it seems like a paradise, but they soon discover something more sinister lurks beneath the surface.

Review:

Tim: After eleven years, the geniuses at Pixar have finally given us Toy Story 3. The first two films were classics, so I was eagerly awaiting the third film. After seeing it, with all the build up and expectations, I can say that Pixar delivers again. This isn't exactly a great movie, but it is a solid, entertaining film. It rounds out one of the all-time great animated trilogies in a powerful, effective way.

It feels weird to say anything critical about this movie because it's so good. However, one of the reasons I didn't love this movie more was because of how I felt at the ending. I am not necessarily complaining about the ending- in many ways, it was a beautiful, memorable finale. It felt like the fitting end of the trilogy. However, one of the best qualities of these movies is that at each film's end, I've desperately wanted more- more action, more comedy, more movies. I did not feel like that at the end of this film. I felt satisfied with it, and I enjoyed the film, but I felt like I had had enough. While I'd love to see Toy Story 4, I don't exactly need it. This felt like enough, and I'm not sure that is a good thing. Rather than leaving me desiring more, I felt like this story was truly at its end. On the one hand, that was certainly part of the mission. On the other, there was probably a way to conclude the story and still leave a desire for more adventures. It didn't quite hit the mark there.

Once again, we've given a beautiful and memorable story. This film is a bit different from the first two- it is a bit darker, and less pure fun. The story is interesting, and I loved how in many ways, this was an animated toy prison break movie. That was a great deal of fun to watch. There are some memorable scenes and memorable characters. I loved the addition of Lotso and Ken, although I have to admit I felt like I suffered from toy overload. There were so many new toys introduced in this film that I didn't feel like we got enough time with many of them. I could have used a few less new toys with more time spent focusing on fewer. Still, Lotso makes a very good antagonist, and Ken is actually hilarious because of the jokes made about him. I thought both these characters were great additions to the cast.

The voice cast and the returning characters are all so good. I love Tom Hanks as Woody, and I've said this before, but his best aspect is that it doesn't feel like Hanks. When I watch the movie, I feel like I am listening to Woody, not Hanks playing Woody. This is very rare in animated movies, especially with the glut of celebrity voices in recent years. The same can be said of Tim Allen, which speaks to both these actors' voice talents, but also the character development Pixar ensures is built into every movie. These are two terrific characters, and once again, I loved seeing them on screen.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, I have to admit I wasn't completely blown away. I was entertained, laughed, and enjoyed the creativity of Pixar. However, this movie felt like a continuation, trying to match the previous films, rather than improving on them. I don't want to criticize this film too much, because it was very enjoyable. This is clearly one of the most imaginative animated trilogies (probably the greatest animated trilogy) of all time. Toy Story 3 delivers, meeting all expectations (although not quite exceeding them), and that is impressive indeed.

* Update- Nine years after watching this movie for the 2nd time, I finally watched it for a third, this time with my four-year old son. I was pleased to see my original review held up. Pixar deserves credit for delivering yet another incredibly solid, emotional, memorable film. They make it look so easy. In many ways, the Toy Story franchise is the hallmark of Pixar. They've raised the bar so high that it's hard for them to live up to those expectations. Although I ranked the original movie higher than this one, a lot of that had to do with how revolutionary it was at the time. In many ways, the story here is more well-rounded, more thoughtful, and more mature than either of the previous movies. It does tend to be a little dark, especially for young viewers (my son screamed out loud when the scary monkey turned around and yelled). However, it tells a powerful story that hits on very real human emotions. Part of the fun of movies is arguing where different movies rank in relation to others. I get caught up in that, too. Ultimately, though, regardless of rating or ranking, Pixar has created something beautiful with this trilogy of films. Even almost a decade after this trilogy ended, nothing else has come close to unseating this as the all-time best. This is a wonderful conclusion to an incredible trilogy.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Toy Story, Toy Story 2, The Polar Express, Wall-E