Genre: Children’s Adventure, Comedy
Director: Lee Unkrich
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beaty, Don Rickles, Michael Keaton, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris
Running Time: 103 minutes (plus trailers)
“What are you going to do with these old toys?”
Setting the standard not just for kids films but for films in general, the collaborators over at Pixar Animation Studios – including John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Brad Bird and Lee Unkrich – have been responsible for some of the most creative, entertaining and moving motion pictures of all time, including several favourites that will forever define the childhoods of my entire generation. Fifteen years after they first burst onto the scene with an ingenious story of a cowboy doll jealous of a brand new action figure, Pixar has returned once more to the franchise that made them great; to the series that first launched Buzz Lightyear and his inspiring slogan into the stratosphere of the popular consciousness. And it should come as no surprise to anyone that with Toy Story 3, they have managed once more to reach infinity, and beyond.
This film sees the return of one of the big screens all time classic duos: Sheriff Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), along with the rest of Andy’s Toys including Hamm, Rex, Barbie and Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head. But just as time has been moving in our world, so too has it been moving in theirs, and with Andy off to college, the gang find themselves unintentionally donated to Sunnyside Daycare Centre where they encounter a whole horde of new toys including Chunk, Big Baby, and of course Ken the Ken-doll. Unfortunately, what at first seems like a blessed new life soon turns into a nightmare, with Andy’s toys forced by the centres evil ruler, Lotso the Lots O’ Huggin’ Bear, to do hard time with the toddlers. With only a few days before Andy departs, the gang must find a way to escape from their playtime prison and make it back home to their owner.
Now for the obvious part: I adored Toy Story 3. Of course I did. Along with new films by Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan or the Coen Brothers, movies from Pixar will always be amongst my most anticipated films of any given year, and each year my inflated expectations will somehow be exceeded. In the case of Toy Story 3, the bar was raised even before the movie had properly begun; as is customary with all Pixar releases, the movie was preceded by a short film, one that perfectly demonstrated the originality of the entire creative team. Blending 2D and 3D animation ingeniously, the five minute cartoon entitled Day & Night is wonderful in both conception and execution; funny, intelligent and incredibly adorable, and like many of the best Pixar creations in recent times, it is largely dialogue free. Although Toy Story 3 isn’t quite my favourite Pixar feature, Day & Night is definitely my favourite of their shorts.
From there, the movie opens with a gloriously animated fantasy sequence that takes you inside the depths of a child’s imagination. This brilliant sequence pays homage to the opening of the original whilst simultaneously having you in stitches. And the laughs never stop coming; Toy Story 3 probably won’t be celebrated to quite the same degree as other recent Pixar fares such as WALL-E or Up, as for most of its run time it is predominately concerned with the simple task of making you laugh. But that is in no way a complaint, because from the moment Barbie first lays eyes on Ken to the extended jail break sequence, this movie is unwaveringly hilarious, so much so that there is a serious danger of this review turning into me simply listing the gags that made me laugh the hardest (anything involving Hamm the Piggybank is a good place to start.)
But in my opinion, the true joy of this film is not in any one individual joke. Instead it is in feelings of nostalgia and childlike wonder, the same that you might feel when after many years you find an old toy of your own and see that it is exactly how you left it. It has been fifteen years since Toy Story, and ten since Toy Story 2. For my generation, these were the years in which we grew up. But for all that may have happened to you over that time, I guarantee this series will still be able make you smile. And just because the trilogy is finally over, it doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye. Just as we will read them Harry Potter books, these are some of the first films we will show to our own children. And in doing so, we will introduce an entirely new generation of moviegoers to some of the world’s most beloved toys.
Toy Story 3 is in cinemas now
Director: Lee Unkrich
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beaty, Don Rickles, Michael Keaton, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris
Running Time: 103 minutes (plus trailers)
“What are you going to do with these old toys?”
Setting the standard not just for kids films but for films in general, the collaborators over at Pixar Animation Studios – including John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Brad Bird and Lee Unkrich – have been responsible for some of the most creative, entertaining and moving motion pictures of all time, including several favourites that will forever define the childhoods of my entire generation. Fifteen years after they first burst onto the scene with an ingenious story of a cowboy doll jealous of a brand new action figure, Pixar has returned once more to the franchise that made them great; to the series that first launched Buzz Lightyear and his inspiring slogan into the stratosphere of the popular consciousness. And it should come as no surprise to anyone that with Toy Story 3, they have managed once more to reach infinity, and beyond.This film sees the return of one of the big screens all time classic duos: Sheriff Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), along with the rest of Andy’s Toys including Hamm, Rex, Barbie and Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head. But just as time has been moving in our world, so too has it been moving in theirs, and with Andy off to college, the gang find themselves unintentionally donated to Sunnyside Daycare Centre where they encounter a whole horde of new toys including Chunk, Big Baby, and of course Ken the Ken-doll. Unfortunately, what at first seems like a blessed new life soon turns into a nightmare, with Andy’s toys forced by the centres evil ruler, Lotso the Lots O’ Huggin’ Bear, to do hard time with the toddlers. With only a few days before Andy departs, the gang must find a way to escape from their playtime prison and make it back home to their owner.
Now for the obvious part: I adored Toy Story 3. Of course I did. Along with new films by Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan or the Coen Brothers, movies from Pixar will always be amongst my most anticipated films of any given year, and each year my inflated expectations will somehow be exceeded. In the case of Toy Story 3, the bar was raised even before the movie had properly begun; as is customary with all Pixar releases, the movie was preceded by a short film, one that perfectly demonstrated the originality of the entire creative team. Blending 2D and 3D animation ingeniously, the five minute cartoon entitled Day & Night is wonderful in both conception and execution; funny, intelligent and incredibly adorable, and like many of the best Pixar creations in recent times, it is largely dialogue free. Although Toy Story 3 isn’t quite my favourite Pixar feature, Day & Night is definitely my favourite of their shorts.From there, the movie opens with a gloriously animated fantasy sequence that takes you inside the depths of a child’s imagination. This brilliant sequence pays homage to the opening of the original whilst simultaneously having you in stitches. And the laughs never stop coming; Toy Story 3 probably won’t be celebrated to quite the same degree as other recent Pixar fares such as WALL-E or Up, as for most of its run time it is predominately concerned with the simple task of making you laugh. But that is in no way a complaint, because from the moment Barbie first lays eyes on Ken to the extended jail break sequence, this movie is unwaveringly hilarious, so much so that there is a serious danger of this review turning into me simply listing the gags that made me laugh the hardest (anything involving Hamm the Piggybank is a good place to start.)
But in my opinion, the true joy of this film is not in any one individual joke. Instead it is in feelings of nostalgia and childlike wonder, the same that you might feel when after many years you find an old toy of your own and see that it is exactly how you left it. It has been fifteen years since Toy Story, and ten since Toy Story 2. For my generation, these were the years in which we grew up. But for all that may have happened to you over that time, I guarantee this series will still be able make you smile. And just because the trilogy is finally over, it doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye. Just as we will read them Harry Potter books, these are some of the first films we will show to our own children. And in doing so, we will introduce an entirely new generation of moviegoers to some of the world’s most beloved toys.
Toy Story 3 is in cinemas now
