Plot: Buzz (Tim Allen), Woody (Tom Hanks), and the gang are back for their third adventure in the hit series from Pixar. The latest edition finds their owner Andy heading off to college and the group resigned to Sunnyside Daycare. But the seemingly restful new home for the toys is far from it and before long the group is fighting for escape...and their lives!
Review: Pixar has become like the Boston Celtics of the 1960s; there's just no beating them. Toy Story 3 is just another slam dunk for the production company and the third entry in the franchise is the best to date.
The great thing about Pixar films is that, though animated, they are able to appeal to some part of the human spirit. In Toy Story 3 it's all about change. How do we cope when the things we've clung to for so long suddenly and drastically change? The best of us find ways to stick together and work through change like the group in this film. Others become angry and resentful like the main antagonist Lot's O'-Huggin' Bear voiced by Ned Beatty.
The geniuses behind the Toy Story franchise also appreciate their cinema history. In Toy Story 2 it was Saturday afternoon Western serials. In Toy Story 3 it's escape movies like The Great Escape, Escape from Alcatraz, and Cool Hand Luke. (Fans of Cool Hand Luke will really appreciate the scene where a "transformed" Buzz informs the inmates about spending "a night in the box.") Drawing elements from each of these films (and others) helped to create a dynamic and entertaining story that's fun for children and adults alike.
But hey, as important as the messages and themes of Pixar films are, the best part is of course the comedy and Toy Story 3 has it in spades. I loved Michael Keaton's turn as Ken. He's constantly trying to defend his choice of fashion and insisting that he's a real toy not just an "accessory." The gambling room behind the vending machine and Sunnyside's choice of a roulette wheel is particularly hilarious as well. So whether it's a grumpy Mr. Potatohead (Don Rickles) finding substitutes like cucumbers or tortillas for his potato, listening to Buzz Lightyear in his Spanish mode, or Hamm (John Ratzenberger) pointing out the finer intricacies of window locks, Toy Story 3 boasts jokes for all ages.
Director Lee Unkrich (who also co-directed Toy Story 2) does a splendid job of blending the fundamental ingredients of heart, humor, and life lessons that have made Pixar into the modern day Mother Goose of the cinema world. Although Toy Story 3 is a little heavier and grimmer than some of its predecessors (the scenes in the dump towards the end of the film are particularly harrowing) nothing can top it's charm and ability to consistently entertain. Kudos once again to the animated wizards at Pixar. I can't wait for next year's gem!
[One interesting side note: There is actually some yahoo on-line who is claiming that Toy Story 3's plot actually depicts the plight of the Jews during the Holocaust. This is also the same person who said that Stanley Kubrick faked the moon landing and left clues about it in The Shining. Parents, friends, and neighbors don't believe a word of that dreck. The ridiculous notion of Pixar's latest film having any connection to the Jews and the Holocaust is a bigger reach than me trying to touch a standard NBA basketball rim flatfooted. Some people just don't know how to relax and enjoy themselves.]
My rating: 10/10
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