Movie Review: Toy Story 3

Way back when, your author used to fancy himself a movie critic. And on occasion, some people he hasn't talked to in a while will immediately ask if he still reviews movies. Since he usually has to begrudgingly admit that he is still waiting tables instead, there will occasionally be movie reviews posted here at BMC—not necessarily new or even the most recent releases, but still technically reviews—just so he can say he indeed still bitches about what's getting too much/not enough attention. Reviews will offer a quick take that ends with a brief summarizing thought that, in the spirit of Metacritic or Sound Opinions, will be in green (denoting a positive opinion), yellow (mixed opinion) or red (negative opinion). And sorry, but no star-ratings or letter grades.

Today's review: "Toy Story 3," originally released June 12, 2010 at the Taormina Film Festival.



THREE THINGS I LIKED:

1. THE BETTER BRAND OF SUMMER SEQUEL — If you are like me and generally avoid the seemingly weekly franchise release we get every year, then it's admittedly hard to resist another adventure in the Toy Story series. The 1999 sequel astonishingly exceeded the seemingly impossible expectations set so high by the original four years earlier, so this is the ultra-rare case of a numerical addendum to a title not leading to an automatic dismissal of my interest.
2. THE THIRD-ACT JAILBREAK TURN — While much of the film's start feels fairly conventional—even borderline stale—the film turns Woody (still voiced by Tom Hanks) and the gang's escape from the Sunnyside day-care center into a thrilling prison break. The surprisingly dark junkyard climax makes for a legitimate sense of peril that also proves this franchise is just as suited for the adults as it is for the kids.
3. YOU'D HAVE TO BE PRETTY CYNICAL NOT TO BE SORT OF ATTACHED TO THE CAST OF CHARACTERS BY NOW ... — It's immediately encouraging when all the returning characters are still being voiced by the people who did them originally, whether it's the aforementioned Woody (Hanks), or Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), Rex (Wallace Shawn), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), or Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head (Don Rickles & Estelle Harris).

THREE THINGS I DIDN'T:

1. ... BUT YOU'D ALSO BE FORGIVEN FOR NOTING THAT CERTAIN PLOT ELEMENTS FEEL A BIT EXHAUSTED — Kids grow up. Then they stop playing with toys. That was already covered in Toy Story 2, but in general, the overall theme of rejection was even prevalent in the original when Buzz had displaced Woody. And in this latest part of the series, Sunnyside's leader, Lotso (Ned Beatty), certainly recalls many of the characteristics of the sequel's Stinky Pete.
2. FOR A PIXAR MOVIE, I FOUND IT LACKING THE USUAL KILLER SCENE — Any movie from the animation studio's typically bound to have that one moment that unexpectedly moves you more than you thought was possible from these, ahem, "kid's movies." Think of last year's brilliant marriage montage in less than five minutes from Up. Or as I was just referring to in regards to Toy Story 2, Jessie's montage of disposal. I suppose there's a similar attempt to recapture something like one of those scenes with Lotso's backstory, but like I said, it just felt too familiar to be as moving as the similar scenes I was recalling.
3. THE OVERLY SENTIMENTAL FINALE — The toy's owner, Andy, is off to college, and I granted the film a little bit of leeway when at 17 or 18 years old, he momentarily appears to be planning on taking Woody with him to college while sequestering the remainder of the toys to the attic. But the film's final scene of him with the toys not only goes on too long, but it also subverts any concept of maturity in the character it had been hinting at. The filmmakers (Lee Unkrich, a co-director of Toy Story 2, is the sole director here, while Unkrich, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Michael Arndt share writing credits) may have taken the route they did to at least allow Andy to remain likable after the audience left the theaters, but ultimately it feels something like appeasement. For a franchise that's boasted some surprisingly complex moral dilemmas in previous installments, the note Toy Story 3 ends on is rather simple in its attempt to reassure all ages. 

25 WORDS OR LESS:

Overall, it's another solid Pixar effort, but ultimately feels like the weakest of the Toy Story trilogy.