REVIEW: TOY STORY 3

There's no arguing that the original Toy Story changed movie making. At least with animated films. They began the trend of CGI-animated films. I remember seeing the first advertisement in 1995 and being stunned and fascinated by the animation. I saw the movie opening weekend. Like all kids at the time, I went nuts for it. My sister and I had the toys, the Sega game and eventually the VHS. In 1999, I didn't get to see the sequel. In fact, I didn't see Toy Story 2 until last year, believe it or not. Thought it was good, not great. But it appears I'm the minority here.

Stuff from Pixar since Toy Story has been hit or miss for me. My consensus was that the films were cute but nothing I'd watch many times. For example, I've only seen Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo once. But I think Pixar has gotten better over the last few years. I really enjoyed The Incredibles (probably my favorite Pixar film), Wall-E and Up. It showed that Pixar was not only technologically ahead of other animation stations, but intellectually as well. They made animated films for kids and adults that didn't resort to fart jokes, pratfalls, and pop culture references. These were touching stories with great characters you felt for.

So it's 2010 and Pixar's latest offering could either prove them to be the best of the best, or could break them. The film is the long-awaited (11 years, in fact) second sequel to Toy Story.

The film is set (I assume) ten years after Toy Story 2. Andy is all grown up and getting ready to go to college. The toys haven't been played with in years and they fear being thrown away, hoping to just be locked up in the attic. Instead, by a turn of events, they end up donated to Sunnyside Day Care. What ensues is a mix of the usual Pixar charm and a parody of prison escape movies, such as The Great Escape and Escape from Alcatraz. The scenes of the toys being played with by toddlers is actually kinda brutal. The whole film takes a darker turn than the first two, or any Pixar film in my memory. But the story is great. It's nothing too original, in fact it kind of rehashes some elements of the second one, but it's done in such a way that it's not tiresome.

The film shows something we haven't seen since the original Star Wars trilogy: all three films being entertaining on top of being very well-made. The folks at Pixar brought their A-game to their last couple movies, but they brought their A-plus game to Toy Story 3. The film is touching and funny, and continues the theme of nostalgia for our childhood and the toys we played with. The voice casting is great. Tim Allen is at his best, Tom Hanks is great. Whoever they got to replace Jim Varney as Slinky, his impression is spot-on. Also, points go to Michael Keaton (as Ken) and Jeff Garlin (ironically cast as stuffed unicorn Buttercup).

Overall, the film is fun, nostalgic, and touching. The ending is rather heartwarming. It could lead to a fourth film, but I'd rather have Pixar leave it as a trilogy. All three films are great, but the third installment (in a totally rare case) may be the best.