Toy Story 3 (2010)

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Toy Story 3 Movie Review

Toy Story 3 is a 2010 animated film  directed by Lee Unkrich. It is the third entry in this series and without a doubt the best one.

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“Now Woody, he’s been my pal for as long as I can remember.

He’s brave, like a cowboy should be. And kind, and smart.

But the thing that makes Woody special, is he’ll never give up on you…

ever. He’ll be there for you, no matter what“

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In this film the toys go to the day care center where a bear who runs the place turns out to be evil so they escape and go back to Andy who’s going to college and he gives all of them to a young girl. Now this is obviously a terrific conclusion to this trilogy in terms of emotion and storytelling as it’s emotionally rewarding having in mind that we’ve known these toys for a long time plus it’s a full circle with Andy who’s now an adult.

The film still has its flaws that it shares with the previous two entries such as two much action and not enough breathing room for slower moments as the film is just too brisk for my liking. I also think it has way too many characters and thus many do not get their moment to shine.

However, it’s still a very strong, even great movie mostly on the strength of its emotion. This film is simply incredibly moving in that third act. It moved many to tears and it almost did that to me as well. That’s how powerful and heartbreaking it is. When Andy is saying goodbye to his toys and giving them to sweet Bonnie, it reminded me of me growing up and not caring for toys anymore. That was hard for me and it was hard for anyone and thus the film is emotionally truthful and relevant simply for any person on the planet. It’s universal and the entire scene is the single perfect scene in this trilogy.

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But the other plot points aren’t bad either. It takes its time to get there owing to a somewhat slower and not as interesting first act, but once they get to Sunnyside Daycare, we get a lot of terrific sequences such as that incinerator scene which is quite dark. I loved all of the villain’s scenes and I did find the prison break elements excellent here. The same goes for the humor which is for the first time in the series very strong as the movie actually made me laugh a couple of times.

Let’s comment upon the characters and there are many here. Woody is great and here he got some moving moments. Tom Hanks again did a wonderful job in this role. He’s so fantastic. Buzz Lightyear took a bit of a backseat this time around and was played more as a joke, but it worked as him in Spanish mode was amusing, though overplayed at times. His relationship with Jessie is quite memorable whereas she herself is otherwise dull.

Lotso is by far one of the finest villains ever for Pixar, along with Hopper from ‘A Bug’s Life’. He’s fantastic and actually rather menacing and competent when you think it about because he never made a single mistake and actually got the better of the good guys. I loved his backstory, Ned Beatty’s voice and his cleverness and manipulation.

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Andy is much better animated this time around and finally a fully fleshed out, important character. Mr. Potato Head is forgettable, but Mrs. Potato Head is definitely interesting here in her role with the eye, that was well done. Slinky, Rex and Hamm are as uninteresting per usual, but the Aliens are so well used and I loved how they saved the toys.

Trixie, Buttercup, Dolly and Baby of course are all solid, but the finest new addition besides the villain most definitely is Ken. He and Barbie have such a terrific, actually different than you would think relationship here that is complex and very well developed. His obsession with fashion was downright hilarious and the source of the film’s best and smartest jokes. Michael Keaton truly did a great voice work for Ken who’s also so well designed.

The animation in Toy Story 3 is obviously much better than the dated animation in the first and second movie. It is polished, incredibly appealing and colorful. I loved the interiors, the character designs and its bright, again very polished look.

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The film is too fast in pacing as I’ve said before and thus it feels somewhat rushed in execution. But the dialogue is so good and the direction from Lee Unkrich is so strong. The film deserved its Best Picture nomination as it’s definitely one of Pixar’s better films.

With polished, appealing animation, strong storytelling and many memorable scenes, Toy Story 3 also benefits from the introduction of two great new characters: Ken who is absolutely hilarious and Lotso who’s one of Pixar’s smartest and most competent villains. Its by now famous final scene of course steals the show as it’s just such a universally relatable, powerful tearjerker and a perfect way to end the film. The movie truly is a major improvement over the previous two entries.

My Rating – 4.5