Rating: *****
My first reaction to hearing that there was going to be a TOY STORY 3 was “Do we really need a TOY STORY 3?” Seriously, what was not said in those first two movies that needed to be said in a third, and over 15 years after the fact? It turns out, quite a bit. Not only is TOY STORY 3 necessary, it’s beyond must-see. It’s must-not-be-denied. Not only is it a wonderful animated family movie, but it’s a powerful and emotional piece of filmmaking to boot. Not only has Pixar once again upped their game with this movie, they’ve changed it.
Picking up several years after the second TOY STORY, days have seemed brighter for Andy’s Toys. With Andy about to head off to college, his once grand toy collection has been widdled down to a precious few, and they all know their days in Andy’s Room are numbered; even the Army Men decide to take their chances on the outside. Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Bullseye, Rex, Slink, Hamm and Mr & Mrs Potatohead confront an uncertain future; Woody will go with Andy to college, the sole memento of childhood’s end, while the others go to a garage sale, a daycare, or most dreaded of all, the dump.
Such thoughts of mortality, for all intents and purposes, could really drag down the narrative, especially for escapist family film fun. But screenwriter Michael Arndt and director Lee Unkrich manage to strike this strange balance of hopefulness in the face of inevitable doom. But hope there is in the form of Sunnyside Daycare. Lots-A-Hugs Bear and his associate Ken (as in Barbie and Ken) show the gang from Andy’s Room around the retirement home like opulence of Sunnyvale, and the toys are impressed until they realize Sunnyside’s dark secret: There’s a racket in place, run by Lotsa and Ken. New toys go in the toddler room, and to continue with the retirement home analogy, this is like one of those crooked homes on 60 MINUTES.
It’s up to Woody to find a way to free the other toys from their indentured servitude, and most of the film rollicks in a GREAT ESCAPE meets THE NUTCRACKER vibe, with shades of Tim Burton-esque eeriness thrown in for good measure (yes Big Baby, I’m talking about you). It’s nice to know that despite the mature themes TOY STORY still has its sense of humour. But really, there’s nothing care free about this movie, there’s a lingering feeling of sadness and uncertainty that underwrites every beat. Pixar’s last two films, WALL-E and UP, are about age, and loneliness, and abandonment, and TOY STORY 3 covers a lot of the same ground.
The climax of the film tests the endurance of even the most optimistic of viewers, the ones that believe in happy endings, no matter what. While trying to avoid details, let’s just say there was a minute there when I thought that all was lost for our friends the Toys. For the last few years, Pixar has been painting themselves as the studio that will service story and character before spoon-feeding the audience feel good sugar and spice. The ending, once you get to it, is a beautifully bittersweet finale for the characters. It rounds off the story nicely, and leaves you with equal parts melancholy and hopefulness. The highest duty for a toy is to be there for a kid that wants to play with them, and in the end, the torch is passed wonderfully.
So ambiguity about TOY STORY 3 gives way to a notion of we really needed this movie. Once again, the artists of Pixar impress with a combination of finely nuanced storytelling that evokes a rainbow of emotions while using the animation technology to push the boundaries. The opening scene in which we see one of the Toys imagined adventures fully realized is brilliantly executed, and a lot of fun to watch. If ever a movie were capable of illustrating the equal importance of style and substance, it’s TOY STORY 3. It’s another surprising homerun from the Pixar hit makers, and at this point I’d even believe that their next film, a sequel to CARS will be as loaded with poignancy and emotion. At this point, anything’s possible.
