Toy Story 3

Review by Loc

There is nothing quite like a Pixar flick. Instead of rambling about the storied history or the unique approach to creating stories, this preamble will focus on audiences. With 11 films under its belt, Pixar can rightfully claim to have the highest percentage of quality movies out of all the current studios, production companies, and film houses. The amazing phenomenon is that every film, save Cars, seems to have its strident supporters claiming it to be the best Pixar film. For some it’s Toy Story, others love Finding Nemo, recent entries like WALL-E and Ratatouille already find themselves in the debate. And while the favorites are different, the reasons often revolve around the same concept: the movie struck an emotional chord and resonated in a profound manner. Whether it was the parent-child relationship in Nemo or the somber love-lost in Up, there was something deeper that stuck with you. So now, we have the third installment of the original Pixar franchise, and the question isn’t whether it strikes that emotional note, it’s how well does it do it? Quick hit: wait one second, let’s not give an automatic pass so quickly.

Toy Story 3 was originally set to be Disney’s first Pixar-created sequel that didn’t involve Pixar. Back when Pixar was an independent studio, Disney simply distributed the films. In a sweet deal, Disney kept 50% of the revenue and retained the creative rights to all characters. Needless to say, Pixar was anxious to complete the initial five picture deal and negotiate a better deal, with Disney or with a new partner. As a corollary to that, Disney decided to invoke it’s rights, create another installment in the highly successful Toy Story franchise, and probably turn it into a crapfest similar to Alladin, The Little Mermaid, and any other direct-to-video sequels you know of. In the end, no one would be pleased, yeah for capitalism!

Lucky for us, disaster was averted, Disney purchased Pixar and placed the creative forces in leadership positions, and audiences were treated to an uninterrupted flow of Pixar-goodness ever since. Which leads us to Toy Story 3, the new Toy Story 3 that would be based wholly on Pixar-led development. This also marks the beginnings of Pixar foray into sequels that will include Cars 2 and Monsters, Inc 2. Which is a good thing…or a bad thing…or a wait and see thing, depending on who you are.

All this handwringing arrives compliments of Toy Story 3, a very solid film in its own right. Yet, it is the first Pixar film, Cars excluded, that fails in that super-important, relatively-unique Pixar quality: emotional relevance. Strangely, this film has been lauded, and the creators aimed to deliver said emotional resonance in this latest installment. For some reason, it all seems a little manufactured in the most non-Toy Story way.

The actual story may be the biggest flaw. Full of good intentions, the plot is merely serviceable and acts more like a scene-creation device found in most other movies. Centered on Andy, who is now about to enter college, Toy Story 3 explores the theme of growing up and moving on. For his favorite toys, there is a bit of uncertainty on their final fates: will they end up in the attic and go where all the good toys go to be forgotten, will they be thrown out like inanimate pieces of plastic, or will they live on with Andy even as he grows into adulthood? Seriously, that sounds like a great premise, and it is.

However, when this set up leads to mistaken trash bags, inadvertent donations to a day care center, a mysteriously benevolent toy community, and races to get back home before it’s “too late”, the premise takes a backseat to manufactured chaos. Yes, the new characters are OK, but there’s not a whole lot to them. Yes, the adventure is fun, but it is more contrived than the last installment with elevator shafts and airport luggage mishaps. Yes, the main characters are still lovable, but their motivations seem slightly askew. In all, things were a bit off, which doesn’t make for a bad film, but it makes for a relative-miss on the Pixar scale.

And that’s really the biggest disappointment. No matter which Pixar flick you put at the top, almost every film will deliver a story first and foremost. Pixar prides itself in delivering great stories, grown organically from creative teams, rather than manufactured by studios. Yet, Toy Story 3 begins to blur these lines, delivering a solid premise, but executing in a predictable, mundane manner.

On top of all that, this is a story built on a very adult-themed premise. Similar to Up, the themes presented here are clearly relatable to adults and soon-to-be adults. It’s even been mentioned that the youngsters who first saw the original Toy Story are probably the same age as the movie Andy, and they too are readying to graduate high school and possibly enter college. For them, this is a story that may ring more true. However, for the kids, this may be the least relatable film, even in the context of Up. With that film, you definitely had the specter of death and old age circling, but the adventure and the young-at-heart aspect was a vital component. With Toy Story 3, growing up and leaving your childhood behind is the message, and the rest of the action, adventure, and fun just delay the inevitable.

Overall, Toy Story 3 will be better than any other film released this summer. It has quality all over, from the story to the characters to the visuals. It’s vintage Pixar in that department. Yet, it misses slightly with the execution as the premise sets up 90 minutes of manufactured adventure, which in turn delivers a final 10 minutes of closure. There’s less integration, less coherence, less Pixar than other films, and that’s a shame. Out of 18 years leading to college, Toy Story 3 grows up with 13.

Rated: 7/10