Seriously. I liked it.
The third chapter of a successful movie franchise is usually the one people wish hadn't been made. Think about it. The Godfather Part III, Superman III, X-Men 3, Spiderman 3. The list goes on and on. It has basically become conventional wisdom that, with a third movie, filmmakers tend to eschew originality and simply rehash what worked in the previous versions, but in a watered-down and stupefied way. Sometimes they do the opposite -- take an ill-advised trip into uncharted territory, completely leaving behind what it was that made people like the first two chapters. In a way, I guess you could say that no one can win with a third movie in a series. These movies either end up being too much like their predecessors or not enough.
Luckily, the folks at Pixar have made a pact with Satan, rendering them immune from the problems that befall normal, mortal filmmakers. Toy Story 3 contains every bit of hilarious whimsy that made the first two so successful and it even ups the emotional ante, creating real tension for the characters and, unless you have no soul, tears for the audience. This is, in my humble opinion, the best entry in the Toy Story franchise and is on par with Pixar's best work, which includes Wall-E, Finding Nemo, and Up.
It has been 11 years since Toy Story 2 was released and that's exactly where the action picks up in this movie. Andy, the beloved child who owns Woody, Buzz, et al, is all grown up and about to head off to college. In his preparation for leaving, he's left with four options for all of his favorite childhood belongings -- throw them away, donate them, put them in the attic, or take them with him.
Obviously, he can't take all his toys with him...that would be weird. And, he wouldn't want to anyway. He hasn't played with them for years -- they've just sat in trunk in his room. Still, it's not as if the toys are indifferent to this decision. Obviously, they don't want to get thrown away. And, though it would mean that they would get new children to play with, being donated doesn't seem that appealing either. Of the likely options, storage in the attic is what they all seem to prefer. While this doesn't make sense if you're a human being -- wouldn't it be boring to live in an attic -- it makes perfect sense if you're a toy. If you're a toy and your now-adult owner thinks enough of you to store you in the attic, your entire existence would appear to be validated.
It is this existential dilemma that drives the story. It is the sole motivation of the villain -- a toy who was once lost and has vowed never to be replaced again -- and it is the source of conflict that moves the story forward. Deep stuff, I'm telling you.
Anyway, while Andy means to keep all of his toys -- putting Woody in the box of stuff to take to college and the rest in a bag meant for the attic -- they are accidentally placed on the curb waiting to picked up by a garbage truck. Feeling discarded, they decide that being donated to a day care center is preferable to being thrown away. If Andy doesn't want them, at least they'll be played with again. So, through a series of events, they find themselves as the newest toy residents of Sunnyside Day Care.
Now, I could go into detail as to how things work at the toys' new home. But, I don't want to spoil the fun. What I will say is that there is hierarchy that exists at Sunnyside, which reminded me both of The Godfather and Animal Farm. It's hilarious.
Anyway, there is a lot of story that I'm leaving out because I don't want to ruin any surprises for those who haven't seen it. Plus, it's pretty late.
Like the previous two Toy Story movies, this is a great adventure story, filled with hilarious characters and thrilling action sequences. It all leads to a huge emotional pay-off at the end, wherein I actually shed a tear or two for the resolution that finally comes for these characters who, though selfish as they may seem at times, really only want to make children happy.
If you can't tell, I loved this movie. It's easily the best movie of the year so far. Everyone else in Hollywood will still be jealous of Pixar's success, and they should be.
1 comment:
The third Matrix should be added to that list of crap bombs.
Though, Indiana Jones III was good.
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