June 30, 2010: Toy Story 3
It’s unusual for 11 years to pass before a sequel to a film is made, much less between the second and third entries. It’s unclear to me, even after viewing Toy Story 3, whether this sequel was driven by a good story idea or the desire for easy box office money.
Instead of taking a “The Simpsons” approach of keeping toy owner Andy the same age forever, Toy Story 3 actually picks up 11 years later when Andy is about to head off to college. His toys are fretting about whether they will be thrown out or donated or put in the attic or taken with Andy, and there’s tension between favourites Buzz Lightyear and Woody over which one of them might be taken along. In a snafu typical of the series, Andy designates most of his toys for the attic but they get thrown out instead, making their way eventually to a day care as donations. The toy who “runs” the daycare seems lovable at first but turns out to be cold-hearted and controlling, forcing Woody to try and escape so that he can get the others out as well.
There are lots of the usual near-misses and misunderstandings and Buzz Lightyear contraptions, just like in the earlier films. Trademarked toy tie-ins are amped up with Barbie and Ken really taking centre stage. The animation quality continues to improve, 15 years following the original film, augmented by the now-ubiquitous digital 3D technology. This is Toy Story as we know it, and yet more polished and streamlined than ever before.
The question is whether or not the whole package really works. I must admit that revisiting the series at this critical juncture in a toy’s life, the point when its owner becomes grown up, is absolutely appropriate. The film is certainly an enjoyable experience. But critics widely wondered whether Toy Story 3 might be more commercially driven, not bad but also not necessary. It did seem to follow the usual Toy Story formula, right down to the villain toy who does not find redemption but instead finds a new “loving” owner. This is a perceptive take on the bittersweet notion that ownership is what toys want but it’s not always a pleasant life, but we already saw the exact same thing happen in the second film. It has also been claimed that the 3D experience doesn’t add much, but I tend to like 3D for the sake of greater immersion rather than having things poke out of the screen. Either way, it would have been strange for such a high-profile animated title to NOT be in 3D at this point. I’m not inclined to think that the motivations for Toy Story 3 were primarily financial, particularly because the recent critical and commercial success of Up (2009) and Wall·E (2008) does not leave Pixar in any kind of desperate state. However, these same two examples of original and brilliant films from the past couple of years force this rehash of the Toy Story franchise to pale in comparison.
Disappointing…impressive. Even bad, it’s good.
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