Toy Story 3 (2010)
Toy Story 3
Written by Michael Arndt
Directed by Lee Unkrich
Accompanying Short: Day & Night
Written & Directed by Teddy Newton
Very rarely is a film that ends a trilogy as good as its predecessors. Star Wars - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, The Dark Knight Rises, and Jurassic Park III are all trilogy enders (at least, at the time) that are generally considered to be not as great at their predecessors. Naturally, with the first two films in the Toy Story franchise being so beloved, there was some initial concern when Toy Story 3 was announced. Unlike those other examples, however, Toy Story 3 actually rises to new heights, and becomes the best film in the franchise.
Day and Night learning they’re very much alike
Shown before the film was Day & Night, an interesting short that mixes 2D and 3D animation. I was initially underwhelmed by this short: it features two…creatures, I suppose, each of whom represent either night and day. There’s some problematic moments (one of them wolf-whistles and ogles a woman tanning on a beach), but mostly they just spend their time distrusting each other until they see the other’s value. It wasn’t until later when I was mulling the short over that I realized how timely the short is, with both entities being leery of the other based on prejudices, stemming from the fear of the unknown. It is only after they realize that they can set aside those differences and learn about each other that they see the beauty within and later, realize that they are one and the same. It’s still not the greatest short, but the message is really great (even if it’s a bit subtle).
What isn’t subtle is just how amazing Toy Story 3 is. Not only is the animation noticeably cleaner and more refined than the previous two (which is unsurprising, as by this point it had been 15 years since the original had premiered), but there are heaping doses of humor and emotion, which makes the film an astounding ride.
Poor Jesse and Bullseye!!
As I noted, it’s been 15 years, and Andy is getting ready to go to college. His beloved toys (what’s left of them, anyway (essentially, the core cast)) have been relegated to the toy box (side note: one of the most unbelievable aspects of the movie is that Andy, shown to be a well-adjusted young adult, still has the bulk of his room decorated in the “Woody’s Roundup” style: covered-wagon-toy box, blue-sky-and-clouds wallpaper, and saloon-style bed. Either the filmmakers were hoping we wouldn’t notice, or this kid has ZERO friends). Andy needs to clean out his room before he leaves for college (because his mom doesn’t want him to have a place to come home to on breaks? MAYBE THIS IS HER CHANCE TO GET RID OF ALL THOSE DECORATIONS), shenanigans ensue, and Woody, Buzz, and the gang end up being donated to a preschool. The gang’s first “playtime” with the kids is hilariously brutal, as these little ones nearly obliterate these toys (in the case of Jesse and Bullseye, these toys are something like 50 years old, so good luck to them).
A final plunge
I think what is remembered most about this film, like Up before it (but better!), are the emotional aspects. There is a scene near the end of the film in which the toys are facing certain inescapable doom, and their response is to silently hold each other’s hands, determined to face the end together. It is incredibly powerful to watch these characters, many of whom the millennial viewers of the film (myself included) have grown up with, realize what is happening, come to terms with it, and face the end with quiet dignity and determination. The scene still makes me hold my breath, even knowing the outcome (that outcome is one of the few missteps of the film, as it feels so unlikely and out of left-field, and a great example of why the deus ex machina plot device rarely works).
More emotional than this sequence is the ending. I don’t want to spoil too much, but there is a definite “closing-the-book” feel to the film; it’s a beautiful and poignant ending, that neatly resolves the threads of the films and does so in a way that doesn’t violate the internal logic of the film nor the realities of real life.
Ken getting his fashion on!!
The new characters in the film are great, although we smartly don’t spend a ton of time with them, except for Lotso and Ken. Ken is probably my favorite new addition, a perfect match for Barbie that definitely leans into the perceptions of both characters; I would unashamedly watch a spin-off film of both of them, because they’re both so hysterical (I LOVE that Ken is obsessed with his clothes, and the best way for Barbie to torture him is to destroy them).
As I mentioned, this was (for a while) the end of the Toy Story…story. And that was fine. It is a wonderful way to say goodbye to these beloved characters, giving viewers who grew up with them a chance to not only say goodbye to them, but also, in a sense, to say goodbye to their own childhoods. Kids who grew up with Woody and the gang are ready to move on with their own lives into adulthood, and Toy Story 3 expertly encapsulates those feelings of letting go and moving on. It’s a perfect and fitting end to the journey.
So long, partner…
