Review: Toy Story 3

By Dylan Lee

I can still remember when I first saw Toy Story, way back in 1995. I was 8 years old, and I went to see it with my brothers and my dad. We were all blown away - not only was it the first major feature-length film that was all computer animated, but its story and concept of living toys was original and exciting. Now, fifteen years later, the much-anticipated 3rd chapter has been released. Was it worth the wait? Read on to find out! (SPOILERS)

The movie opens with a scene very reminiscent of the first film, only this time, it looks real. Immediately, the advancement of Pixar's animation can be seen - the detail is incredible. Cut to Andy, who is playing with his toys, not much older than he was in the 2nd film. In an opening reminiscent of the Wonder Years opening, we see Andy grow up through his mom's home videos.

At the end of it, Andy is 17, and getting ready to go to college. Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and the rest of the gang are all lying in Andy's toy chest, still waiting to be played with again. They soon discover, however, that Andy is cleaning out his room, and everything will either go into the attic or out to the trash. His mom, however, recommends he donate his unwanted toys to the Sunnyside Daycare, where a whole new group of kids can play with them. Most of the gang is onboard, but Woody feels like he should stick with Andy, whether it's going to college with him or sitting in the attic, waiting to be taken out again.

In the end, Woody goes with the rest of the toys to Sunnyside after he fails to bring them back to Andy's room. They're welcomed by Lotso (Ned Beatty), a cuddly bear who acts as a sort of leader in the daycare. Lotso tells them that being donated is the best thing that will ever happen to them, as they will be played with all day, 5 days a week.

The toys check out their new home

Still, Woody thinks that Andy is the one and only owner for the gang, and vows to break out and get back to Andy. The other toys, however, are happy with their new home and leave Woody to it. And so Woody begins his journey to get back to Andy, and the rest of the toys decide to stay and enjoy their new home.

I won't elaborate any more on the plot, as I don't want to spoil the action, moving moments, and hilarious new characters, such as Ken (Michael Keaton), whose story with Barbie is one of the funniest parts of the film.

I will, however, say that Pixar has done it again. Toy Story 3 is hilarious, touching, and exciting. The animation is incredible and more realistic than ever, and it compliments all the new toys (a lot of which most people will recognize from their childhoods). The film is sure to be enjoyed by young and old alike - the theater had just as many 20-somethings that remember the first film fondly as there were families with kids (who really got a kick out of it).

Bottom Line: Toy Story 3 is still representative of everything Pixar does well-humor, action, originality, and emotion. As part of the Toy Story trilogy, it exceeds the past 2 films but also honors them in several ways that celebrates the film that started it all for Pixar. It is undoubtedly Pixar's best film yet, and it's a must see.

Grade: A+ 

Second Take

By Aaron Ting

I couldn't resist jumping onto Dylan's Toy Story 3 review. See, starting with WALL-E, Pixar has been inconsiderately tugging at my heart strings. This wasn't accidental; Pixar has been aggressively pursuing its ambitions for animation, pushing the medium further and further. Up was an incredible achievement; it made me feel true grief for animated characters - I don't know if I ever believed that would be possible, but Pixar somehow did it. Toy Story 3 takes that achievement and plants the flag at the very top of the mountain. With this latest film, Pixar gave us the best Hollywood 'epic' in at least a decade.

It's rare to see a successful epic - a movie that tries to do it all, and succeeds. A movie that can reach any type of audience. A movie with massive scope, memorable characters, and immersing music. A movie with action, suspense, comedy, romance, and most importantly - real human drama. Recent films like Australia and Avatar definitely reached for this gold medal in cinema - but neither really succeeded. Just to show off, Pixar did it without even using real people.

Make no mistake, Toy Story 3 does just about everything right. There's such a beautiful blend of brilliant comedy, heart-wrenching drama, and nail-biting action going on. An incredibly moving moment in an incinerator showed me that these artificial toys could be more human - more loving - than a lot of real people I know. When they say goodbye to each other, I struggled to say goodbye to them.

I wrote a piece recently about how we needed more stories that were mature without being gory, funny without being vulgar, and serious without being depressed. Toy Story 3 nails it. It seems to be a a reemerging trend these days to want to make adult films that are marketable to children. Perhaps we would do well to aim for the inverse; Toy Story was a franchise that started in the 90's - a decade of great experimentation in animation where we were trying to make children's films more entertaining to adults. The arrival of Nick-toons, the Emmy-winning Batman animated series, and Animaniacs are just some examples of the great animation renaissance that pushed the medium to provide quality children's shows that adults would also enjoy.

There's a simple pleasure in watching Toy Story 3 - a grin forms on your face that you just can't keep down. That feeling of excitement and wonder.

A childhood memory of leaving your room, and then peeking through the door to see if your toys were moving...