If one reckoned Pixar has surpassed themselves with the genre-defying adventure of Up, Toy Story 3 only takes the expectation they had created and deftly destroys it once more. Pixar had announced repeatedly they would not complete the trilogy until they had a story worth telling. Here they tell a story and a half.
Fifteen years have passed since the first films. In that time Andy has grown up and now he's off to college. Will he take Woody and Buzz with him? What will happen to the trusted toys once Andy is gone? So begins an adventure that tests their courage and loyalty while also providing approximately two laughs a minute. Maybe more. And a dash of tears.
The fact is, it's a great story. It's a great story that's not afraid to get you crying, to get you caring about its protagonists, and rather than shying away from the emotional deathtrap that leaving for college no doubt is for many people, it embraces it. The film demands we engage with what the characters are no doubt feeling.
At no point does it feel like we're moving gag to gag. Rather, every laugh I had I could barely believe, so exciting and compelling was the action. If one compares this sequel with another in cinemas currently, Shrek Forever After, the fourth instalment of the Shrek series, Pixar's excellence and grasp of humour is even more obvious. In the Shrek film (which I almost certainly will not review), the old stories are rehashed, and the jokes are not only predictable but repeated from previous films. Furthermore, our hero, Shrek, is about as ogrely as a wet blanket. He is a drip. Compare him to Woody, the resourceful hero of Toy Story 3, who never stops believing in Andy or his comrades. Woody makes mistakes, and can be stubborn, but these qualities only go to highlight how well imagined a character he is. He's no weed. Or Lotso, the bear at the kindergarten. His turn as villain is almost chilling: who wants to imagine cuddly bears or dolls as evil?
Well-signalled plot points didn't stand out, but left me with that happy satisfaction in thinking "oh, I knew that meant something!". At no point does Toy Story 3 descend into a pedestrian exercise of box ticking. The story is all, and it's a wonder to behold. Truly a demonstration of Pixar's mastery of what they do, the kings of modern animated storytelling.
~~~
Fifteen years have passed since the first films. In that time Andy has grown up and now he's off to college. Will he take Woody and Buzz with him? What will happen to the trusted toys once Andy is gone? So begins an adventure that tests their courage and loyalty while also providing approximately two laughs a minute. Maybe more. And a dash of tears.
The fact is, it's a great story. It's a great story that's not afraid to get you crying, to get you caring about its protagonists, and rather than shying away from the emotional deathtrap that leaving for college no doubt is for many people, it embraces it. The film demands we engage with what the characters are no doubt feeling.
At no point does it feel like we're moving gag to gag. Rather, every laugh I had I could barely believe, so exciting and compelling was the action. If one compares this sequel with another in cinemas currently, Shrek Forever After, the fourth instalment of the Shrek series, Pixar's excellence and grasp of humour is even more obvious. In the Shrek film (which I almost certainly will not review), the old stories are rehashed, and the jokes are not only predictable but repeated from previous films. Furthermore, our hero, Shrek, is about as ogrely as a wet blanket. He is a drip. Compare him to Woody, the resourceful hero of Toy Story 3, who never stops believing in Andy or his comrades. Woody makes mistakes, and can be stubborn, but these qualities only go to highlight how well imagined a character he is. He's no weed. Or Lotso, the bear at the kindergarten. His turn as villain is almost chilling: who wants to imagine cuddly bears or dolls as evil?
Well-signalled plot points didn't stand out, but left me with that happy satisfaction in thinking "oh, I knew that meant something!". At no point does Toy Story 3 descend into a pedestrian exercise of box ticking. The story is all, and it's a wonder to behold. Truly a demonstration of Pixar's mastery of what they do, the kings of modern animated storytelling.
~~~
2010
Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
dir. Lee Unkrich
Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
dir. Lee Unkrich
I haven't made it to the cinema but I know grown men who have cried.
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