Sitting here at my desk as I type this is a vintage Man-E-Faces figure. It’s a little worn and, truthfully, I never played with it too much. This little piece of plastic was hard to find in the Land of Lincoln, but they were very abundant in San Francisco where my dad got it when I was six years old. I guess I can’t pass that toy down the line because he traveled 2000 plus miles. The first Toy Story focused on how toys are treated. The second Toy Story told the tale of collectibles. This third installment takes a look at that final process a toy goes through- what happens when your owner grows up. The thing about the Toy Story films is sure, that’s the basic premise of each film, but these films tell the story with humanity and grace that Pixar has held a monopoly on and other studios just don’t get and will probably never get. Toy Story 3 opens with our beloved toys in an old, beaten toy chest. Not just any toy chest, but Andy’s toy chest. Andy isn’t a little boy anymore, but a 17 year old ready to run to college. His toys are in his past, replaced by other toys like computers, cell phones, and, I’m assuming, the ladies. His oldest pal Woody (Tom Hanks) is going along with him, but in a case of mistaken garbage bags, the other toys wind up at the Sunnyside Daycare Center, where they are welcomed to what seems a Shangri la of toys- the kids never grow up and are replaced as time moves forward by new kids. But all isn’t as it seems at Sunnyside. Once again I have to ask the question: When will Pixar make a dud? I don’t think it’s possible. This is the third film in this franchise and they still pulled off a great film, even though it’s not as good as the previous films, but that is just by a hair. Essentially the same formula is present in Toy Story 3. Tim Allen is still Buzz Lightyear and Don Rickles is still Mr. Potato Head. Toy Story may have been about toys, but at its core it’s really about ourselves and how our lives progresses, especially as children. Toy Story 3 will pull at your heart strings. I can’t tell you why. It could be that these are beloved characters from the last fifteen years that have penetrated popular culture. If you can get your picture taken with the character then they are an icon. It could be because this film represents the point in everyone’s life where they turn the corner and things are going to change. Sometimes it’s hard to take.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Toy Story 3 (2010) ****1/2
Sitting here at my desk as I type this is a vintage Man-E-Faces figure. It’s a little worn and, truthfully, I never played with it too much. This little piece of plastic was hard to find in the Land of Lincoln, but they were very abundant in San Francisco where my dad got it when I was six years old. I guess I can’t pass that toy down the line because he traveled 2000 plus miles. The first Toy Story focused on how toys are treated. The second Toy Story told the tale of collectibles. This third installment takes a look at that final process a toy goes through- what happens when your owner grows up. The thing about the Toy Story films is sure, that’s the basic premise of each film, but these films tell the story with humanity and grace that Pixar has held a monopoly on and other studios just don’t get and will probably never get. Toy Story 3 opens with our beloved toys in an old, beaten toy chest. Not just any toy chest, but Andy’s toy chest. Andy isn’t a little boy anymore, but a 17 year old ready to run to college. His toys are in his past, replaced by other toys like computers, cell phones, and, I’m assuming, the ladies. His oldest pal Woody (Tom Hanks) is going along with him, but in a case of mistaken garbage bags, the other toys wind up at the Sunnyside Daycare Center, where they are welcomed to what seems a Shangri la of toys- the kids never grow up and are replaced as time moves forward by new kids. But all isn’t as it seems at Sunnyside. Once again I have to ask the question: When will Pixar make a dud? I don’t think it’s possible. This is the third film in this franchise and they still pulled off a great film, even though it’s not as good as the previous films, but that is just by a hair. Essentially the same formula is present in Toy Story 3. Tim Allen is still Buzz Lightyear and Don Rickles is still Mr. Potato Head. Toy Story may have been about toys, but at its core it’s really about ourselves and how our lives progresses, especially as children. Toy Story 3 will pull at your heart strings. I can’t tell you why. It could be that these are beloved characters from the last fifteen years that have penetrated popular culture. If you can get your picture taken with the character then they are an icon. It could be because this film represents the point in everyone’s life where they turn the corner and things are going to change. Sometimes it’s hard to take.
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