Andy Davis is 17, and heading off for college. It's time for him to pack up his childish things to prepare for the next chapter of his life. He opts to take his beloved cowboy doll Woody with him, but the rest of his toys are headed for the attic. When the trash bag full of loved but unneeded toys mistakenly ends up on the curb on trash day, Woody saves his friends from the grisly jaws of the garbage truck. The Round-Up Gang and their cohorts find themselves donated to a day care center, where they meet some new friends. The leader of the day care toys, a stuffed strawberry-scented bear named Lotso, appears welcoming, but he has nefarious plans enforced by a small army of creepy cohorts. Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the rest of Andy's toys must escape and return to Andy's house. Their job, as Woody tells it, is to be there for Andy when he needs them.
It's hard to put a finger on where the genius of this film lies. The storyline is exciting. The characters have depth and relevance. The visual impact is one of total immersion, thanks to masterful use of 3D technology. The dialog is tight, witty, and surprisingly human. The voice acting is exceptional. The film is completely rendered by computer-generated-image artists who capture every texture and every nuance of lighting so skillfully that there are sequences indistinguishable from live-action filmmaking. But perhaps most impressive is the way writer Michael Arndt defines TOY STORY 3's themes. Director Lee Unkrich takes the concepts of loyalty and friendship and explores them in a fresh way. Loyalty need not be blind, friendship need not be unconditional, and by staying together we become more than the sum of our parts.
Arndt makes the smart move of reminding us that although Andy has grown up, his toys have remained static. They are prepared to wait in the attic until Andy needs them — even if that means waiting until he has children of his own. The word "nostalgia" comes from two Greek words that combine to mean "an ache for home." The toys have this nostalgic heartsickness: they are toys, and their duty to children is to be the objects of play. Although they are devoted to Andy, they believe that they can achieve their true purpose by moving on to other children who may need them. What the toys learn through the course of the film is that because they belong to Andy, their fate must lay in his hands. Simply put, they learn they are toys.
If all this seems ponderous and overdone, don't worry. There is no preaching here. TOY STORY 3 is hilarious. It's full of action. It's suspenseful. Some scenes and characters are truly frightening, enough so that they may disturb very young children. The music is wonderful, including a reprise of the Oscar-nominated "You've Got a Friend in Me". Out-loud laughter is guaranteed, but bring a tissue for a tear or two as well. This is the stuff classic films are made of. My own first thought when I left the full-to-capacity theater was, "I've got to see this again!"
The voice-acting cast from the first two Toy Story films have reunited for this final installment. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen reprise their roles as Woody and Buzz. They're joined by Don Rickles and Estelle Harris as the Potato Heads, John Ratzenberger as Hamm, Wallace Shawn as Rex, Joan Cusack as Jessie and Jodi Benson as Barbie. Some notable actors have joined the fun, including Ned Beatty as Lots o' Huggin' Bear, Whoopie Goldberg as Stretch the Octopus, Michael Keaton as Ken, and Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants. All-star cast seems to be an understatement.
Also worth mentioning is the opening short film "Day and Night" that is attached to TOY STORY 3. This brilliantly conceived and executed 6-minute animated film features the outlines of very cartoonish characters representing daytime and nighttime. The film has no dialog, but the character's emotions and conversations are represented by events happening on earth visible within their bubble-bodies. Competition between them becomes curiosity, and the film ends with a lovely example of cooperation.
If it seems to you that I can't say enough good things about TOY STORY 3, you're right. This is the best film I have seen in years. See it on the big screen, see it in 3D, see it with your family. You'll be seeing it on Oscar night, as well. I'm predicting — months in advance — that TOY STORY 3 will be a juggernaut come awards season, and will become the first animated film to win the Best Picture Academy Award. |
(5 stars)
