Toy Story 3 takes place several years after the first two films. Andy is getting ready to head off to College (not some unnamed university or college, but College). His childhood toys—Woody, Buzz, the Potatoheads, etc.—have all been left behind and stored in a toy box for years. As Andy grew up, he stopped playing with them, and now that he’s going off to College he no longer needs them.
The film opens with a glorious battle between the toys in their play universe. All the favorites are there. The action is high. The fun is great. But then when real life hits, when we find that the toys are desperate for attention once again, all the fun seems to stop. By accident, the toys end up at a daycare where things aren’t as happy as they seemed. The kids there are rough and hard on toys, uncaring that they break or are damaged. The daycare serves as the main plot for the movie, introducing new characters with exciting potential.
A lot of stuff happens, things that test friendship, loyalty, and self-importance, and the toys (namely Woody) end up changed. The conclusion was a sappy, probably unrealistic scene that tried to jerk at tears that I didn’t feel like shedding. Am I heartless? No. It succeeded in that it had me thinking about my childhood, waxing nostalgic, but I never had a favorite toy that I cared deeply about, let along a sack full.
Don’t get me wrong. Toy Story 3 offers a great adventure story. There were times when I was unsure how the toys were going to manage. The plot is fun and original. But what was missing was the humor. Long has Pixar been a studio that produces films of exceptional stories and high comedic values. I laughed once or twice, but nothing like I’ve done with past Pixar films. And that is where the film suffers. If there was more clever humor, more oddball funny situations, I might have enjoyed it better, but sadly there was not.
On a plus note, the animation was beautiful. The junkyard scenes were fantastic. The characters are seamless and smooth. Even the human characters are better looking, still maintaining their CG animated characteristics but looking more realistic while not crossing the line into Realism. And the toys were all well crafted and created.
Toy Story 3 let me down. Perhaps it’s because it’s been a while since I’ve seen the last ones. Perhaps it’s because I had my standards too high. Maybe I’m not the target audience? Whatever it is, I can only recommend this movie to diehard Pixar fans (I’m a fan, but I don’t think diehard is a word I’d use to describe my devotion) or Toy Story fans. Of course, I couldn’t expect Pixar to never mess up, and after a dozen mostly-fantastic films, this one blip isn’t going to change my opinion of them. I’m sure they’ll be back with a new, grand story, and when it’s there, I’ll watch it happily.
(Note: I saw the 2d version. I still don’t understand the fascination with 3d cinema, and I hope by not purchasing the 3d tickets I’m sending a small message to somebody that I don’t want that technology to stick around. Sadly, I’d say I’m in for a rude awakening.)
