Toy Story 3 shouldn’t be as good as it is. If sequels rarely live up to the expectations set forth by the original film, the third film in a series is almost always a complete let down. Leave it to Pixar, then, to make a movie that is not only as good as the first two films in the Toy Story series but might actually be better.
Fifteen years have passed since Toy Story was released in theaters. In 1995, the film was the first computer animated cartoon to be released theatrically. Today, the computer animated cartoon is the norm with hand drawn toons being as rare as a Pixar film that does not blow the year’s competition out of the water. Even with added competition in the world of computer animation, Pixar continues to be the torchbearer — lighting the way for continued quality growth in animation. Every Pixar film is just slightly better than the one that came before and Toy Story 3 is no exception.
Over the last fifteen years, the world has become a darker, lonelier place for the toys of Toy Story. Andy, the hyper-imaginative kid who played with and cared for his toys, has grown up — relegating an ever-decreasing number of his childhood possessions to a trunk in the corner of his room.
Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) are still good friends but instead of embarking on grand adventures born from the mind of an adolescent, the two plan in the darkness together — concocting up elaborate schemes that will bring them a fleeting encounter with their owner.
Woody, ever the loyal optimist, strives to keep his fellow toys together and patient — promising that Andy will once again have a use for them and that in the meantime their duty is to wait for him (whether it be in the toy chest or in the attic).
When the toys are accidentally thrown into the garbage, though, not even Woody’s staunch claims that the incident was a mistake are enough to keep the toys content. Instead, the gang (which includes returning characters such as Jessie (Joan Cusack), Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), Hamm (John Ratzenberger) and Rex (Wallace Shawn) decides to seize an opportunity to find a new purpose at a neighborhood day care center.
They see the center as an opportunity to once again be played with — an experience that they have been sorely missing for some time. Joining the day care’s menagerie of toys turns out to be a bad choice, though, as Andy’s former playthings are quickly overpowered by the day care’s current crop of toys and cast out into the toddler room — the nearest equivalent of Hell for toys where children chew, pound, paint and generally misuse their playthings.
Attempts to leave the day care center are halted by Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear, a brightly colored stuffed animal voiced by Ned Beatty. Lots-O’ has had his heart broken by his original owner and the experience turned him into a cold, calculating dictator. There is little to like about the strawberry-scented bear — and that’s a good thing. Through a tremendous vocal performance by Beatty, Lost-O’ becomes one of the most memorable Disney villains in a long time — truly despicable in his actions yet containing a fully developed emotional drive.
Toy Story 3 is a dark movie. Themes of abandonment and hopelessness are as prevalent as licensed products in the film. That said, Toy Story 3 is a deeply touching film that manages to swing between humor, drama and everything in between with an ease that’s almost frightening.
Pixar has endowed its characters with more pathos and heart than most live action films even come close to approaching. Watching the movie, I can’t help but believe Woody is a more realistic character than any role Keanu Reeves has played.
Besides the rock-solid story and characterization, Pixar’s lush visuals are a thing of beauty. The studio’s team of animators have made giant-sized strides in lighting and shadows — giving the characters a tangible depth and texture that comes close to crossing that uncanny valley that separates reality from a series of 1’s and 0’s.
On Blu-ray, Toy Story 3 looks and sounds just about as close to perfect as any version of the film possibly could. The high definition transfer of the film captures in pristine detail every second of the months of work the film’s animators put into the movie. Every frame of the film is crammed to the gills with details that, thanks to the clarity of Blu-ray, audiences can enjoy in the best possible way. Every strand of every digitally manufactured fiber or hair can be seen and counted — if you wished to put in the time. I can’t put into words how good the image looks on this Blu-ray so I’ll just say this: Guh!
The sound is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 Surround — with every channel of your stereo system used to the fullest of its capacity. The dialogue, music and sound effects are masterfully mixed and showcased and presented for your listening enjoyment. And enjoy, you will.
Toy Story 3 is available in a four-disc collection that provides buyers with two Blu-ray discs, a DVD copy of the film and a digital file to transfer to your portable device.
Disc 1:
Day & Night short film — While not my favorite Pixar short, this cute cartoon creatively combines several different animated techniques into a fun little mini-toon. Six minutes long, the mostly wordless short explores the rivalry between anthropomorphic representations of night and day.
Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: The Science of Adventure — A seven minute long short film featuring Buzz Lightyear, Hamm and Rex as they give a brief overview into modern space exploration.
Toys! — A seven minute look at the animators’ process in designing the many new characters and revamping returning toys. A basic overview of the film’s production great for those wishing to dip their toe into the special features without spending an afternoon exploring the set.
Also included on the first disc is a handy home theater calibration tool and a collection of trailers and sneak peeks at upcoming Disney movies and Blu-ray releases.
Disc 2:
Cine-Explore Picture-in-Picture Commentary — An in-depth and much-appreciated look at the film from director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla K. Anderson. Storyboards and concept art appear on the screen as the filmmakers provide perspective into the film’s production.
Beyond the Toybox: An Alternate Commentary Track — If Unkrich and Anderson’s track wasn’t enough, though, an extra audio commentary track is provided by the film’s crew. Participants include supervising animator Bobby Podesta, supervising technical director Guido Quaroni, production designer Bob Pauley, supervising animator Mike Venturini and story supervisor Jason Katz.
Film Fans Featurettes — This feature is an umbrella for a varied collection of mini-featurettes. At an average of five minutes, each short production featurette covers a different topic including everything from scene construction, story development, life working at Pixar and a look at the making of Day & Night.
Family Play Features — A collection of more family-friendly featurettes, this collection is designed for the casual fan and includes topics such as the voice actors, Toy Story-inspired theme park attractions, a full-sized version of the film’s epilogue and a tribute to the young man who voiced Andy in all three films. A trivia game is also included.
Publicity Goodies — My favorite feature, this collection is a grab-bag of trailers, promos and all the cool viral marketing that Disney did for the film’s release including dating tips from Ken, “vintage” commercials for Lots-O’-Hugging Bear and more.
Disc 3 contains a standard definition copy of the film on DVD. Disc 4 contains the bonus digital copy of the film.
There’s a lot going on under the surface of Toy Story 3, but really there’s enough just on the surface to keep you busy for a dozen and a half viewings. Toy Story 3 is required viewing for any fan of film. Pixar is quickly distinguishing themselves as the production studio with the most reliably entertaining output. Their latest may be an end cap to a fifteen-year-old movie trilogy but it’s also a promise that the best is still yet to come.
Walt Disney Pictures presents Toy Story 3 Directed by: Lee Unkrich. Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles and Michael Keaton. Written by: Michael Arndt. Running time: 103 minutes. Rating: PG. Released on Blu-Ray and DVD: November 2, 2010.
