Review of Toy Story 3 (2010) by Matthew O — 22 Jun 2016

With me being a big fan of the first two movies and the fact that it's been over a decade since the last one, I couldn't tell you how pumped I was to see this movie. Probably the first movie that I was truly excited for. And it would make sense that they would continue the story after they foreshadowed the inevitable that Andy will grow up and stop playing with them, which is exactly what happens here. So, it was interesting to see how they can create a story based on that concept.

And for me, this is a series of films that keeps getting better. Each one I think improves upon the predecessor in some way. This movie could not have come out at a better time. Many kids were around Andy's age when the first two TOY STORY movies came out, and seeing this come out a decade later with Andy all grown up and going to college mirrors the lives of those people who grew up with the movies. And it doesn't just focus on the turmoil that the toys go through with Andy, they also get donated to a daycare center, which I think is a pretty original idea. Many toys are in fact at daycares, not just in one little kid's room. And they come up with all these funny ideas of what it's like for toys to be at a daycare, like how there is a huge variety of different toys with all sorts of personalities and movements, or how the kids are much younger and don't know how appropriately play with toys.

The movie also really shows how things have changed since its predecessor. Many of the other toys have gone on to new places with new owners, we see not only Andy but also his little sister Molly growing up and their childish personalities have considerably matured, their dog Buster has become old and lazy, Andy's room looks a lot different, and the toys have become desperate to try and get Andy to notice and maybe play with them because they haven't been for years. The color scheme also makes it look like things have substantially changed, the colors look a lot more bland. Even though it's obvious to the toys that they won't get played with Andy anymore, Woody always remained optimistic that Andy still at least cares about them or they wouldn't be in his room. But the other toys don't think that, especially when they thought they were going to be thrown away and Woody was going to be taken to college with Andy. So it makes sense that the toys would want to move on to somewhere else. It also makes sense why Lotso, the seemingly friendly teddy bear, is the villain. He's been through a huge tribulation with his former owner after he's been replaced, which led him to believe that toys aren't really being loved by their owners. He thinks that toys can forever be played without having any sort of suffering or heartbreak when their owners move on to something else.

Some people complain that this film is just a rehash of TOY STORY 2. I don't think that way at all. True, the film does mirror a lot of plot elements from the second one, like the opening action scene, the fact that the toys have needs to get back home before time runs out, and the surprise villain that wants to keep them from getting back home. But the first TOY STORY also mirrors a lot of plot elements from the second one, like how one toy is accidentally separated from the others, the sort of bad guy who treats the toys in a way that they're not meant to be treated, and once again how the toys need to get back before time runs out. It kind of ticks me off that a lot of people just focus on the obvious similarities between the second and third movie when it's also obvious that the first and second had just as many. That didn't stop us from loving the second movie, but it apparently does with the third one. I just don't get it.

Some also complain that this film is too dark, and I can see that. But personally, I thought it made sense for them to make it this dark. Like I said before, a lot of things have changed for the toys and this is a dark time for them and are in a dark place where toys are being mistreated. But the one part that I thought went a little too far was the scene in the furnace. I almost feel like this should not have been in the movie, we know that they're not going to kill off the main characters like that. Plus, that scene is horrifying! It's pretty shocking that this movie got away with a G rating. That scene I think is way too intense for kids. But the way the handled the scene I thought was really well done. The toys know that there is no way out of this, so they hold each other's hands ready to accept their fate, which is probably why a lot of people did cry at that part.

But what makes this movie my favorite out of the whole trilogy is how they handled the ending scene where the toys are being handed over to their new owner, Bonnie. We've known and connected with Andy since the first TOY STORY, his character really showed us what it's like to be a child. Now that he's all grown up, it's hard for him to have to give up what he cherished most in his childhood, which we can easily relate to. He may have outgrown his toys, but he still cares about them, especially Woody, which is why he was originally going to take him to college to keep that one part of his childhood. But Andy trusts Bonnie because he knows she loves playing with toys the same way he did, and realizes Woody might be better off with her. And since Andy is with all his toys with a little girl who loves to play with them, he decides to play with her. Isn't that just the most heart-breaking yet uplifting feeling, seeing Andy play with his toys one last time? Oh man, does that scene really get me! Talk about the absolute perfect ending you could ever give to a movie franchise. Maybe when I first saw the movie as an eleven year-old, I couldn't get that emotionally invested, probably because I was a little too young to appreciate it. But now, at the exact same age as Andy, I fully understand the poignancy of that scene and I can relate to it so much. And sometimes I do get a little teary-eyed watching it.

TOY STORY 3 is the perfect conclusion to the TOY STORY trilogy. Admittedly, it may not be as cleverly written as the other two, but it doesn't need to be. To me, its story is the most relatable out of all of them, which I think is very important. The whole franchise managed to have very memorable and enjoyable characters, animation that is top-notch, and stories that are clever, funny, dramatic, a lot of fun, and very relatable. It's a franchise that will be shown to kids for generations to come.

Grade: A+.