Toy Story 3 (2010)
VERDICT:
8/10 Snakes In My Boots
What a beautiful goodbye.
Toy Story 3 picks up with our boy Andy all grown up at 17, heading off to college and far too interested in girls and Nintendos to pay any mind to the toys he once loved that are collecting dust in his foot locker. So in order to prevent getting sent to the town dump after being outgrown by their owner, the toys huddle up and soon find themselves the newest batch of playthings at a local daycare center where things aren’t quite what they first appear to be.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the first two Toy Storys because apparently Netflix only has three copies in stock and about 30,000 people begging for ’em, but even though I need to give them a refresher course before I can give them the reviews they deserve, these movies are hard to forget.
The thing is, I was nine when I first saw Toy Story, my family used to call me “Sid” after I thought it would be cool to get a buzz cut, it was a part of my youth and I still vividly remember going to see it in theaters with my dad. So watching this latest entry 14 years down the line really does feel like I’m seeing all my friends for one last time, something that I knew was coming and couldn’t wait for but was nevertheless a bittersweet departure if there ever was one. And that’s what this is all about, being able to move on while remembering the friends you made and memories you shared.
Being that I’m getting choked up just writing this freakin’ thing, you can probably guess by now that this can be a tear-jerking endeavor at times. For the most part it’s mostly what you’d expect – lots of fun and lots of laughs – but the closer it gets to the end, trust me, you’re gonna be glad you have those 3-D glasses on so that no one can see you weep in public (and that’s about the only reason to see this in 3-D, too). There was a point where things started to turn for the insanely dark and I had to wonder what the hell Pixar was going for, but you know what, big ups to Pixar for even veering in that direction at all.
It’s moments like these that made me realize how magical these characters are and what an amazing job these filmmakers have done bringing them to life. They’re not human beings, it’s not like it’s Andy trying to stop himself from getting sent to the dump, they’re plastic toys who can’t age and can’t bleed, but the fact that I see more of myself in Woody and Buzz than I do in most movies nowadays is truly something else. I mean, isn’t that what’s made these movies so great to begin with, that we can all connect with Andy and the toys and just remember what it feels like to be a kid again for two hours?
Man, these Pixar guys are getting heavier and heavier with their movies, and even though little Billy might not get all of what’s going on, I am all about it.
Everything that made Toy Story so wonderful to begin with comes out in full force here and reminded me immediately why I fell in love with this crew of action figures in the first place. Loved the opening scene that re-introduced us to Andy’s toys in even greater, action-packed detail as it did in ’95, loved it when Buzz started giving the toys a Cool Hand Luke rundown of all the rules that’ll land them in “The Box” and I loved that we finally got the Spanish cover of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” that we’ve all been asking for.
And the voice acting is great as always. The two noteworthy additions this time around being the almighty Michael Keaton as Ken and Ned Beatty as the daycare kingpin, Lotso.
Toy Story 3 might not be the funniest or most toddler-friendly of the trio, but if this is as bad as it gets, the gang at Pixar should give themselves one more huge pat on the back for putting together a consistently phenomenal series the likes of which any franchise would kill for. Folks, I don’t know about you, but being a kid was great, and even though we all have to grow up and say our goodbyes some time, it still ain’t easy.
I need a hug.
Cut The Crap Movie Reviews 
Glad you enjoyed it so much. However, unlike you and most people I’ve never been able to connect or identify with the toy characters. They’re memorable personalities, but I’ve never felt any emotional connection to them. That’s always been my problem with this series and this entry didn’t do much to change that.
However, its undeniably well crafted and the story is fantastic so I still liked this film a lot. But it’s no How to Train Your Dragon.
I think i just started to cry a bit just reading this, I haven’t gotten time to see this yet, but I know sooner or later, when I do, I’ll just be tearing up.
There were 3 separate moments that got the tears flowing for me in this film. A bit embarrassing but true. This isn’t really a spoiler, but the worst/best part for me was just seeing Andy’s empty room. Too sad. They needed this film for the last half hour, but the first two acts were almost the same as Toy Story 2. They couldn’t have ended the story a better way.
Yeah, I noticed the similar first two Acts also, but it’s hard to knock this movie for much of anything in the long run. And I totally agree about the ending. Just perfect.
Now the question is will Disney let it stay ended?
You know what, I wouldn’t mind if they didn’t. Think that’s the only time I’ve ever thought that way about a series, but something tells me Pixar is moving on to bigger and better things.
Glad to see you enjoyed this movie (is there one person who didn’t?). I don’t think it’s great (certainly not a 9.1/10 on IMDb) but this was good old Pixar delivering once again an thoroughly engaging and entertaining movie without catering excessively to kids only.
Yeah, isn’t this hovering at a 98% or something on RT? Not that I’m complaining or anything, but I hear ya, Pixar does it again. Why can’t more studios put out quality like they do? Serenity now…
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!
I feel bad for liking How To Train Your Dragon just a little better though.
You’re the second person to say that. Dragon was good stuff, but I’m still going with this if only for the nostalgia factor and that it made me laugh and cry more.
You’re gay for crying! haha… JK… I choked a few back myself… which sounds gay too! 🙂
lol, it’s good to be gay together sometimes.
don’t quote me on that.
Very well written review. And if i wasn’t excited to see this movie before, you’ve made me want to see it so much more.. And damn, I am excited to see Buzz’s rendition of Cool Hand Luke haha.
Hugs all around.
I was wondering if you were ever gonna get to this. The movie was like Ocean’s Eleven meets Mission Impossible meets Sophie’s Choice.
I had a great time with it and I’m glad with that ending. Aah, the ending. Holding… back…tears.
hahaha. i know, man. been welling up for days now just thinking about it.
yeah, i have no idea why it took me so long to get around to this, but I’m not surprisingly glad that i did. damn, i really need to see sophie’s choice, huh?
I didn’t know what the fuck I’m talking about. Well, it does kinda make sense for the end.
I’ll get back to you when I finally see it.
Awesome review ! Now, where did I put that box of tissues ? (Sniff).
haha. thanks, man. you can use my sleeve.
Well…I hated it. I think they should have just left the first two alone instead of trying to rake more money in from a good series.
*SPOILER*
I didn’t like the end, personally I would have prefered a shot of Andy’s kids playing with the toys not some random girl and her mother whom we’ve never heard from before.
After I watched this movie, every time I thought of it I burst out crying. I was holiday. It was not fun. Overall, I just really really did not enjoy watching it.
Man, sorry to hear that, I don’t even know what to say. Yeah, it would have been nice to see the toys stay in the family, but the whole movie is about being able to say “Goodbye” and being okay with moving on as it’s simply a part of life. Idk, that ending had me bawling like no other. Need to see the first two again, but I thought this was a great end to the series, didn’t feel like a cash cow either (except for the whole 3-D thing, that was unnecessary).