Flick Flak: Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3
Director: Lee Unkrich
With: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
U, 109mins
I remember going to watch the first Toy Story with my mum, and that both of us laughed and cried. To round off the trilogy, Toy Story 3 delivers another perfect animated film for all ages, which packs in more excitement, emotion and drama then most films could ever hope to, as well as being hilarious.
I confess to having no idea what the director of an animated film is responsible for, but Lee Unkrich has now directed Toy Story’s 2 and 3, Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc. Clearly he knows his craft. Toy Story 3 is perfectly paced, beautifully balanced between adult and child, and stunning to look at. I should point out that I saw this film in 2D, because I cannot see the point in 3D, and it looked gorgeous.
Years after Toy Story 2 and Andy is a young adult about to leave for college, and so turning to the inevitable time of clearing out his old toys. During this process his remaining favourites are mistakenly donated to Sunnyside Daycare Centre, where big purple bear Lotso welcomes them to his establishment where it’s always playtime. All except Woody, who, determined to be there for Andy should he need him, decides not to stay. This decision proves to be a good one as it is revealed that Lotso is something of an evil dictator who is running a prison for toys. So begins the Great Escape/Prison Break theme of Toy Story 3.
Unlike the Shrek films (of which I have only seen Shrek and Shrek 2, the latter proving to be more than enough), Toy Story 3 really carries off its homages to other films with subtlety, rather than simply ‘ripping off’ the scene which it is referring to. For me it feels like Toy Story includes these out of a shared love with the audience for cinema classics, whereas Shrek feels like it is doing it to get a cheap laugh.
A quick notes: the animation, voice-cast and music for the film are all excellent. Watch out for best newcomer Timothy Dalton as Mr Prickleypants. Enough said.
There are too many beautifully funny little touches to Toy Story 3 to mention. It is truly great comedy writing, from witty one-liners to brilliant visual jokes, and plenty for all age ranges. I saw the film in a cinema more or less full with adults, and the audience were in stitches all the time it was supposed to be. I also doubt there was a dry eye in the house by the end, such is the power of the emotions conveyed throughout. Among the comedy highlights were Mr Potato Head needing a substitute body onto which to place his features and finding only a tortilla wrap (leading to a very wobbly time for him) and Buzz being accidentally switched onto ‘Spanish language mode’ (El Buzz), second of which made me actually cry with laughter.
Like all good children’s films Toy Story 3 has convincing, even scary, villains. Lotso is menacing in a sort of evil-Red-from-Shawshank-Redemption way, but his minions are really creepy: Little Boy, a baby doll who by the standards of Buzz and Woody is a hulking, burbling terror with wonky eyes, and the security monkey whose eyes bulge horrifically as he screams, were both chilling even to adults. Ken also joins the cast of the new film, initially appearing as a love interest for (of course) Barbie, but his loyalties are as unsure as his sexuality (He loves his outfits and his dream house even though he definitely isn’t a girl’s toy).
It strikes me that many of Toy Story 3’s emotional themes will not move children as they do adults. The film deals with rejection, devotion, moving on and growing up, and even death, but all in way that children will be able to understand. However I felt that most of the weight of these themes were aimed at adults. For instance, Andy leaving home and going to college. Children will understand that it is sad because he is leaving his toys behind, but for parents who have watched their children grow up and move out, throwing away their childish things in the process, this is really moving. As for my age group, we found ourselves fondly reminiscing over the toys that we used to own, and which ones stayed with us the longest. Very interesting stuff from the film makers.
In short, Toy Story 3 completes a near-perfect trilogy of animated films for all ages, which some have called the best trilogy in cinema history. A big claim, but it’s up there.
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