I went to the San Francisco Film Festival screening at Pixar Studios last night not really knowing what to expect. Toy Story has been with us for 15 years now (20, in terms of actual development) and I had a sinking feeling that maybe all the character potential had been used in the first two and this was some shameless plot by Disney to exploit the franchise (“Little Mermaid 2″, anyone?). Well, shame on me for underestimating the capabilities of Pixar, who once again have shown how a small studio in Emeryville is a storytelling powerhouse that leaves the rest of the industry in the dust.

Toy Story 3 is the tale of Andy, the toys’ owner, going to college and their quest to determine their future – headed between the attic or a daycare center. If you’ve enjoyed the way the first two films blend character drama with innovative action and humor, this cocktail hits its stride in the third film, which draws on everything we already know about the characters and then adds two new entire sets of toys to the plot. There’s a new villain, two very amusing romance sub-plots and a litany of visual gags that push the envelope even further. I’m not allowed to go into any details but the second half of the film is a familiar set piece performed in a completely new way that will forever change your view of certain toys and day care centers.

Apart from a level of animation that sets the bar in the industry and an attention to detail that makes you wonder what most “real” films actually do in pre-production, the real genius of the third film is to provide a satisfying conclusion that gives every character a completed character arc. About 20 minutes before the end, I was wondering how they would do this since there were some fairly dark moments (similar to those in Wall-E and Up), but naturally they manage to pull it together. There’s literally not a single wasted shot, let alone a wasted scene, and the pace quickens throughout to keep the tension mounting.

Overall, this is another Pixar classic that easily has enough for both kids and adults (and movie aficionados). It’s not difficult to see why each of their movies takes five years to complete – yet despite the technical wizardry, the success of their movies is fundamentally routed in their stories, a fact which most other studios seem to forget these days. As to whether the stage is set for Toy Story 4, I suppose they could always pull it off given the creativity at work here, but I think there was a deliberate attempt to make this the last in the series.
Rating: 5 / 5

“Toy Story” was about sibling rivalry. “Toy Story 2″ was about loving others, even if it means you might get hurt someday.

So what is “Toy Story 3″ about? It takes the whole “kids + loyal toys” theme to its natural conclusion, by showing us what happens when the kids grow up and leave. While the first two-thirds of the movie are fairly pedestrian (for a Pixar movie!), the last part is both action-packed and emotionally wrenching.

Ten years have passed, and Andy is now a college-bound teenager. His toys are anxious about what’s going to happen, so Woody keeps assuring them that they’ll be put safely in the attic. But a misunderstanding leads to a date with the garbage truck. Since the toys believe they have been abandoned, they jump into the box of donated toys bound for Sunnyside Daycare.

They’re greeted by the genial Lots-o’-Hugging Bear (aka Lotso) and the friendly daycare toys, and all seems to be well. But Andy’s toys soon discover that Sunnyside is a nighmare — they’ve been assigned the “Caterpillar Room” for wild abusive toddlers, and Lotso is the Godfatheresque overlord of the daycare. Once Woody learns the true horrors of Sunnyside, he must infiltrate the daycare and somehow get his friends out.

You know that the movie industry is officially in a slump when the cleverest, funniest and most touching movie of the summer… is a CGI sequel about toys. “Toy Story 3″ starts off rather lightweight at first, with the toys being brought into Sunnyside and Woody setting off in another direction.

But once Lotso is revealed as the villain, the movie takes a sharp turn — it becomes a clever, complex “Great Escape”-style caper, with some moments of G-rated horror (THE MONKEY!) and hilarity (resetting Buzz ends up turning him into a flamenco-dancing suave Spaniard). And while the toys’ attempted escape from Sunnyside is taut and genuinely thrilling, it’s only the START of the climax — a harrowing, genuinely scary chase scene that brings the toys together.

And there’s a bittersweet core to “Toy Story 3″: kids grow up, leave home and the people/toys they leave behind are both proud and sad. In the final scenes of the movie,we’re quietly ushered through the emotional goodbyes and hellos of growing up.

And the adorable little cast of toys still remind us that what matters most is love and loyalty, particularly during a deadly crisis where they all fearfully join hands (it sounds sappy, but it isn’t). There’s also some endearing additions to the cast — the foppish clotheshorse Ken, Big Baby, a Totoro, a giggly tricerotops, and the Shakespearean stuffed hedgehog Mr. Pricklepants.

Anyway, this blu-ray/DVD combo has a wealth of extras — trailers teasers, theatrical shorts (oh look, Night and Day are scuffling!), “Cine-emplore,” commentary, lots of making-ofs, behind the scenes stuff like “A Toy’s Eye View: Creating A Whole New Land,” a music video, and just lots of endearing odds and ends like Ken’s dating tips. Er…

It hurts to say goodbye to Woody, Buzz and their friends, but “Toy Story 3″ is a fitting farewell that brings the trilogy full circle. Best movie of the summer, hands down.
Rating: 5 / 5

I remember when Toy Story was first released and I actually had stock in Pixar. Sadly I sold the stock but Pixar just keeps making fantastic movies. I admittedly went into Toy Story III with low expectations. It is the third film in a series which usually marks the demise. Nothing ever seems as good as the original. Somehow Pixar avoids the cliché’s and has managed to produce a movie that adults will most likely enjoy as well as kids. Having three daughters of my own, one who is sixteen, I can relate wholeheartedly to the story.

Andy is seventeen and is on his way to college. He is making the transition to adulthood which means letting your childhood go. Along with his adolescence he is also saying goodbye to his toys. The opening scene is a marvelous fantasy depicting all the toys in a wonderfully scenario of good guys versus bad. Some of the toys being on the side of the law and some finding a darker route, but it is all in good fun. As the dream sequence wraps up, we find out it is really the toys who are desperately trying to get Andy to play with them, one final time before he packs them away in the attic or sends them off to the trash heap.

As seems to typically happen with Andy’s toys, something goes amiss and they find their way to a daycare center, where they are subjected to severe beatings and destructive activity from toddlers. Anyone who has kids can relate to the age when they beat and chewed on anything within their grasp. The center is ran by a purple stuffed bear who had his heart broken after being forgotten one day on picnic outing. He is a bitter angry old bear and takes his frustration out on anyone and everyone in his path.

I loved them using the baby as the bruiser in the movie. Seeing this big plastic headed diaper wearing baby gooooing and ahhing while picking up toys a quarter his size and shoving them in a cage was too funny. I have to admit that Barbie and Ken stole the show in their scenes where they expressed their love, and in one sequence where Ken tried on some of his extensive wardrobe. Some of those clothes actually did bring back memories and I laughed out loud when Ken loudly expressed he was not a girl’s toy. It seems even Ken has some gender issues.

My favorite part of the entire movie was watching Buzz Lightyear get switched into Spanish mode and listening to him spout off his love for Jesse while reading the subtitles. It wasn’t just his verbiage but his salsa dancing as he swept Jesse off her feet doing what appeared to be a Tango. It was too funny for words but was followed up by many other things both subtle and not so subtle that kept you laughing. As only Pixar seems to be able to do, they told a story that was touching, funny, and all so relevant to real life.

In the end, Andy ventures off to college and leaves behind not only his toys but his parents, his house and his past. As all kids do, he ventured out to find himself and figure out his own life so hopefully he would way day be an adult with the rest of us. In one of the most touching moments I have seen in any animated film ever, he hands off his precious toys one by one to a neighborhood girl who will appreciate them and play with them as he no longer can. At his age he is moving on for his own good and letting go of the past for the happiness of the toys as well.

While the 3D affects are ok, the movie is not ground breaking in any visual way but the story is what has always held Pixar aloft of any competitors. They seem to have this knack for hitting a home run and with Toy Story III they have not let us down in any way. If you have kids then use them as an excuse to see the movie. They will enjoy it and most adults should really appreciate it as they will most likely be trying not to cry at the end.

Don’t expect any huge actions scenes, or gun play, or violent undertones. Just expect a wholesome, clean, wonderful movie that will touch your heart and keep the kids entertained for a couple of hours.
Rating: 5 / 5

I remember seeing the original Toy Story when I was just 9 years old when life was so much simpler and the adventure of Toy Story provided some welcome entertainment. 15 years later and we now have Toy Story 3; life is a lot more complicated, but Toy Story 3 isn’t just casual entertainment, it becomes a welcome escapism reminiscent of a childhood long gone. There was no doubt whatsoever that this film would be a success as the franchise had built up quite a following. Every adults inner child would have been screaming incessantly as soon as it heard the announcement that there would be a third Toy Story. I know I was excited from the moment I saw the teaser for the film and wanted to know more and more every day as to where they would take the story next.

Andy (John Morris) is now 17 years old and preparing to go to college. Almost all Andy’s old toys have already been either thrown away in the trash or donated, all the toys that are left are Buzz (Tim Allen), Woody (Tom Hanks), Jessie (Joan Cusack), Bullseye, Slinky Dog (Blake Clark), Mr & Mrs. Potato Head (Don Rickles & Estelle Harris), Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Rex (Wallace Shawn) and the Green Aliens (Jeff Pidgeon). They are worried about what will happen to them when Andy goes to college, will they be thrown in the trash, left in the attic or will Andy take them with him. The third option being the most unlikely. When Andy is packing his stuff, the toys find themselves ending up in Sunnyside day care centre, which seems like heaven to them all. Run by Lotso (Ned Beaty), what seems to be a heaven for toys turns out to be somewhat of a hell for the old gang and they have to find a way back home before Andy goes to college.

I’m a massive fan of the original movies as these are something I’ve literally grown up with. The bits of adult type humour I didn’t really get when I watched the films when I was younger, I enjoy watching again and getting new and more fruitful laughs. Toy Story 2 was shown on TV a few weeks ago and it was a genuine pleasure to watch something I had not watched for a number of years and still managing to be able to enjoy the humour and the message to pass onto the kids about friendship and loyalty. The message was strong then, and it’s good to know that the message hasn’t been lost in the 11 year gap leading to Toy Story 3, and is actually even stronger. The characters that were left are tied together, stronger than ever by the fact that it’s only them left and they do not want to be split up, but in fact if they can’t stay with Andy, they want a new home where they will be played with every day.

The animation has seen a significant upgrade in almost every department. Lee Unkrich has commented that when approaching the animation for this movie, the makers have not approached it in the mind that it must look the same as the last two instalments. They animators approached it with the mind of making Toy Story 3 look how they would have wanted the originals to look, had the technology been as advanced as it is now. There’s definitely an upgrade in look and feel of the characters and the atmosphere of the whole thing, especially with the human characters as it makes their story a lot more believable, and allows the viewer to invest more emotion into the story.

The characters both new and old are excellent and create some hilarious moments. Possibly the best addition to the Toy Story cast was Barbie’s male counterpart, Ken who’s as camp and image obsessed as you would possibly imagine him to be. Lotso, the villain of the film was quite the typical villain you would expect. A mob boss of sorts in the setting of the day care centre, he’s a toy that was lost and replaced as a youngster who feels bitter and angry towards the humans and the toys that play with them. Although I understood why Lotso was the character he was, I never really understood why he was so hell bent on keeping the toys locked up in the day care centre. Perhaps that was just a negative symptom of me not paying much attention to that part of the story.

Overall, however, the film was truly splendid from start to finish. The characters were both as enjoyable and lovable as I remember them and it contained some truly hearty laughs, my personal favourite was the Spanish Buzz Lightyear trying to win Jessie’s heart. I would highly recommend this to anyone still in touch with their inner child, or someone looking to introduce these characters to a new generation as it’s promising entertainment for the entire family.
Rating: 5 / 5

I was a 12 when Pixar first created the computer generated, animated world of Andy’s room. It was amazing, if you remember, watching the perilous journey of Buzz and Woody as they faced unspeakable dangers (including Sid’s morbid in-sanitarium) as they made their way back to their bright-eyed owner, Andy. Buzz realizes that he can’t fly, and Woody succumbs to the fact that Andy can have two favorite pals. Four years later, in 1999, the toys faced a new chicken suit wearing foe at Al’s toy barn, and of course they succeed.

Now, 15 years after their first adventure, our friends face their greatest opponent: An owner who has outgrown them. Andy has recently graduated from high school, and is now poised to venture into the world of college. Does he trash his toys? Or, is there a little piece of him not ready to let go? The answer may surprise you, as many things will in this latest epic from Pixar.

I won’t divulge any more plot details than I’ve already given you, as this is the center of the story. Toy Story 3 is a sad, inspiring piece of art from a studio we have all grown to love. I fought back the tears in “Up” and now even more so in this film. These little guys have been as much a part of my growing up as Andy. I secretly, even at the age of 12, wished that my toys came to life in my absence. Of course I knew it was impossible, but that didn’t squelch the dream.

Pixar has formulated a movie, which I would say, would ring truest to parents who have children who have, or on the verge of, leaving the nest. A moment of realization happens as Andy’s mom walks into his empty room, and is stricken with the reality of her boy growing up. Maybe we feel the same about ourselves or others we have seen grow before us?

I didn’t expect this. I went into TS3 holding the usual grain of salt tucked firmly between cheek and gum, just in case I needed a good swallow, but I didn’t need it. It would be easy, I guess, to detach yourself from these little guys and stand back and find a fault here and there. But frankly, I don’t flipping want to.

I am biased here, as a fan of Pixar, and as one who is attatched to the world of Andy’s room. Call it what you will. In the end, I found that I too had grown up, and wondered how I had lost those innocent years as a kid building Lincoln-log forts and planning massive on-shore invasions with my plastic paratroopers. Where did it go?

I guess, like Andy and our little friends, we face our next phases in life with renewed optimism. Tomorrow is, after all, another day.
Rating: 5 / 5