Ladies and Gentlemen, whether you like it or not, the Pixar Playlist
Well, we had to get back to Toy Story at some point and honestly, it’s further down the line than you might’ve thought, whilst Toy Storys 1 and 2 were released in 1995 and 1999 respectively, we’d have to wait another 11 years for another follow up. That’s not to say ideas weren’t being chucked around. Disney had their animation group Circle 7 come up with some ideas for a sequel before Pixar was bought out, these ideas were entirely scrapped after the buyout and a new proposal worked from scratch.
But we have old pros in the writing department, John Lasseter has been involved with dozens of animated projects, including both previous Toy Story Movies and Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich, now also the director, had both been involved in Toy Story 2. From what I can tell, the biggest behind the scenes headache was the climax, which required almost a year’s worth of research from the crew, I’ll get more into that in the review.
They also needed to create entirely new models for all the characters as the old ones weren’t compatible with the new editing software. The film had a $200m, the largest budget so far, but went onto making over $1bn at the Box Office, getting near universal critical acclaim and getting 5 academy award nominations, including being the last animated film to get a nomination for Best Picture, and 2 wins.
If there’s a key theme to all the Toy Story sequels it’s about moving on. Toy Story 2 was exploring characters who feared their owners moving on. In this film, we’re much in the same boat but it’s that much closer to coming to pass. Andy’s off to College and through a wacky mixup, his toys, sans Woody that were supposed to end up in the attic end up in the trash.
They toys manage to escape and rather than being trash, wish to transfer to a local nursery where they can be played with by children forever. However, when the kids end up playing rougher than they hoped, and they find that the centre is ruled by the degenerate Lotso, a teddy bear with major issues, it’s up to Woody to find a way to save them and get back home before Andy leaves
Our cast of core characters is narrowed down a bit, we’re rid of the sketcher and Bo-Peep before the film even starts and the soldiers say their goodbyes and leave before the plot gets into motion. If you think that means any character not named Woody is getting any real development, you are once again wrong. Buzz is largely relegated to a gag plot where his settings are changed allowing for some dramatic and later comedic outbursts, it’s fine, it works dramatically and the gag is funny it’s just not a real substitute for character development.
Still, having a core focus character isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Buzz is still a major player and everyone now has a part to play in the plot. When it comes to new ones, we get introduced to the Toy Story world’s version of Barbie, which is equal parts cute and terrifying, especially as we’re introduced to Ken. Naturally, love ensues, something even they kinda make fun of.
Lotso is a brilliant villain, the design and voice are perfect and the timing of the reveal means there’s time to give him development and personality without making it feel inauthentic, something which is an issue with a lot of Disney Twist villains. He’s equal parts adorable and intimidating, which allows you to feel sympathy for him in the climax when he’s in genuine danger and when he gets his ultimate comeuppance.
The escape sequence is brilliantly done, showcasing all the crew’s unique skills and Woody’s crafty planning skills. The scene in the junkyard is slightly and looks absolutely fantastic. I could not imagine a scene like that being possible when the original was being worked on, it’s a testament to how far Pixar has come.
The ending is somewhat cheesy but it’s sweet as Andy decides to share his toys with a new owner, Bonnie, including Woody. Andy’s goodbyes didn’t move me as much as it had some others, I understand it but to work with me, we really needed to know Andy better, as it is, he’s just the guy who owns the toys. Once again, he’s absent for much of the film, as the location changes away from his house. They sell the connection between the toys and Andy largely from the Toy’s perspective, I think is where the sympathy is supposed to come from.
I have huge admiration for Toy Story 3, it ups the stakes and danger from the previous films, this is the film I felt the Toys were in any genuine danger. The antagonist is one of the better ones Pixar has had, the jokes whilst not laugh out loud funny did occasionally trigger a smile and as a technical achievement, it’s a very good-looking film that unlike its predecessors, holds up rather well (I'm talking visually, all of them hold up story-telling wise) under a modern eye.
#1 The Incredibles
#2 Up
#3 Finding Nemo
#4 Toy Story 3
#5 WALL-E
#6 Toy Story 2
#7 Toy Story
#8 Monsters Inc
#9 Ratatouille
#10 Cars
#11 A Bug’s Life
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