Review: Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3 / Disney-Pixar / Rated G / 103 min. / Dir. by Lee Unkrich

Trilogies are a tough thing. To the best of my recollection, there have only been three that I found wholly satisfying: "The Lord of the Rings" films, the original "Star Wars" trilogy and the "Bourne" movies. I find it interesting to note that two of these are based on book series and the other based on a pre-planned story arc. Other film trilogies that are born more out of monetary greed than solid story telling almost always slip up. Either the second veers way off course and the third is used as a type of apology ("Back to the Future", "Indiana Jones") or the 2nd is so fantastically successful that the makers nervously mishandle the third ("X-Men", "Spider-Man"). There are other trilogies that I enjoy, such as "Pirates of the Caribbean" or the "Ocean's 11" movies, but they're still inconsistent.

All of which makes Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story 3" all the greater a miracle. In interviews, director Lee Unkrich has stated that he used "The Lord of the Rings" as a template to how to handle a third film. Basically that, even though the original wasn't conceived as the beginning of a trilogy, the third film needed to feel as if it had been. As if the characters were destined to this conclusion of their character arc from the beginning. And darned if he didn't do it. "Toy Story 3" is everything the original films were: bright, funny, entertaining....but it adds a layer of depth to the proceedings. Where the first two films were largely parables about abandonment and displacement, this one deals with betrayal, death and the power of family, all in a hilariously vibrant story.

The film begins with a fantastically ridiculous adventure involving all of the toys from Andy's room. It is, naturally, another of Andy's playtime fantasies, only this time we're allowed to see the action the way Andy does, with explosions and train crashes and giant flying pigs.

Unfortunately, we find out quickly that this is a flashback. Andy is now a teenager getting ready for college and the toys haven't actually been played with for years. However, they're still fiercely loyal to their owner and desperately hoping to be taken with him when he leaves. When he decides to take Woody (Tom Hanks) and put the rest in the attic, the toys seem content with their fates. After all, the attic is better than the dump.

However, through a series of mishaps, all of the toys, including Woody and Buzz (Tim Allen) end up being donated to Sunnyside Day Care. Initially this seems to be a sort of toy Nirvana, a place where they'll always be cared for and never be left behind, because once the kids grow up, new ones take their place. They meet new friends such as Lotso Huggin' Bear (Ned Beatty), a kindly stuffed teddy bear who smells like strawberries and talks in a lazy drawl and Ken (Michael Keaton), Barbie's other half who's even more of a fashion plate than she is.

As time passes, however, the toys begin to see the daycare for what it is, a prison for toys, and what started as an adequately entertaining kids flick turns into a hilarious send up of every prison break movie ever made. I won't divulge the plot from this point on because the surprises come fast and furious and the final act is to be seen with fresh eyes.

The voice acting is uniformly excellent, but it's Keaton's Ken that steals the show. A fashion-obsessed, ascot-wearing doll who insists he's not a girl's toy even as he writes letters with sparkle gel pens and heart-laced margins, Ken is hilarious (make sure you stay through the first half of the credits to find out the ultimate fates of Ken and his best-girl, Barbie).

It's such a tribute to the director, the screenwriter ("Little Miss Sunshine" scribe Michael Arndt) and the magic-makers at Pixar that such thought went into every aspect of this film. In my opinion, the best films are ones that manage to entertain so fully that the depth of the story sort of sneaks up on you. This is definitely the case with "Toy Story 3". I knew that it was Pixar and the deep levels of story telling would be there, but there was a moment towards the end that was surprisingly emotional. Without giving anything away, it's the type of moment you would expect in a powerful war movie or disaster film, but not in a rollicking animated adventure. The audience laughed, cried and applauded enthusiastically as the credits rolled.

Final analysis - Pixar's track-record is still untarnished. "Toy Story 3" is supremely entertaining and an ideal final chapter for these beloved characters.

My final grade for "Toy Story 3" - A

One note: This is, without question, the darkest of the "Toy Story" films. I'm not talking inappropriate darkness, but there are moments in this film that are legitimately scary, particularly for very young children. In fact, if the same situations were portrayed with human characters instead of toys, I think it would have easily been rated PG. If you have toddlers, maybe wait for the home video, but if your kids are over 3 or 4, they should be fine.

The 2009-2010 school year is at a close and, for those of you who know me, you know that, for me, there's no more fitting celebration of the days of summer than starting up my movie blog again. Partially because I have more time, but also because finding the perfect summer movie is a big part of the summertime experience for me.

There are many years in my youth in which the entire summer months are colored by a particularly terrific movie. In '82 it was "E.T." In '83 it was "Return of the Jedi". "Back to the Future", "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", "Jurassic Park", "Spider-Man", "Finding Nemo"...these are all films that are forever associated with sun, vacations and good times.

However, up until today, this summer has been a major disappointment at the multiplex. There have been some slight, yet entertaining films ("Iron Man 2", "Shrek Forever After", "A-Team", "Robin Hood"), some critical and financial disasters ("SATC 2", "MacGruber") and a couple of films that, while hardly classics, were surprisingly good (I'll get to those two in a minute).

The unusual thing this year, compared to other summer movie seasons, is the lack of a May powerhouse. Usually there's at least one movie, if not two, that are huge critical and box-office hits in the first month of summer movies. Don't believe me? Well, let's look.....2009 had "Star Trek" and "Up". 2008 has "Iron Man" 2007 had the big "threequels" (Spider-Man, Shrek and Pirates, which weren't critical darlings, but were huge hits). "Revenge of the Sith", "Finding Nemo", "Spider-Man", "Shrek", all of them huge hits released in the month of May. The closest May movie to reaching those heights this year has been "Iron Man 2", but even it is seen as a slight critical/box-office disappointment, especially considering the huge amount of anticipation before it's release.

However, there have been two movies that, while far from perfect, have surprised me in how much I enjoyed them. The first is Walt Disney's "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time". The commercials looked kind of cool, but most of the print ads looked more like advertisements for Jake Gyllenhaal's personal trainer than for a movie. The movie itself? A throwback to the types of films Walt Disney championed during his life. There are shades of "Swiss Family Robinson", "Treasure Island", "Kidnapped" and "20,00 League Under the Sea" to this movie. That's not to say that it's a rip-off, but it's the same light-hearted, entertaining adventure in distant and mystical places. Granted, none of the leads look even remotely Middle Eastern, but the locales are beautiful, the humor is zippy and the special effects are pretty cool.

Even more of a surprise than "Prince of Persia" was "The Karate Kid". When I first heard about this remake, I thought it was the worst idea ever. An unnecessary remake of a distinctly 80's movie directed by the guy who brought us "The Pink Panther 2" and starring a child 5 years younger than the character in the original. Granted, these drawbacks don't really go away. It's still an unnecessary remake (the only "necessary" remakes are when they mess it up the first time). The age difference is still a little disturbing (it's one thing to see this level of violent bullying with high school-aged kids, but it gets uncomfortable watching 11 and 12 year-olds pummel each other). However, the director and the stars respect for the material make this an engaging and entertaining experience. In fact, dare I say, there are some additions to the film that I really enjoyed. I won't go as far as to say it's a better movie than the original, but it's every bit as good. Plus, it's the best performance I've seen from Jackie Chan...well....ever. For the first time we see him playing a fleshed-out character rather than a broader version of himself.

Jaden Smith is also a fine actor in his own right. He's definitely his father's son. He has all of Will Smith's swagger mixed with humility. Plus he's inherited his dad's dramatic chops. It'll be interesting to see what types of movies he does now that "The Karate Kid" is a huge smash.

So that's the movie season so far. Of course, I fully expect all of this to change today. With the rapturous reviews combined with my unabashed love of all things Pixar, I have no doubt that "Toy Story 3" will be that magical summer movie I've been waiting for. However, that's something I'll have to let you know later today.

In the meantime, thanks for reading and enjoy the summer at the movies!