Toy Story 3

[banthafodder]

Just got back from the movies with the kids and must say that this movie was well worth the trip. As a stand alone film or part of the series it was well done. The lego sets that go along with the movie fit some of the scenes and plot lines very well. My eleven year old who was a huge Toy Story fan years ago loved it and is still playing with the lego sets. The short at the beginning of the movie was a little disappointing and I didn't feel it lived up to the other short films of the other movies. Overall, if you are looking for some good ol' family fun or just feeling nostalgic for Toy Story, this movie did not disappoint.

[Draykov]

The short at the beginning of the movie was a little disappointing and I didn't feel it lived up to the other short films of the other movies.

Really? While "Night and Day" may not have been as breathtaking visually as other Pixar shorts, I felt it was a very original and interesting way to tell a story with a nice message about celebrating and sharing our differences.

Oh, and the movie was awesome. Took my daughter to see the 3D version at the noon matinee. It was a nice afternoon of junkfood, good story and daddy-daughter bonding.

[Flynn]

Personally, I thought "Night and Day" was Pixar's best short yet.

And the movie was, quite simply, the best movie I've seen this year, and maybe even tops the first two Toy Stories. Way up in emotional depth- I teared up almost every scene. All the characters were also wonderfully designed and the movie did a good job of making you feel for all of them- even the villain. Seriously, there were several moments where I legitimately felt sorry for the main villain and hoped everything turned out okay for him.

All in all, it was a fantastic film, and may even be Pixar's best. Also includes the best Pixar moment ever, by far:

Spoiler: show

When the toys all hold hands and keep together as they're falling to the incinerator.

[Firespray]

Absolutely loved Toy Story 3, was in nostalgic overload the whole time. It blew my mind just thinking about how I was 5 years old when the original came out, 9 when the second one came out and how in the 11 years that have passed since the second movie, I completed elementary, middle and high school, am now in my second year of college and now even have a little 4 year old sister who I'm proud to say has become a rabid Pixar fan. Didn't think I'd cry as much as I did in Up but man, Toy Story 3 had me weeping many, many man tears Thought it was the perfect ending to the trilogy

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Did anyone else think it was a bit messed up, yet funny how Sarge and his last two army men totally just bailed out on the gang at the beginning? Hahaha.

Also the now infamous "Incinerator" scene. Oh man, at the beginning of that I was thinking "yeah they're going to get out, the little green aliens will probably save them", but the scene just kept going and going and the music just kept building and building up and when they all hold hands and accept that they're about to die, I honestly and sincerely thought the movie would end right there and that Pixar had just made the ballsiest ending ever. When they indeed get rescued by the aliens and "The Claaaaaaaaaaaw", I wanted jump up and shout with joy.

I also think that Lotso is one of Pixar's best villains, I felt a little sorry for him after they revealed his backstory but then he goes and straight up royally screws over the gang and literally leaves them to die, dark stuff.

The ending though, oh man, was tearing up as Andy went through and described all the toys and how he plays with them one last time with Bonnie, when he's got Woody on his shoulders again, oh man. And then finally as he leaves, "Thanks guys." I just about lost it and then they go and cap it off with Woody saying "So long partner...", I completely lost it and just cried my eyes out.

Also enjoyed Sid's cameo as the garbage man, that was a nice touch and the Return of the Jedi reference with Big Baby throwing Lotso into the dumpster, all of the original Star Wars Trilogy has been referenced in every Toy Story now. Also enjoyed the Gypsy Kings' Spanish version of You Got a Friend in Me and Jessie/Buzz's dance at the end.

[dWhisper]

It was absolutely phenomenal, and I'm seriously trying to figure out if it's the best of the series. Pixar has an amazing ability to hit a home run every time, and this was certainly no different...

Spoiler: show

What really got to me was the whole end sequence, once they made it back. And how Woody wrote the note, and you're thinking that they were going back to Sunnyside. The whole send-up from there with the little girl was nothing short of amazing. It was heartbreaking, seeing what it was putting Andy through, and touching and happy, seeing that same joy passed on to someone new. It was among the most genuine and beautiful movie scenes ever, and something we all went through when we gave up our toys. And I both love and hate Pixar for tugging at my emotions. I never thought they could top Up for just knotting me up during a movie, but they did.

[TheBohrok]

I just saw this a few hours ago, and I must say that I was not disappointed. Pixar has incredibly managed a rare, wonderful third part in a series that can proudly stand next to its two predecessors. I still think the original Toy Story is better, but Toy Story 3 is at least as excellent as part two.

Spoiler: show

At first I was a little upset to learn that Bo Peep was completely MIA, but at least she was mentioned. Plus, it added some gravity to the setup of the story and tension of what might become of the rest of the characters.

P.S. At first I thought I didn't like the short film Day and Night which precedes the movie, but by the time it ended I was laughing and smiling at the cleverness of it.

[MisterFubar]

I thought it was a great movie, I just wish those silly 3D glasses didn't make my eyes water... yeah, we'll go with that story.

[liquidcross]

Absolutely loved it. Especially the intro sequence of Andy's imagination at work. DEATH BY MONKEYS!

[GIR3691]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Never been a huge fan of the series, but this was a great way to revive and end it.

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In my theater, everyone (myself included) broke into applause when the crew was all prepared to die in the incinerator, then the Pizza Planet Aliens came to the rescue with the CLAAAAAAW! It was brilliant because you get so engrossed in the danger and feeling of hopelessness of the scene that you forget the earlier scene where the Aliens see the giant crane in the trash yard.

So wonderfully done, Pixar never ceases to amaze me. TS3 went from being a movie I was completely ambivalent about to one I had to see in theaters, and I will likely watch it again on DVD. My faith in Pixar has never been crushed. Ever since Wall-e, they have always managed to produce an amazing film, and anything with their name on it is top notch quality.

As far as the Night and Day short, it was one of the freshest concepts I've seen in years. The flat animation over the CGI backdrop only visible through the characters was something I've never seen done nor even considered doing. I just wish they didn't smash the moral over your head by literally explaining it. I was able to figure it out without the monologue, and wish it remained dialogue free throughout.

[xXBayouBoyXx]

Me and my five buddies went see this movie the other day,and I must say that we all enjoyed it like we were little kids again,lol.We were all laughing at the tortilla scene and we were definately all afraid of big baby at first,lol.Anyway,the movie was amazing and I suggest everyone to see it,

[Mister Ed]

As far as the Night and Day short, it was one of the freshest concepts I've seen in years. The flat animation over the CGI backdrop only visible through the characters was something I've never seen done nor even considered doing.

I'm curious to see how it holds up on DVD without the 3D.

[Chief]

Saw it with my wife and 2 year old. He didn't behave quite as well as we hoped he would, especially considering Toy Story 1 and 2 are the only DVDs he'll sit through at home. I need to see the movie again without distractions so I can better rank it with the other TS movies. 2 is going to be a hard one to top, but I really enjoyed 3. I was surprised how dark it got, and that's not a bad thing.

[Flynn]

I'm curious to see how it holds up on DVD without the 3D.

Speaking as someone who saw the movie in regular old 2D, I can assure you that it holds up just fine.

[Lord T]

Oh man this film opened up a can of worms. Just months from leaving for university myself. Watched with my parents. It all got very emotional. I'm teary just thinking about it. This film wrecked me.

And it was beautiful.

[Master Fetty]

Firstly, I loved Day and Night. I think it definitely ranks up with their best (Luxo Jnr., Geri’s Game, Tin Toy) in terms of both originality and sheer beauty; the merging of traditional Disney-style and computerised Pixar-style animation worked so well. I can’t believe Pixar is still the only studio that does shorts before every movie

Now for the main feature. I’ve heard many descriptions of Toy Story 3 since its release in the UK last Monday; ‘Amazing’, ‘For men to cry at’, ‘One of the best films ever’. But before I read all of these, I’d already seen the film myself on release day and had chosen my own description. ‘Disappointing.’

Now put away those pitch forks and let me explain (introduction in Spoiler Tags to avoid walls of text)…

Spoiler: show

The earliest memory of Pixar I have is watching Toy Story 2 in the cinema. I was 7 and I’m pretty sure I had seen their first two films previously. And I loved it. Even then, Disney was regarded with a sceptical light by kids, but from this moment on, I, along with the rest of the film-going world, held Pixar in the greatest regard.

I got a couple of their films on VHS and taped the rest off the T.V, watching them over and over. I saw each film in cinemas, loving them all, consistently having my childish cynicism trampled; ‘They can’t make a good movie about children fish.’ After The Incredibles, I just went with it.

Of course, as I grew up, I like most children began to hold children’s film with more disdain as you hit that teenage mark. But after getting a Pixar box-set shortly before Wall-E’s release, I fell in love with them again and discovered not only did Pixar make fun films, they made masterpieces.

And then came Up. The first time I saw it, I cried in the middle. The second time, I cried at the end. The third time, I cried at the start. And all the times I laughed all the way through. Up not only gained the title of ‘Best Pixar Film’, but also became one of my personal favourites. And yet I had to drag a friend along to see this and whenever I mentioned this film to anyone who hadn’t seen it, it was brushed away as a simple kid’s film about a flying house*.

How could they top Up? Why with a sequel to two of their best. Toy Story 3 had me excited from when those words first hit my ears. And I couldn’t wait. I watched the trailers but purposefully avoided anything else to keep the film as fresh as possible (which had a less than successful outcome, but anyhoo).

*And these were the same people who were extremely excited by Toy Story 3. ‘I’ve waited 11 years’ they announce on Facebook.

In short, I love Pixar.

So last Monday I headed to the cinema, popped on the 3D glasses (a rare occurrence – I prefer 2D) and got set to go beyond infinity.

Boy, was I stunned.

The opening was spectacular, so I just sat back expecting a humorously sad or depressingly funny ride. Halfway through, I realised something was up. There was no spark. This didn’t feel as fresh as the other Pixar films. The jokes felt forced and the film seemed to be made of two separate stories brought together.

This was far from a true flop and was quite enjoyable, but I had no hesitations in proclaiming it as the ‘worst’ Pixar movie so far.

And then I got home and read all the reviews here and across the media. I’m not used to being against the norm with film. I see two a week in the cinema and 90% of the time my view falls in with the critical or popular consensus. Even when it doesn’t (Avatar), there are plenty of people who feel the same way as I do. Yet with Toy Story 3, there was no criticism whatsoever (aside from a review criticising it for being a U). Of course, I did LIKE it, but there wasn’t even a mention of disappointment from anyone.

So I watched it again. I had to be missing something, right?

Well now having watched it a second time, my disappointment is lessened. But it is still there and this is an over-rated film. And still Pixar’s ‘worst’:
On my film scale, all the others get 5*. Toy Story 3 is a solid 4*. Not a big deal for any other company or director. But this isn’t any other company or director.

I’m not going to focus on the good – a lot of it has been said already and this is going to be long enough as it is.

Emotion-wise I felt this was, for the most part, a dry-eye affair. The opening had me smiling with nostalgia and the ending had me welling up a little the second time, with the incinerator scene being sad, but a bit overdone. The biggest problem for me with these was that they relied not on the first hour and a half, but on the memories of the previous two movies. Would the ending work as well if this was the first Toy Story? I think not.

The reasons sequels often don’t work is because they use the same characters, but have them not develop. While Woody has the chance to, realising what the toys want is most important, all the others are sidelined in comparison to previous films. Buzz has a much smaller part than in the first two and needs the mind wipe to hide the fact there is nowhere to go with him. Which again pushes the film back to relying on the familiarity with the characters already, compounding the fact that this doesn’t work as a stand alone film. This shouldn’t bother me (I know them by heart and watched them the day before seeing this), but

Plot-wise there’s a lot to like, but I must add that it is two stories that work independently of each other; Andy leaving, toys in day care. They both work inconsequential of each other; the ending works fine without Losto and co. appearing at all and likewise, the film feels complete without the toys going to Bonnie. Not a big problem, but jarred for me at points.

I’ve heard this lauded as the funniest film of the three. While there are lot of humorous bits (especially Hamm’s asides), there was nothing aside from Spanish Buzz that got a full audience laugh in the two showings I’ve been too. The film seemed to try more for big laughter set pieces instead of the witticisms of the previous movies. The three big ones are Barbie and Ken, Mr Wrap Head and Spanish Buzz. The first feels tacked on with the addition of Barbie to the gang – she was clearly only introduced for this one joke, that while funny, doesn’t necessitate a new character and the second didn’t suit the franchise at all. These were both the sort of thing I expected from a Dreamworks cartoon – mocking convention and visual gag pushed too far. I also found the balance between jokes and sentiment was misjudged, with the laughs coming too close to the emotion, dampening their effect.

Those are my big beefs. I liked the rest of it – Losto was a great villain, having them actually in the dump was a daring, but successful (for the most part) move and the references to previous instalments were well balanced, funny and rewarding. But the fact this relies so much on previous film, while at the same time re-treading over similar ground (This is basically a feature length version of ‘If She Loved Me’), robs the film of that traditional Pixar spark.

I think this film is popular for several reasons. For one it is good. It revisits old characters that most people (especially teenagers) won’t have encountered for 10 years, making it feel fresh. It has a really good ending that almost eclipses the rest of the film, so the film sticks more in the mind; I’ve heard so much about the last fifteen minutes, but nearly nothing about what preceded it.

So, why don’t I love it? Perhaps in watching the prequels so close to this I set my sights too high? Perhaps it was impossible to successfully follow Up? I really wanted to love this film, but I just couldn’t.

In summary, this is a good film, but a big disappointment by Pixar’s standards and their ‘worst’.
4 Stars out of a usual 5

[bigospedros]

I disagree with all of the above, but each to their own

I loved this film, from start to finish. I seriously think that the Toy Story trilogy is the first perfect trilogy. I just can't fault it. I laughed. I cried. I had fond memories of my own childhood toys. It was beautifully animated throughout.

I want to go and see it again