Corona | Coming Attractions

Woody and Buzz are back, and so are most of their formed plastic friends in Pixar's Toy Story 3. If this is to be the end of their adventures together (and no one said that it is, I'm just thinking that waiting a decade between sequel instalments isn't helping anyone think of Toy Story 4) then it's a brilliant way to end the series and ride off into the CG sunset.

Ever since the original Toy Story came out 15 years ago, one of Pixar team's greatest accomplishments has been their ability to blend together the wonder of being a kid and the bittersweet realization of learning that one day childhood will end. While that emotional centerpoint between these two extremes were touched on in the first two films, Toy Story 3's big plot point is watching how Woody, Buzz and the now adult Andy come to terms with an important chapter of their lives coming to a close. I sure didn't want to realize that you were too big to play with your cars, action figures and stuffies, and as the movie begins we see Andy expressing that awkward realization privately and when his Mom isn't looking. For Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toys, it's the biggest thing in their lives and they have to come to terms with it. It's testament to the insight of the Pixar story development team that one solution for the toys' existence post-Andy isn't the only one discussed, and when the toys wind up at Sunnyside Daycare at the end of the movie's first act, the characters each have their own reaction to this new second life at playing with children that will love them.

A lot of new toys get introduced in TS3 and each of them are great in their own way, from their looks and function to the bang-on casting done for their voices. If there's one guy in Hollywood whose voice should be used for a huggable stuffed teddy bear that smells like strawberries, you'd be hard pressed to find another deserving candidate than Ned Beatty. As Lotso, he's able to find the right mixture of Southern cadence and wise elder that is the heart of his character (I even think that there's a Deliverence in-joke in Toy Story 3.) Bonnie Hunt's gosh-darn-soccer-mom pipes gives voice to Dolly, a flat felt dolly owned by Bonnie, a young girl character introduced into the franchise. While he's out of his Bond tuxedo, Timothy Dalton's thespian turn as Mr. Pricklepants is all-to-brief. And when Chuckles the clown gets his three minutes of screentime pay attention because Bud Luckey does a great job delivering a Billy Bob Thornton-esque story. But as superb as all the new and returning voices are, it's Michael Keaton as Barbie's ultimate fashion accessory that shines brighter than the rest. Director Lee Unkrich gives Keaton's Ken the second greatest chunk of screentime after Lotso, and in every scene Ken's in he manages to steal it from everyone other toy on the screen, no matter how many arms, colors or sparkles the other toys may have. Forget Bruce Wayne and Beetlejuice, it's obvious now that Keaton was born to play this role, the only true voice of Ken. It's great to have the actor get back to showing off the comedic talent he showed off effortlessly from back in the early '80s.

While for sure TS3 has the most adult themes in it of the franchise, it also more heart than Toy Story 2 and more of an emotional impact than the first film. I realize that's saying a lot, especially if you hold the first Toy Story in high regard, but with Toy Story 3 you have fifteen years of knowledge with these characters so when they're contemplating life after Andy, it hits you harder than being fresh to their world. There's danger and adventure and a great villain here, and an ending for some and a beginning for others, and when the end of it comes and you're saying goodbye to the Toy Story gang, you're left smiling. Toy Story 3 is really a perfect way to end this series, if that's where really where we're at. And if we're not, then that's fine too because what the Pixar people are ultimately telling us is that playing with toys will always be going on, somewhere, even if it's in the form of childhood memories.

Review Score: 89 / 100