"Toy Story 3" - REVIEW

As much as we may like to think otherwise, there are certain hints of formula in the so-far unbroken Pixar track record. The most noticeable one involves characters on some sort of quest, usually to unite with something or someone they've lost or been separated with. What keeps this from feeling like formula, however, is that Pixar keeps changing the setting: futuristic Earth (WALL-E), the ocean (Finding Nemo), and a world of closeted superheroes(The Incredibles). This is part of the strange (sort of) problem with the otherwise well done Toy Story 3. The concluding chapter in the story of Woody and Buzz Lightyear treads some familiar ground with the same characters, robbing it of some suspense had this been a totally new setting, while also acting as something of a make-up (to some of us); more on that last bit later. In Toy Story 3, we meet the toys at possibly the worst time in their lives; Andy is about to leave for college, thus rendering them totally obsolete (his mother is in the process of cleaning house). An unfortunate mistake convinces the toys (save Woody) that Andy thinks they're junk, so they avoid being thrown into the trash compactor and sneak into the donation box, which leads them to a day care, where they'll presumably get to play with children forever.

The weird thing, though, is that we've seen this before. It was called Toy Story 2. And like that film, Woody spends a decent amount of time with a totally separate group of toys, while the rest of the main batch try to deal with (and later escape) life at Sunnyside Daycare, run by an increasingly malevolent stuffed bear (Ned Beatty, still as scary as he was in Network). These elements, including the montage look at Lotso's (Beatty) past, are all vaguely recycled elements that keep Toy Story 3 from feeling as fresh and exciting as it could have been. There's tension, certainly, but not quite the amount that would have been if Toy Story 2 had either A) been a totally different story, or B) never existed. Thankfully, these issues, though they are worth noting, aren't enough to derail Pixar's latest; not by a long shot. The series still has Pixar's trademark combination of humor (though a surprising number of bits don't really stick), heart, and that classic Pixar appeal to all ages. And while this film may cover ground covered in Toy Story 2, this time around they really get it right, with a sequel that feels truly necessary as a means of looking at the journeys of these characters. By comparison, 2 looks like mere filler, whereas 1 and 3 actually present major changes for the toys. With the toys growing apart from Andy, the issues of mortality and change actually have some weight to them; it really is possible that Andy may not care about them anymore, because he's long past the age when kids playwith any sort of traditional toys. This also allows Pixar to take the story to surprisingly dark places, including one scene that, had they gone through with it, would probably have bumped the film up to a PG-13 rating for sheer emotional trauma. That said, following it up with the almost certain-to-get-you-misty-eyed-or-more ending is just as powerful, even if we are living in an age when kids are more likely to be playing hand-held electronics and video game consoles. That Pixar still has the ability to make us care for hunks of plastic in the electronic and digital age is only a testament to their tremendous talents, even if this effort doesn't necessarily rank as their finest hour.

Grade: B/B+