We’re ranking the films of Pixar Studios, leading up to the release of Inside Out.
Toy Story 3
Directed: Lee Unkrich
Writers: Michael Arndt, Lee Unkrich, Andrew Stanton, John Lasseter
I can’t stand the idea that Pixar is making Toy Story 4. I know it will be a new story, separate from the original, but I don’t care. The series is complete. The theme: Choose Life, in three parts. 1) learning to live together, 2) learning to accept, and love, the limits of our lives and 3) facing, and accepting, the fact that we are all mortal. Each film is successively better than its predecessor, and the conclusion of Toy Story 3 could not have reached a more affecting finale for these characters. This trilogy is just about perfect, and the property known as Toy Story should end with Andy handing over his toys to Bonnie.
Of course, expecting such is futile. Not only has each film been better than its predecessor, but each has also been more successful. Toy Story 3 was the highest grossing film of 2010. It was the first animated film to cross the $1 Billion mark. It was a critical smash. It garnered 5 Academy Award nominations, and won 2. When a franchise is growing, in this era, you do not pull the plug. I get it.
What Up and Wall-E does in the their first acts, the Toy Story series does in its last installment. The sequence of events that brings the toys from Sunnyside Daycare to the brink of their incineration is just so convincingly plotted and acted, so emotionally gripping that its possible to forget that there’s just no way these toys are going to be burned alive.
Which is inherent in great storytelling. Even if you know what’s going to happen-if you’re bound by the genre or the age-level-you still feel surprised when it comes.
You’ve probably seen Toy Story 3, though, and you know the film is not entirely about accepting your mortality in the face of death. It’s a kids movie, y’know? Mostly, it’s a very funny comedy with some heartfelt drama.
The story of 3 sees the toys now belonging to a 17-year old Andy. Instead of getting put in the attic, they are moved to Sunnyside Daycare. Sunnyside is painted as a toy’s utopia, where fresh youngsters are always ready to love every toy dearly. Like most visions of utopia, it doesn’t turn out quite as expected. These toddlers are monsters, and the treatment of toys at the heand sof monsters leaves Andy’s toys looking to bust out.
The daycare introduces a number of new toys, including the film’s villain Lots-O-Huiggin’-Bear (or Lotso, voiced by Ned Beatty) and the best new addition to the cast since the original: Ken.
Michael Keaton plays Ken, and the conceit of having a Ken doll who has never before seen a Barbie make for some of the best jokes in the movie. They’re made for each other, right? Brilliant.
Toy Story 3 lands so high on this list because of its unique confluence of characteristics. Originally, I thought Toy Story might be right at the top. It’s the first, and origination means a lot. Then, I thought Toy Story 2. That one is my personal favorite, and it’s so damn funny; it made sense. But then, I watched Toy Story 3, and it became clear that this is the the best of the three. Each film has it’s unforgettable moments, but each film builds on the last, raising the stakes for Pixar’s most recognizable characters.
The whole endeavor, 15-years in the making, just feels so satisfying. When it’s all said and done, the 5+ hours of stories in this series leave you fulfilled at the movies. That’s why, for my money, it’s time to leave Toy Story alone.
Best Oh Shit We’re All Going to DIE!!!!! Line: “I don’t think that’s daylight…”
Best Barbie Line: “Authority should derive from the consent of the governed, not from threat of force!”
Best Critical Summation: “That is, this film — this whole three-part, 15-year epic — about the adventures of a bunch of silly plastic junk turns out also to be a long, melancholy meditation on loss, impermanence and that noble, stubborn, foolish thing called love. We all know money can’t buy it, except sometimes, for the price of a plastic figurine or a movie ticket.” —A.O. Scott
Biggest Animation Challenge: Trash Bags.
Best Toy Story you never saw: During contract negotiations that seemed unlikely to be resolved, Disney developed a version of the film with their animation studio Circle 7, with a script written by Jim Herzfeld. That story included sending Buzz for Taiwan to be fixed, before realizing that a Buzz Lightyear recall was underway. The toys then set out to rescue Buzz. That was scrapped when Pixar came on board.
Number of interest: 302. The number of characters that appear in Toy Story 3.
Ratzenberger:
Best Animated Feature: Winner. Also winner for best Score. It received a total of 5 nominations, including Best Picture.
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