Toy Story 3

Toy Story is one of the movies my generation looks to as the pinnacle of kid-oriented entertainment. It was Pixar’s first big film in 1995, when I was 9, although I’m pretty sure I didn’t see it in theaters. It was one of the things that got me very interested in computer-generated art, which then led me to programming. I guess you could say it’s had a pretty big impact on my life. The first sequel didn’t affect me as much but it was still pretty good. Now Pixar has stepped up its game, and after 11 years, created a wonderful close to the story of Woody, Buzz and company.

The plot this time is similar to the other two; the gang gets separated from their owner Andy and have a bunch of adventures getting back. This time it’s because Andy has aged along with us and is now going to college, and no longer needs our heroes. Through a series of mix-ups and foibles, the gang is sent to a Daycare center with a dark secret. This is where the movie begins to shine. There are a ton of new interesting characters who I won’t try to enumerate, as they are better introduced by watching the movie, which you should. Safe to say this beats Sid’s room and the Toybarn by a lot.

The thing that made me love this movie is the feeling that it’s not really a kids’ movie. It’s actually an amalgam of adult stories and homages to great films like The Shawshank Redemption, and possibly The Godfather, all dressed up in bright colors to make the kiddies happy. Sure there’s lots of humor and the like, but dang is it dark under the surface. I watched a video review the other day that stressed the idea that these movies are about death, and the inevitability of mortality, and I agree with that pretty strongly. Even though it doesn’t really end in that way, it definitely feels like it’s going to.

Because of this darkness and whatnot, there’s a good amount of emotional stuff. You’re probably going to cry a bit. Those Pixar writers have the engineering of tears down to a science. Good thing most of the movie is freakin’ hilarious.