For Your Consideration: Toy Story 3

[Wicky_42]

Toy Story 3 was a fantastic film, a brilliant, moving end to the trilogy - one that I don't think any other series has ever come close to. Not even Lord of the Rings was able to generate as intense emotions in the crowd; it was all too 'fantasy' and epic - it lacked the human scale.

As the OP says, I found the film really connected with my childhood, especially having grown up with the first two films - and unusually for a trilogy, I'd definitely say that this final part was the best, though probably only if you'd seen the previous ones to establish and develop the characters' histories.

 

[Hiphophippo]

i actually remember the moment i stopped playing with my old toys so this series has always hit close to home.

 

[Space Jawa]

Pixar is my favorite movie studio ever, and TS3 is just another reason why.

I am not ashamed to say that Toy Story 3 made me cry. It's a beautiful movie.

*sniff*

Why, I'm getting teary eyed just reading about it.

Oh, Pixar, please never change.

 

[Scout Tactical]

Pixar isn't afraid to take a light, comedy franchise and make it dark for drama. Hell, even Finding Nemo dealt with serious mental illness. To contrast, they also know how to prevent themselves from going too far, and make really likable characters.

You can't beat Pixar at an animating contest. They are simply the best there is.

 

[pokepuke]

I was surprised by how typical the plot of Toy Story 3 was, but I also remember not liking TS2 that much for some reason, and it may be similar reasons. The humor was there, but it just seemed funny. Funny is ok, but it wasn't that funny, and the jokes were spread pretty thin by the end. Even some almost cringeworthy like the cybering Cera. They glossed over a bunch of stuff like some of the toys not being there any more, which seemed like a way to wave off an actor that didn't return. Forced love sidestories, and the one that kinda made sense, the Barbie one, was even shoehorned by fate or whatever at the last minute in a whiplash turnaround. Lots of typical looking sad moments where characters are overanimated and have unrealistic and drawn out reactions with accompanying music. The villain randomly getting karmic vengeance out of nowhere right after the events. It all seemed pretty uninspired and something more for a TV show than a once in a decade movie.

 

[Bre2nan]

Great article, and I agree it should be nominated.

bahumat42: While I don't entirely agree with your list (We'll never agree on a top ten I think, and there are too many movies I've not seen this year...) you've still got room for two more movies in there as far as nominations go...

So even if you wouldn't pick it as the winner, what would you fill your list out with if not TS3?

ahh yeah i can see how it might be interpreted that i don't believe it should be nominated. And for clarification purposes, it definitely does. And that wasn't my top whatever of the year that was just a list of better nominations this year (in my opinion). Although i do think anybody raving about ts3 should give httyd a good shake, its very entertaining.

Although ts3 would have to stave off the fighter and animal kingdom for a spot (imo) i my books it just slightly beats the fighter because that movie didn't resonate with me well.

I saw both How To Train Your Dragon and Toy Story 3, liked them both, but I'll still rave about Toy Story 3. How To Train Your Dragon is good, perhaps even great, but Toy Story 3 is at a whole other level.

 

[likalaruku]

I'm one of the 6 people on earth who didn't even like Toy Story 1.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Toy Story 3 was a good movie, but lets not make it out to be the best movie ever made, because it simply isn't.

I might be alone in this, but I never gave a crap about Andy's relationship with his toys. It was the relationship among the toys themselves that I found interesting and the first movie is the best example of that. Andy always seemed like their fickle God whose attention they so desperately craved.

Pixar has the nasty habit of creating fantastic concepts that they never have the guts for to follow through with (see WALL-E and Up). And Toy Story 3 is no exception. Lotso was a great villain who ruled Sunnyside like it was his own personal Jonestown, but then Pixar completely cops out by not giving us a satisfying conclusion to his "ending".

Spoiler

I wanted to see that fucking bear die, not be strapped to a bumper to give the audience a kid-friendly conclusion.

And the ending of the movie itself doesn't conlude anything either, it just keeps the status quo.

It's a good movie, sure, but this whole glorification of it is a bit silly. I've seen a lot better animated movies this year, like The Secret of Kelis.

 

[Carnagath]

Well, personally I liked Up more than Toy Story 3 and I liked Wall-E much more than Up. So yeah, Toy Story 3 is somewhere in the middle of my Pixar list. It's solid and well written, but the wild originality and true inspiration of Wall-E are unbeatable for me and it is possibly my all time favorite love story. As for the awards, I really think that Pixar should win one for best picture at some point. It's mandatory. But not for a sequel. They can do better than Toy Story 3. The have done better. Plus, Inception was mind-blowing.

 

[Mana Fiend]

I saw both How To Train Your Dragon and Toy Story 3, liked them both, but I'll still rave about Toy Story 3. How To Train Your Dragon is good, perhaps even great, but Toy Story 3 is at a whole other level.

QFT.

I loved HTTYD, and the ending was one of the bravest moves I've seen an animated film take. However, I loved Toy Story 3. The me, it's the ultimate trilogy, and a fantastic way to end it. 2 will always stand out to me as one of those perfect movies, mind (it's 4th in my Top 10 list - only Shawshank Redemption, Wall-E and Nightmare Before Christmas beat it).

That said, I never got to see Inception (I feel like I've failed, and may well rent it over the weekend). I want to see Black Swan too, before it ends. I just haven't had enough time this year...

 

[vrbtny]

Toy Story Forever!

Toy Story 3 was the zenith of the crazy world that is, movies.

 

[VondeVon]

I have to disagree. Toy Story 3 was the biggest let-down of 2010. I asked for it for Christmas so my family could all watch it together for the first time and at the end there was just this awkward silence as everyone tried to find something good to say about loosing two hours of their lives.

It was... shallow. The second they got to Sunnyside you could see the plot unfolding before you in a very A-B-C way. The humor was almost non-existent. The emotion was strongest in the first ten minutes when you realise

Spoiler

most of the silent toys from previous movies had already been given away,

then at any point after that. And that final scene

Spoiler

with Andy explaining the stories and what he'd imagined for his toys to the little girl? That didn't feel touching so much as a farewell from the creators, for themselves. Most bored I've been in a movie since Epic Movie

.

The moment in the

Spoiler

incinerator

was close to powerful but couldn't help being negated by the absolute knowledge that

Spoiler

they wouldn't actually die, especially when they all grabbed on to each other. Nobody even melted a little. If one of them actually HAD fallen in,

I'd have felt something other than 'hurry up'.

In the end, Toy Story 3 was the kind of heavy-handed, halfhearted effort I'd expect from a 'straight to DVD' movie. I wish I'd researched it better.

 

[WaderiAAA]

Toy Story 3 is amazing. While I haven't seen all the greatest movies from last year, of the ones I saw Toy Story 3 was the best, Inception Runner up and Scott Pilgrim number three.

 

[WaderiAAA]

In the end, Toy Story 3 was the kind of heavy-handed, halfhearted effort I'd expect from a 'straight to DVD' movie. I wish I'd researched it better.

I respect that your view on the movie is different from mine, but calling it a halfhearted effort is harsh.

 

[walsfeo]

I haven't seen it yet, and until I get a HD TV I probably wont even bother. It sounds like the harsher critics fail to take into account the audiences this movie was designed to reach.

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

Provided there will still be 10 nominations for best picture, I'm sure it will get nominated, but don't count on it winning (my money's on Black Swan: besides being a very good movie, its the perfect "Oscar bait"). Don't get me wrong, I would love nothing more than for an animated movie, especially one this good, to win best picture, but they're usually not the kind of movies that win.

 

[tzimize]

Hear hear. The ending was one of the most bittersweet moments in cinema in my entire life so far. It spoke volumes. Seldom has a movie been that true, and it wasnt even real. Fantastic craftsmanship on all fronts. Definitely deserves an Oscar.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

The movie had me crying like my dog died when I saw it on a plane. And UP did the same thing last year....pixar owns my soul.