It’s been 15 years already since we first became enamored with Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang in the very first Pixar movie, Toy Story.
Just as we’ve grown up with them, so has their owner Andy, and it’s here that Toy Story 3 brings the story to a wonderful climax that once again extends the magical run that is the Pixar success story.
You know the impact this series has had from the very first moments. The traditional pre-movie short, called Day and Night, met with hearty applause even though I found it average when compared with previous efforts. The moment we see Woody everyone in the theater cheered, whooped and clapped loudly. This continued with each major character’s first appearance.
What’s most amazing about the film is how well Pixar has managed to extend the story without losing any steam. This is clearly better than the second film and may possibly be the best of the three. I’ll need to think on it for a bit as the first installment was so extraordinary that it’s hard to think of it as just another film for the sake of comparing.
The old and new characters interact beautifully in a story that benefits fully from Pixar’s ability to enchant children and adults simultaneously. Every scene has something special to offer.
While I think it’ll take something incredible to surpass the heart-wrenching emotion in Up’s famous montage sequence Toy Story 3 does a superb job of tugging at your heart more than once. So many wonderful cinematic shots that made puppy-dog-eyes seem bland by comparison.
What’s more is that, at the end, the story still seems so rife with future possibilities and that’s absolutely welcome.
I saw the film in 3D and while I’ve seen better use of it here it’s so well done that you barely even notice it. The music is also well done though it’s pretty much variations on all the original, but wonderful, Randy Newman songs.
As good as this film is I still think it’s the second-best animated movie I’ve seen so far this year with the first being the unforgettable, How To Train Your Dragon.
