The reviews are in, and they are overwhelmingly positive- Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 100% score! Even Ed Koch -yes, the former major of NY City- reviewed it online (?) and -while he was obviously clueless about the whole series- gave it a positive critique. I just saw it, and while I do have my peeves, I have to agree that Pixar once again succeeded in creating a great, touching movie.
My first problem is that they got rid of Bo Peep, leaving Woody without a love interest; this makes the loss of his “boy” even more painful, especially since two other characters, Buzz and Barbie, found lovers in this movie- maybe three, if Rex and the female Dinosaur get along too. Really, was that necessary? I know Peep was a stand-in for Barbie from the start, but just because they could now use her, doesn’t mean Peep had to be excluded.
My other peeve is a logistic one: what kind of Daycare Center is Sunnydale where NOBODY watches what toys the toddlers play with? Especially with all the awareness of children choking on small parts from toys that our society has these days. Of course, it may have just been understaffed, but still, the movie should’ve explained it more clearly.
Other than that, I have no problems with the movie. Some people complain that it was too sad. Duh? The TS movies have always been sad; for all the fun stuff in them, the fear of losing a loved one (represented by the toy’s owner) has always been a major plot point, and what made them stand out from similar movies. And given that TS3 was the movie where it FINALLY happened, I don’t see how people couldn’t prepare themselves for the teary moments. But even then, Pixar handled it well, combining a "deal with the facts of life’ approach with a “there’s hope for the future” one.
My favorite character is Hamm, the piggy bank; he gets the best lines! Mr. Potato Head was used surprisingly well this time, too. And who would’ve expected BARBIE, of all people, to show herself as smart and determined?? Spanish-talking Buzz made me laugh the most, especially since he was given a Spaniard’s accent, which is as funny to my ears as British English is to an American’s. (The idea that he had to turn into a Latin Lover JUST because he turned “Spanish” could be considered insulting in some other work, but here, it was just funny. )
In general, I found this “cartoon” to be more moving than many realistic dramas. I’m really going to miss this characters (assuming that is true this is the final TS film.) Thanks, Pixar, for contributing so much to so many lives all these years.
For more of my stuff, check my blog at http://sijoblog.blogspot.com, or my TV Tropes page at http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Sijo