Toy Story 3

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. :wink: )

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. :slight_smile:


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Pixar’s best movie by a mile, and for them that’s no small feat.

But for putting this in the anime forum, you’re forgetting one of the movies best surprises: the Tortoro plush

So what happened to the Female Not-Woody Who’s Name Escapes Me At The Moment Who Was Introduced In Toy Story 2?

Or was she not good enough for Woody’s wood.

She likes space cowboys

Oh, right! That will come as a surprise to many people, but I looked it up and it turns out that Pixar’s John Lasseter and Miyazaki are friends. Still, this has got to be a milestone: the first time an Anime character has an official cameo (not just a homage) in a Disney Movie!!

PS: The funniest/most awesome part to me was Buzz and Jessie dancing a Paso Doble. To the tune of the Spanish version of a You Got A Friend In Me (by noted Spanish Guitar Trio The Gypsy Kings) to boot! This number was in fact made specifically for the film by two champions from Dancing With The Stars. Cool! :slight_smile:

Guess I’m just that much of a nerd, but I knew that that was exactly why mr. Totoro was included in the movie. It surprised me to see him, but I wasn’t the least surprrised to see him then him.

Yeah, it was Lasseter who convinced Disney to give the more recent Ghibli movies (including Spirited Away, the Oscar winner) a wide release. Still, it was awesome to see Totoro there. 8D

It was a really good movie. I don’t think I’d say it’s its best (so far that goes to WALL-E as far as I’m concerned). For some reason tortilla-Potato-Head made me laugh hysterically. Some of the “adventure” parts of it seemed a bit too far-fetched (for example, how did MPH throw his last arm out of the box?)

My problem is that I don’t think it’s really all that common for kids - even young ones - to play with toys the way Andy and Bonnie are shown doing. Certainly not by themselves. Playing pretend isn’t that big a part of kids’ lives in today’s day and age, and it’s hard to believe a kid would really form such a lasting emotional attachment to them unless they were using them for some serious escapism.

Cid: The TS movies, from the very start, had been about exploiting the childhood nostalgia of a former generation (probably the writers’). Astronauts, cowboys, Mr. Potato Head, etc. weren’t THAT popular in the 90’s (at least until Toy Story came out!) And what kid has THAT many toys of so many different kinds (even dolls?) They obviously wanted to get as many people invested in the movie as possible. Not to mention that the toys’ love for Andy had to be justified by his loving them just as much. So all of this, while easily noted, was also something you accepted from the beginning, along the whole “living toy” thing.

BTW: Just saw the movie again. This time with my best friend’s family. It’s the kind of movie that’s not just worth watching more than once, but seen with your loved ones. I warned them it would be very moving. They thought I was kidding. :wink:

Ha, I was kinda drunk in that last post. I’d edit it, but you seem to have gotten the jist of it.

Cid: I imagine kids are still just as imaginative as we were. Maybe not to that degree, but still. What I liked about that scene is it felt genuine and not sappy or cheesy. It was very believable. I got choked up. Actually, lets just say I was glad I was wearing my 3D glasses.

Pffft. That’s exactly how I use to play with my toys.

Fact: I still have all my old toys under my bed.