The day I was born, my Grandma gave me a stuffed monkey, which I fittingly named "Monkey." Monkey was my first toy, the first of many. A lot of toys came and went, but Monkey was always there. When I finally outgrew playing with toys, Monkey was one of a small band I deemed worthy to stay in my room as decoration. But at some point, probably when I went to college, Monkey had to be packed away like all the rest. Since then, my parents have moved a few times, and all the boxes of my old stuff have long been shuffled away. Now I don't know where Monkey is, probably stuffed in a box in a shed in Oregon. It's sad that something so important to me at one time could be forgotten so easily, but it happens to everyone as they grow up. Toy Story 3 seems bound and determined to make us all feel truly horrible for having done that to our toys. Indeed, I suspect this film will cause a lot of kids to cling to their toys far longer than they ever should, for fear of betraying the things they loved so much. I'm a grown man and it made me regret not knowing where Monkey is!Toy Story 3 is a movie that fills me with conflicting emotions. On the one hand, it is a moderate step backwards from their previous string of truly mature features (Ratatouille through Up). On the other hand, it created emotions in me no other film ever has. Toy Story 3 uses the fifteen year history of the franchise to truly pull at your heart strings in ways I don't think any other franchise has ever attempted. By allowing young Andy to grow up, by spacing this film out so far from the last two, it really gives you a sense of the loss these toys are going through as their owner prepares to leave them behind. By film's end, I was in tears. Not sad tears, nor happy tears, but tears of recognition, of understanding. The love Andy has for his toys is palpable, even if it's a bit unrealistic considering his age. And yet, I couldn't shake the thought that the ending didn't feel entirely earned.
See, because this is a sequel, it relies more on familiarity with characters than allowing them to continue to change and grow. The first movie introduced us to these characters, allowed them to develop before our eyes. By the time the third film rolls around, it's just not possible to do that again. So when the film's climax happens, I was affected because of how well developed the characters were in other movies, not in this one. The film basically tacks on the most emotional ending ever to what was otherwise an adventure film. The kind of character development on display, were this an original film, would be unacceptable by Pixar standards. Woody is the only one allowed to grow and mature, while the others are nothing but vehicles for jokes and set pieces up until that ending. Even Buzz, the co-lead character, is pushed to the background, used more as a plot device than as a character.
And yet, the adventure works, the comedy amuses, and the new characters are a delight. I definitely had fun while watching the film. The new characters of Ken and Lotso were certainly entertaining. The staging of the prison escape was thrilling and inventive. And the image of Mr. Potato Head as something other than Mr. Potato Head is comedy genius (as well as raises some strange metaphysical questions about identity). The film tries to balance between these aspects and the emotions inherent in the story, but it errs too much on the side of popcorn entertainment. There's nothing revelatory here, which is really about as slight of a knock as a film can get. Yet I can't shake the feeling that this is as close as Pixar can get to phoning it in.
Whatever my qualms with the structure of the story, I can't deny that the last ten minutes or so are among the best Pixar has ever produced. In a storied history filled with stunning images, none come close to seeing Woody and friends holding hands, waiting for the inevitable. You'll know what I mean when you see it, and it is a breath taker. I've never seen characters come to terms with their uncertain future in such a profound and moving way. If the whole film had been that powerful, it would certainly be the best film in Pixar's repertoire. As it stands, Toy Story 3 has to settle for incredibly uneven: fun and slight, yet powerful and moving just when you need it to be. And when it all comes to an end, you'll be left thinking not just about these characters, but about yourself and your own toys. Those bonds you made however many years ago were important at the time, and Toy Story 3 asks you to remember and embrace them while also moving on.
