Toy Story 3

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.

Up

Ever since they released Cars, Pixar has been going down a more and more unmarketable road. A rat who cooks and a post-apocalyptic robot are not easy sells to children. Even harder to market, one would assume, is an elderly widower. If I had been given a window to the future a few months ago and had seen that Up, Pixar's tenth feature, had become their lowest grosser yet, it would not have surprised me. Having now seen the film, I can't imagine it not being one of their bigger hits. Filled with adventure, humor, bright colors and likable characters, this is one of the most accessible Pixar films to date.

That said, you take the good with the bad. For all the fun to be had, it feels like a slight creative step backwards from both WALL-E and Ratatouille. The story and the thematic arcs are just as good as those films, but it seems to have a heavier emphasis on the action than those two did. Up comes very close to finding that balance between entertainment set pieces and character development, but the scales ultimately tip towards the former. Which is fine if that's what you're looking for, as there are some breathless moments to be had (especially in 3D).

The film opens on a sequence that ranks right up there with the best things Pixar has ever done. We follow Carl Fredricksen from childhood - where he meets the love of his life Ellie - through to her death. In ten minutes we get their entire life story, the struggles and hardships, the laughs and joys. It's a daring way to give us insight to who Carl is, but it really works. From there Carl decides to take that trip he and Ellie always dreamed of: to Paradise Falls in South America. So Carl ties thousands of balloons to his house and sets sail. Only catch is Russell, a local child, is on his front porch. The two set out on a quest to find Paradise Falls, but the story takes some surprising and silly turns from there.

When the film wants to be serious, it is. Carl is a complex and fascinating character, and even Russell has some great development. But the film has a strong sense of humor, found largely though the animals the characters encounter along the way. A pack of talking dogs are responsible for a lot of goofy moments (the talking is dealt with in a way that makes sense in the world these characters exist in), including a scene in which dog fighting takes on a literal meaning. And as the film progresses we get bigger and bigger set pieces, culminating in one very vertigo inducing fight scene that had me tense throughout. But always hanging over the characters' heads is that house of Carl's, there to remind him and us of why he came there in the first place. While the film can be silly, I liked that no one spelled out what the film is about. That's a bad habit a lot of family films have, even WALL-E, so that touch of subtlety was greatly appreciated.

Visually this is another Pixar stunner. Director Pete Docter uses color and depth of field to convey how confined Carl's life has become, and how much it flourishes when he leaves home. There are moments where we simply see the house floating along that are breathtaking. And the character design has become so good, I forgot these were animated characters. Pixar has wisely realized that animated humans are more sympathetic if they aren't too realistic looking, as they avoid any uncanny valley issues by stylizing their human characters. At the same time, the aforementioned dogs are almost lifelike and very adorable. Up embraces a slightly more cartoony visual vibe, and it really suits the story.

I certainly enjoyed Up quite a lot, and I really can't blame Pixar for trying to reel themselves back in a bit after two challenging pictures. They've certainly earned the right to let loose and have a little fun. When this film wants to challenge you, it does, and when it wants to have fun, it does that too. My tastes tend a bit more towards the quieter moments, but kids will definitely love the fun moments a lot. It's certainly the most widely appealing film they've made since The Incredibles, and I can't imagine anyone not having a good time with Up.

WALL·E

Every year Pixar releases a new movie, and every year I am amazed that they continue their unblemished streak of good films. From Toy Story up through Ratatouille I have not been let down by these wizards of storytelling. They understand the potential the medium of film has to be magical, something so few films attempt to achieve. Yes, WALL·E is another home run from Pixar, but they have taken a bold leap forward this time. This new venture leaves all past Pixar films in its dust, and it is in large part because they've created a fully realized and utterly magical world on a scale the likes of which we've rarely even glimpsed before on the big screen.

From the first time I heard about the concept of WALL·E, I was excited. This had potential to be something new, something daring. Instead of relying on a celebrity voice to bring WALL·E to life, Pixar instead turned to sound engineer Ben Burtt to create the film's hero (as well as the many minor characters that populate the film's universe). This gamble pays off brilliantly. WALL·E, in spite of not being able to really speak, is more alive and beautifully nuanced than any character I've seen this year. The heartfelt sighs, the frustrated groans, the curious chirps - all convey so much by saying so little. The rest of the cast is equally impressive, as they each have a distinct personality of their own. If Burtt doesn't win the Oscar for sound design this year, it will be a huge disappointment.

The whole premise of the film lends itself to a fascinating and timely commentary on the current state of our planet. WALL·E is the last remaining robot on Earth, his job to clean up the enormous mess mankind left behind when they shipped off to the stars. It's quietly unsettling to see WALL·E roaming around piles of trash that rival the nearby skyscrapers in size. Had the film spent its entirety simply exploring this world, it would have made for a riveting experience. We learn so much about the humans of the film simply through the garbage WALL·E finds and the remains of the city he inhabits. It makes last year's I Am Legend look tame by comparison.

With the eventual arrival of EVE, the true heart of the film emerges. WALL·E has learned about love through an old copy of Hello Dolly on VHS, and he quickly falls hard for the first robot he's encountered in centuries. The love story between the two could have come off as so offputting, seeing as they're robots, but it's handled with such delicacy and care that you find yourself really hopeful for these two. Never have I wanted to see two characters simply hold hands so badly. When a love story is done right, it is often the most involving story a film can have for me personally, and this film hits all the right notes with grace and style.

The film follows these two lovebirds into space, and it eventually takes us to the starship containing the remains of human civilization. I won't give too much away, but it is clear that this is the film Mike Judge had in mind when he made Idiocracy a few years back. It's both hilarious to see what we've become hundreds of years from now, but also a bit disturbing. Jeff Garlin does a great job as the main human role in the film, although they do saddle him with the obligatory revelation scene in which its hammered home that we need to take care of our planet. But that's a minor quibble with an otherwise flawlessly handled story.

Pixar has truly stepped up their game in a major way with WALL·E. I fell head over heels in love with the film, its story, and its wonderful assortment of characters. But I fell hardest for WALL·E himself. This is truly a hero for our times, and one that will likely enter into the pantheon of great animated characters. When a film of such true quality comes along during a dearth of great films, it is something to be cherished, and that's exactly what I will be doing with WALL·E for a great long time.

Ratatouille

I wonder if the kids growing up over the past decade will realize how lucky they were to be children in the era of Pixar? My childhood ended just as Toy Story came out, and by the time A Bug's Life was released, I was already at the age where "kid's movies" were beneath me. It really wasn't until The Incredibles that I was mature enough to see Pixar movies as more than just children's entertainment. Now, we all have those movies we grew up with that we look back on with fondness, but often that fondness has more to do with our being kids than the actual quality of the films. I somehow doubt Flight of the Navigator, D.A.R.Y.L., or The Great Mouse Detective really hold up well. Yet for 12 years, Pixar have consistently brought us the best family films. These are films that anyone can enjoy, regardless of age. I hope that when the kids of today are older, they will be able to see that the difference between Ratatouille and Shrek the Third is like the difference between Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Rock-A-Doodle.

Ratatouille is a complex message wrapped in a simple premise. Remy the rat knows that he can be a great chef if given a chance. After getting separated from his family, he finds himself in the restaurant of his recently deceased idol, Gusteau the Chef. From his perch, he witnesses the new garbage boy, Linguini, attempting to fix a soup he spilled. Linguini knows nothing about cooking and is clearly ruining the soup, so Remy intervenes and fixes it, only to be caught. Linguini takes Remy to the river to dispose of him, but realizes that Remy can understand him. Not only that, but Remy could be Linguini's ticket to cooking success. The two team-up and Linguini quickly becomes the most renowned new chef in Paris. But his boss, Skinner, knows something is amiss, and he won't rest until he finds out what.

The film focuses greatly on following your dreams, as well as examining prejudices. If Remy really is a better chef than any human, should he be allowed to cook, in spite of the fact that he is a rat? It's an interesting question, and one that doesn't come with as simple of a solution as one might expect from an animated film. This isn't meant to be some magical rat that can talk; he's just a regular rat that you might find in your basement, and he happens to understand cooking. As such, the film treats him as we might treat a regular rat, so the ending is satisfyingly true to life, yet not a downer, either. The film never tries to tell us how we should feel about our prejudices, only trying to open up our mind to the idea of how our prejudices work. It's really rather beautiful.

Director Brad Bird grounds the film very much in reality. As I mentioned, this is just a normal rat. He can't speak English, so he and Linguini can't actually converse. Yes, he can understand English, but it's treated in a fairly realistic manner. We'd never expect our pets to start talking to us, but we do get the sense that they can understand us sometimes. Remy can talk to other rats, however, and he is voiced by Patton Oswalt. The voice work in general in this film is another example of why Pixar is so great. Aside from Oswalt, I did not recognize a single voice. So color me surprised to find such actors as Will Arnett, Peter O'Toole, Brain Dennehy, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garafalo, and Ian Holm in the cast list. Pixar makes a real effort to find actors who fit the characters, not big names who can sell a movie. These actors fit their parts so perfectly, I never once thought "Will Arnett sure is being funny" like I might have thought about Eddie Murphy in Shrek. This only helps us to become absorbed into the world of the film.

And oh, what a world it is. Bird directs this film with such deftness that you forget it's animated. The camera swoops and swerves. It peeks in through windows, and down through holes. It all feels like a living, breathing world with things constantly going on outside of the frame. The animation itself compliments that world wonderfully, and I doubt there has been a better looking CG film yet made. It's not enough they get the fur on the rats right, they have to get the constant heart beat as well (watch Remy and you'll notice his little chest is always rapidly beating). Pixar still has trouble getting humans to not look creepy, however. The eyes in particular look like glass eyes. Yet that is a small quibble for such a gorgeous film.

Of all the Pixar films, though, this may be the least accessible to kids. It's about two hours long and the story is filed with references to things I doubt kids would care about (French cuisine, the process of critical food reviews, etc). Also, it's not very funny compared to other animated films. It's much more about the story and the world, and I fear the younger ones will not care. But for anyone who is old enough to enjoy a film beyond just jokes, the story is enough to delight.

People always like to rank the Pixar films, in spite of the fact that it's like comparing the tallest skyscrapers. Yeah, one might be the tallest, but they're all so tall and separated by only a few feet in height, it feels slightly pointless. If The Incredibles and the Toy Story duo are the best, then Ratatouille falls in just underneath. But again, that's not saying much, as they are all pretty amazing. Really, if you want to have a good time and be taken into a beautiful and fully realized world, you could do a lot worse than this delightful adventure.

As always with Pixar, Ratatouille is also accompanied by a short film. This one is called Lifted, and it's about an alien space ship attempting to abduct an unsuspecting human. While not quite as good as last year's One Man Band, it is still quite cute. As per usual, there is no speaking in the short, instead relying only on the ability of the animators to create an engaging visual story. These short films give one a lot of hope for next summer's Wall-E, Pixar's rumored attempt at making a largely dialogue-free animated film. It's nice to see that they're never satisfied in giving us the same old thing every time, unlike their counterparts at Dreamworks.