June 26, 2010
Hey, I have a Totoro doll just like that!
I went into Toy Story 3 being told that I would cry, and, honestly, it didn’t disappoint in that regard.
In some ways, it almost feels like “cheap” tears, though. The movie does this by pulling on YOUR nostalgia, not really any respect or love of the characters in the book. It makes you recall your childhood, and uses that against you. Still, I think it was a completely legit ending. All of it was. It was a really fun film that did really fun things. I’m not sure that a Toy Story 3 was needed, but Pixar, once again, took the idea and made something great out of it. They know how to write a good movie for adults and children.
There were a lot of genuine funny moments in the film. I feel like a lot of them revolved around Ken. If I wanted to get all down on the film, I could try to cast some sort of “laugh at the gay” kind of argument, but it really isn’t that. It’s more sort of the… idea that Ken is just like Barbie because they’re the same sorts of toys. He cares about fashion, clothes, and looking good, and is in many ways stuck in the past. It’s humorous because it confirms what we “suspected” about Ken while he continues to deny it for most of the film. In the end, though, he embraces it, and it works out fabulous for him (was fabulous a bad choice of words there?) and that makes it all alright. Everyone is still a bit uncomfortable with it, but that’s fine. They aren’t mean, and he’s happy. Everyone’s happy! Huzzah! Compare that to, I dunno, my rambling about how Mr. Fox and company treats Ash in Fantastic Mr. Fox, and you can see how this comes off feeling a bit better.
There were a few weird choices in the movie. Why does Andy have an incredibly shitty cell phone when he’s clearly using a MacBook? I heard Scott Kurtz and Kris Straub discuss the lack of Andy’s dad for awhile, which isn’t really all that important, but seems to become an actual plot point, at least a little, in this film, and it makes it very clear that the dad is missing. Significant? Probably not. Just dumb things I noticed.
Is Toy Story 3 some super masterpiece? Nah, not at all. But it is completely fantastic and a very enjoyable film. I’m glad I finally go out to see it… In 2D, thank you. After Spaeth didn’t get to see the Pixar short before Up when he saw it in 3D, I have absolutely no need to ever see a Pixar film in 3D. Plus, Night and Day was pretty awesome. One of their best shorts, I think, with a fantastically creative premise.
Got distracted. Anyway, Toy Story 3 is great. The end.