Can you believe it’s been 11 years since Toy Story 2? I didn’t even realize it had been that long.
I don’t simply recommend this movie. I HIGHLY recommend this movie. If you’ve seen and loved the originals, please, go see this one. I laughed and I cried. It’s the last 20 minutes of this movie that really get you.
When the original Toy Stories came out, they were ground breaking. They were a new way of making animated films and were the start of what would become the Pixar Empire.They definitely set a new standard when it came to animated films.
They also came out at a time when movies were about more than making money. They were about providing a good story. In this case, one that almost everyone could enjoy. I’m happy to say that after 11 years, they still go it.
I’ve been a little jaded lately about movies. This Summer has left something to be desired in the story telling department. The whole year really. I went in expecting it to be good, which usually means I’ll be disappointed by the end when the movie falls short. Not this time. Yes, I know it’s a cartoon, but it’s a damn good one.
In this installment, Andy is 17 and going off to college. It’s time to decide what to do with Woody and the gang. He decides to take Woody along with him, and leave the rest behind in the attic, where they will hopefully become useful again when Andy had kids of his own. Through a series of events, the toys, along with newcomer Barbie, all end up at the local daycare.
Not just any daycare. This daycare is run by a big purple bear named Lotso. He runs it he’s a dictator, like it’s a prison, and forces the gang to be played with by the small children. The ones who stuff potato head parts up their nose and paint portraits using Jesse’s hair. In other words, they get screwed.Ken takes the reins as Lotso’s number 2. That’s when he’s not making costume changes in his giant closet that is.
The toys have to try and escape, all the while trying to come to terms with the fact that they’re not really needed anymore by their owner. This is a great story about growing up, moving on and leaving your childhood behind. Not just by Andy, but the toys too. I think the toys are almost a representation of parents and how hard it is to let you kids go when they don’t really need you anymore. It was quite poignant.
I was a little surprised that the first showing of the day had so many people in attendance. There were a few families there, but mostly I was surrounded by people in their late teens and early 20s. It took me a minute to realize that these were the children who watched the first 2 movies all those years ago. Naturally they wanted to see what happened to those lovable toys they were so enthralled with. That, like the fictional Andy, they recently grew up and moved on from their childhoods into adulthood.
This, by far, is the best Summer movie so far. It’s the best movie I’ve seen since “Shutter Island”. It’s also the first movie of the Summer I’d gladly pay to see again, and can’t wait to purchase when it comes out. At no point did I lose interest in what was going on. It seems most movies are about 20 minutes too long nowadays but, at 103 minutes, Toy Story 3 just didn’t seem long enough.