Over the last decade and a half, Pixar has established itself as the most reliable name brand in Hollywood. Every two years or so, Pixar puts out an animated feature that rivals just about any other movie put out that year. In 1995, the original Toy Story set the benchmark for a studio that would go on to produce some of the most acclaimed and highest grossing animated films of all time. In fact, Toy Story 2 is still one of the few movies to hit 100% on Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer. So when they put out a movie, it's pretty safe to walk into it with high expectations. I walked into Toy Story 3 with absolutely sky-high expectations, and I have to say that I was still blown away. The final installment in the trilogy is better than a second sequel has any business being. For me, it's easily the most impacting of three, and may actually be the most complete entry.
The finale starts off with the toys shoved away in a toy chest, unplayed with for quite some time. Andy (John Morris) has to pack up his room as he's about to depart for college, and well, kids in high school don't usually play with action figures like they did when they were younger. Andy decides to take Woody (Tom Hanks) to college with him while putting the rest in the attic to hold on to, but there's a mix up and the toys end up getting donated to a daycare center. Feeling rejected by Andy and ready to find a place where they'll get played with, they quickly try to get acclimated into the new society they find themselves in. It's a society led by a deceivingly friendly bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty) and a nearly flamboyant Ken doll (Michael Keaton). The toys quickly find out, however, that new toys get sent to the toddler room, where they're nearly destroyed on a daily basis. Buzz (Tim Allen) and Woody quickly try to devise a scheme to break them out of the daycare center to try to find their way back home.
If you've seen the previous two entries in the series, the realization will come that the plot of Toy Story 3 is very, very similar to that of Toy Story 2. There's a misunderstanding that leads the group out of the house, and they have to make it back home. There's a character that seems benevolent at first, but quickly shows his true colors (Lotso in 3, the Prospector in 2). Buzz looses his personality and reverts back to his "original" settings. Even the main theme of loyalty and friendship is carried over into Toy Story 3. What differentiates 3 from Toy Story 2 is that the finale really delves pretty deeply into the issue of the toys' mortality and overall greater purpose. It's a concept that is touched upon briefly in Toy Story 2, but it's really brought to the forefront here. It's interesting how differently each of the characters reacts to the realization that they're going to have to move on without Andy, who has cared for them throughout their lives so far. It's really heavy stuff for an adult's movie, let alone a kid's movie. Essentially, these toys are losing the only person that's really loved them, almost like losing a parent.
What I really want to touch on is the last 45 minutes or so of the film. I don't want to spoil the movie if you haven't seen it, so I'll be as vague as possible. I don't cry during movies very often, but I was nearly sobbing at the end of Toy Story 3. It's a heavy, powerful ending that is only possible because of the previous two entries. Toy Story 3 is surprisingly devoid of any real character development, but really, there aren't many new places for these characters to go. So what we get is a really well-made action movie with characters that we already know and love, and we get the closure that was missing from Toy Story 2. Perhaps I see 3 in a different light because of how profoundly the ending affected me. Anyone who has had to give up something they love for someone else, anyone that's ever had to say goodbye to someone important to them... this ending will speak to them in ways that most other movies try for but either rush through it or beat it to death. There's so many different layers to that final goodbye. That moment, those last 30 minutes or so, those are the moments that make me love the cinema. Toy Story 3 completely restored my faith in movies.
I'm going to be sad to see the Toy Story franchise go. Front to back, it might be one of the strongest trilogies in movie history, and because it's aimed at children, I fear that it will be sold short. The amount of emotion that Pixar is able to draw out of its audience using animated toys is almost stunning. I care more about these characters than I do in almost every other live-action movie. Nobody does that any better than Pixar does. While I will miss those characters, this really was the best possible way to send them out. Give Pixar credit. They know what an ending should be.