Film: Toy Story 3

A classic debate between cinephiles the world over is centered on the sacred title of 'best trilogy'. Violence has raged between flag-wavers of different film sagas. Gangs of Star Wars and Godfather fans in leather jackets and studded leg-warmers have been known to tussle on rollerskates in abandoned car parks, and more recently there have been reports of Bourne-lovers and Lord Of The Rings aficionados engaged in heated dance battles in smoke-filled alleyways everywhere. Could it be, though, that an unlikely front-runner for the accolade is an animated, child-friendly adventure that makes no bold social or philosophical statement, that has no jaw-dropping twists and turns, and that has no crowning of new kings, no Sicilian exile chapter, and no dark and evil emperor (okay, maybe one)?

With Toy Story 3, Pixar and its creative team have cemented themselves in the cinematic roll of honour by defying the cynics and the laws of reason to complete a consistently brilliant, technically ground-breaking, emotionally bountiful triple bill of films that appeal to all ages and are, as a result, immensely successful, both commercially and critically.


After the game-changing Toy Story was released all those years ago in 1996 and its romping, heart-wrenching sequel stole our hearts even further, those of us who have grown up to some extent with Woody and Buzz have wondered whether or not a third film would complete the trilogy with the quality that it deserved. But with the third film we come to the logical conclusion of the tale, and the question of what will become of Andy's beloved and loveable toys when he approaches maturity, and more specifically leaves home for college.

In a typically chaotic and slapstick plot, the gang find themselves mistakenly headed for the trash instead of storage, but manage to escape into the car, and a box headed for donation to a day centre emotively named Sunnyside. As Woody escapes, leaving the others behind to return to Andy's side where he belongs, the others are greeted warmly by Sunnyside various inhabitants, led by a big pink bear called Lotso (voiced superbly by Ned Beatty). What appears to be the perfect home, a place where they will be played with every day and never abandoned, soon turns into a prison however, when the day centre's dark secrets become clear and Jesse, Hamm, the Potatoheads and Rex, are taken hostage. With Buzz ingeniously turned against them, reset to his original settings, their hope is gone, but when Woody discovers the dark truth about Sunnyside's inhabitants, and indeed the loveable Lotso, he returns to the belly of the beast to set them free and take them home.

From the opening scenes, reminiscent of the first film, in which Woody and the others play their parts in one of Andy's imaginative adventures, to the montage showing Andy growing from young boy to tall and handsome teenager, we are quickly aware that we are in safe hands, and that this will be no disappointing Part III. The sight gags and top-notch dialogue are present from the start, and the script is a demonstration of perfect balance between character and plot, each one driving the other forward with alarming speed. With new characters expertly introduced and cast, there is a wealth of opportunity to do new things, but the oldies are majoritively still the goodies, with Mr Potatohead ("Hey! Nobody removes my wife's mouth but me!") and Hamm ("C'mon, let's see how much we're going for on eBay.") providing the same droll wit as before. A great plot device also sees Buzz even provide a hilarious cameo as a latino lethareo when the language setting on his back is changed to Spanish.


Undisputably though, it is one of the new characters who steals the show in the form of Ken, Barbie's soulmate and, as is often pointed out, play time accessory. Voiced by the brilliant Michael Keaton, Ken whisks Barbie away to his playhouse to show her his disco, his dune buggy, and "a whole room just for trying on clothes!", where he complains that "No-one around here appreciates clothes!" yet insists fervently that he is not a girls' toy. In a quite brilliant scene, Barbie has Ken tied up, and tortures him for information by ripping in half his prised outfits. It is this innocently satirical and character-led comedy that separates Pixar so often from other films, and Ken here is its ultimate exponent.

Elsewhere the music, still in the hands of the superb Randy Newman, is as well-judged and touching as ever, even if there is not a memorable song there to compete with "You Got A Friend In Me" from Toy Story or "When She Loved Me" from the sequel. Likewise, the animation has developed even further as the technology, and the people using them, improve, at which point now the environments and textures of Pixar's worlds are softer, deeper, darker and more enveloping than ever before.

There has been much made of this film "making grown men cry" (a clever marketing dare to dads?) but despite my not shedding a tear, it was clear that there is a significant bullseye painted on the hearts of its audience. With the trilogy's end comes the time to say goodbye, both for Andy, for the toys, and indeed for us, and it is this letting go, this realisation that a great journey has come to an end, which hit me the hardest. For others there will be a remembering of when they had to give a beloved toy away, and for some it will bring to mind the difficulty of watching your children grow to an age where they do not need you like they once did, but whatever the case, Toy Story 3 is leaving its audiences well and truly touched. And this is what we wanted. What we expect from the unmatchable Pixar. In every perfectly constructed scene of this film, in every hilarious wisecrack, every nerve-shredding action sequence, every heartfelt emotional moment, there is a warmth, an intelligence, a craft and a love that defies the laws of modern hollywood film-making, and that is why Toy Story 3 is a fitting end to the best cinematic trilogy of our times. That's right, the best.

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