Toy Story 3

It goes without saying, but Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were part of my childhood.

I grew up with a good chunk of other classics that are worth letting shape your childhood for the better. But Toy Stories 1 and 2 were, by far, among the most groundbreaking films I felt fortunate to have grown up with. The first Toy Story pushed the envelope regarding animation’s capabilities as a medium of cinema and, in doing so, left an indelible mark on cinematic history, being compared to no other film of its type outside of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was that influential.

Then came Toy Story 2, which was declared by many to be The Godfather Part II of animated films, because it took everything that worked so well about the first film and pushed it even further with emotional depth, existential themes, new and iconic characters, more textured animation, and a more sophisticated ethos than we normally anticipated with something under the Toy Story name.

For years, I had looked at these two as the pinnacle of computer-animated motion pictures for their ingenious storytelling and pioneering animation, and they left me hungry for more, unlikely as the odds would have been.

But then, Toy Story 3 came along.

If you thought Toy Story 2 was talented enough with its emotional depth and deeper themes concerning one’s purpose in life in correspondence to someone else, Toy Story 3 pushed that angle even further and delivered a resolutely strong film that took everything that worked so well about the first two films and threw in a heaping of remarkable pathos, emotional themes, and even brutality. Toy Story 2 was already strong enough for its emotional depth, but compared to the first two movies, Toy Story 3 surprisingly pulled no punches.

Let’s take a look at the story.

Taking place almost a decade after Toy Story 2, Andy grew up loving his toys, but at this stage in his life, they began to feel left behind as he prepared for college. Also, as Woody mentioned, they’ve lost plenty of friends along the way, Wheezy and Bo Peep among them. Even Sarge and some of his troops flew out and away, knowing that Andy had grown up and was about to move on.

However, Woody was still convinced that Andy had not moved on yet and was willing to keep everyone left in Andy’s room together, knowing that they would still be around for Andy. It’s just like what Woody said in the first movie:

What matters is that we’re here for Andy when he needs us.

However, after one misunderstanding after another, Buzz and the other toys accidentally ended up in a donation box meant to be carried off to a nearby daycare called Sunnyside Daycare.

It seemed like the perfect place to be, with countless toys in every corner, tons of kids ready to play with them at the slightest whim, and an overall pleasant atmosphere. And the leader of the toys in the daycare was the charming Lotso the Huggin’ Bear, the strawberry-scented bear that would have cheered any kid up with just a simple embrace and a sweet smell to go with it.

Buzz and the other toys were very excited about the chance to stay there and serve another purpose as perpetual playthings fit for children. Woody, on the other hand, was firm about their commitment to Andy, even as he was getting ready to set out for college, and was willing to do whatever it took to show Buzz and their friends why they mattered so much to Andy.

But it turned out that’s easier said than done. And it was not because Buzz and the toys even grew to like it at Sunnyside Daycare.

As they dug through the daycare, they found out that the toys were perpetually ordered in line, abused, removed, and even imprisoned by Lotso the Huggin’ Bear and his henchmen, who saw to it that everything in the daycare ran like clockwork, especially the toys’ obedience. For example, he had various facilities around the daycare, such as a timeout chair and ‘the sandbox’. And if Mr. Potato Head’s relaying of his dreadful experiences there were anything to go by, the sandbox may have been something even nastier.

So, as Lotso’s ruthless nature as their leader became more evident, Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toys did anything it took to not only make their way back home to Andy, but also show everyone the truth about Lotso’s nature and set things right for both themselves and the toys who lived at Sunnyside Daycare.

During Woody’s first successful escape, however, he ended up in the company of one particular girl named Bonnie. After getting better acquainted with her and her other toys, Woody began to ponder the possibility of being appreciated by anyone other than Andy.

So, would Bonnie have had something special about her, even compared to Andy? What’s more, would Andy still have cared about his toys? And would Buzz and the others have made it out of Sunnyside Daycare and back home?

Considering that the first two movies were such masterpieces, I was ecstatic about the idea of not only seeing a new film with familiar characters, but also getting to see them on the big screen. I don’t recall ever having that feeling outside of Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, since I was a huge fan of the three shorts that came before. As you can tell, I was over the moon when Toy Story 3 was just around the corner.

By the time my family and I finished it up, I was at a loss for words at just what prowess this new chapter unleashed, especially in the grand scheme of things.

As of now, I have a very complicated reaction to this movie. I still find Toy Story 2 to be my number one favorite Toy Story. It had the most size, the most direct questions about your self-worth and value – especially in the eyes of someone else – and it had the most memorable new additions to the Toy Story ensemble. Plus, it was just an all-around fun movie.

Does that mean that there is anything bad about Toy Story 3? Not in the slightest. There were so many things going on with this movie worthy of the Pixar name, and not just the Toy Story name, that it was a blessing that the next film in the Toy Story franchise ended up as phenomenally good as it was. From the very first scene of the movie, as it dove into the dilemmas the toys went through in response to Andy preparing to head out to college, it carried an air of solemnity. That is to say, you knew that Andy was heading out to college, and that sooner or later, the toys were gonna have to be discarded, stowed away, or whatever was going to happen. Whatever the case was, it was apparent that their time with Andy was nearing its end.

But what floored me about the movie was everything else, which gave it far more muscle than I ever anticipated.

To start with, it continued what the last film had gotten the ball rolling on, as the toys pondered where they stood in life, either on their own or as guaranteed playmates for children. What would have happened to them when children outgrew them? Jessie learned this the hard way with Emily, so what would happen if it applied to everyone else? And regarding their roles as automatic playmates for children, were there any particular methods for how they should be best played with?

So, some of the themes explored in this movie were very poignant, even compared to the first two films. But another reason I believe this suited Toy Story 3 strongly was that it took place long after Toy Story 2 came out in 1999. This movie came out in 2010. So there was a ton on the movie’s shoulders to continue the story properly while acknowledging the extensive time gap between the two movies.

And the movie did precisely that by showing what Andy went through and how he got ready for college.

Take the opening scenes of the movie, for instance. It was to Woody what the beginning of the last film was to Buzz: it opened with rousing action in the Wild West, blending the fantasy of One-Eyed Bart from the first movie with that of Evil Dr. Porkchop from the last film. But this time, as a fantasy, it was brought vividly to life with all the epic action you could desire. Buzz’s opening adventure in outer space from the last film turned out to have come from a video game, and even before its origins were revealed, that, too, blew me away with its epic action. But this was like peeking into the imagination of a child at the happiest he’d ever be during playtime. This was where we’d see the child’s imagination brought vividly and beautifully to life, and we’d feel all its anticipatory instincts.

From there on, it showed Andy having the time of his life with his toys until it finally caught up to real time and showed where Andy was in his new stage in life.

And that’s the strongest part of Andy’s character in this movie. After seeing how likable Andy was and how much he liked playing with his toys, suddenly seeing him not only all grown up but also on the verge of getting set for college was as unprecedented a turn of events for us, the audience, as it was for his toys. Of course, another element of Andy’s character that I found quite admirable was that he maintained his childlike essence and his devotion to his toys, despite being on the brink of outgrowing them. It reminded us that this was still the same Andy that we’ve grown to know and admire in the first two films, only now he was taking on more adult responsibilities. Compared to what he had done in the first two films, his involvement and role in this movie felt more substantial, and his responsibilities felt more weighty than what was explored about Andy in those films. It might be Andy at his absolute best, because it reflected what more there was to explore of his character besides just his love for his toys.

On top of that, as I said, Toy Story 3 was more relentless than the first two films. Whereas each movie gradually revealed harsh life lessons with gradual visibility and subtlety, Toy Story 3 was probably the bravest of the three. It dealt with the issues of growing up, no doubt, as well as the fears of being rejected and tossed aside, but it also showed the dangers that come with being abused, mishandled, or neglected.

And nowhere was that case more evident than with Lotso the Huggin’ Bear.

He may have been among the villains from Disney or Pixar who were introduced as seemingly understanding characters only to reveal themselves as bad guys later on, just like Stinky Pete from the last film. But you know something? Compared to most Disney villains who revealed themselves as the bad guy, I found him refreshing because he did so arguably earlier than the rest. The moments when he did seem like a genuinely good guy lasted only about 10 or 15 minutes before his true colors were shown.

For the rest of the movie, underneath his seemingly sweet nature lurked a cold, ruthless, tyrannical toy who would have used any means necessary to keep everything in the daycare in order, kind of like Hopper from A Bug’s Life. The fact that he was able to manipulate other toys into abiding by own will makes him one of the best, most memorable, and almost terrifying villains Pixar had ever introduced, easily up there, in my opinion, with Syndrome from The Incredibles.

While it’s bad enough to see Lotso at his worst as the leader of the toys, one of the more memorable instances of Lotso happened near the end when he and his fellow toys were about to be sent over to the incinerator. I’ll talk more about that soon.

And that’s another thing. As fellow toy Chuckles the Clown explained, Lotso was the favorite toy of a young girl named Daisy. But one day, when they were at a rest stop and having a playdate, Daisy fell asleep, and her parents took her home, unaware they’d left Daisy’s toys behind. Because of this, Lotso and the toys waited forever for Daisy to show up. But when she did not come back to them, they decided to take matters into their own hands and go all the way back to Daisy’s house to reunite with her. But when they did, it was too late. Daisy had another Lotso, and the one who loved Daisy and came back to her felt betrayed and turned his back on her, thinking she had replaced him and his friends, not just him.

I remember there being a theory about how Lotso would have been like Woody if he had let his egomania and jealousy get the best of him. On top of that, I noticed a lot of people have a cow about Daisy’s parents being the reason that Lotso became the way he was, because of how they picked up Daisy, brought her home, and allegedly didn’t think to check on her toys before giving her a replacement Lotso.

But honestly, there were many ways this could have played out. For one thing, even though Chuckles said that they waited forever, they did not specify exactly how far away Daisy lived from where they waited for her. So, either I read this as someone else’s theory, or I began to reach this conclusion on my own. Maybe Daisy’s parents did catch on to Daisy’s toys and would eventually try to go back for them, only to find that they were not there. That is to say, maybe if Lotso and the others stuck around a little longer, then they would have been found and returned home.

Whatever the case, it was just a tragic turn of events that left Lotso feeling betrayed and becoming the bitter tyrant that he was. And as for what Daisy’s parents did, I still believe that this was nothing more than an honest mistake.

I mean, jeez, people, give them a break!

Besides that, everything about this character was so simple, yet so brutally effective.

Compare that to Woody and the gang, who also faced the fears of being rejected again, especially Jessie. Only, in their case, they would have known how to get through their troubles with ease and with each other’s backs.

While Woody still had enough faith in Andy to inspire his fellow toys to do the same for Andy’s sake, the toys all had different reactions as to how they were going to maintain their hold within Andy’s room, knowing that he was about to head off to college. For example, Rex and the others began to believe that Andy might have moved on after all and no longer needed to play with them. Regardless, Woody believed that maybe there was a little bit of Andy that would still have relied on his toys for playtime, and so would have done anything it took to keep the group together.

Case in point? Woody saw that Andy was trying to put the toys in the attic, but because they were put in a trash bag and were mistakenly made to wait for the trash can, they all mistook it as Andy literally throwing them away. And it didn’t help that Andy called them junk. No matter how many times Woody tried to correct them, the toys, feeling down on their luck, refused to believe that Andy had something in mind for them, even if it was just stashing them away in the attic.

Let’s talk about some other elements of the movie that helped make Toy Story 3 the magical sequel that it was.

First off, the characters. Those who came back from the first two films all conveyed an innate sense of growth and acknowledgment of the circumstances at hand regarding Andy growing up, enough so to reflect what the toys dreaded was afoot between them and Andy. But each one handled it differently than the others.

Woody caught on to how distant he, his toys, and Andy had become, but he was still too devoted to Andy to give him up that easily. And it went all the way back to the first film, when Woody was unsure of what to make of the idea of being replaced when Buzz Lightyear came into the picture. Because of how Woody felt about Andy and the love that Andy gave to him and his fellow toys, he was determined to prove to Buzz and the others who were panicking about Andy abandoning them that there was still a shred of love for them from Andy despite the circumstances concerning him going off to college and was willing to prove it to them in any way necessary, especially when them getting settled at the daycare was beginning to change their minds.

It showed just how determined Woody was, not only as the leader of the toys, but also as a devoted toy in general, to go through life and limb to make sure that they’d all make it back home safe and sound.

At least, that was before he ran into other elements along the way that opened Woody’s eyes a little bit to the possibilities of being appreciated by other people who would have expressed as much love to them as Andy used to when he was younger. So, that made him wonder whether there was any worth for toys like him to be found or expressed to him by other people, and not just Andy. What’s the real worth of being a toy? Being devoted to one person alone, or being devoted to whoever was worth reciprocating the love given to them?

The rest of the characters went about their crises in their own ways.

Buzz seemed to take abandonment differently from Woody. Not because they were at odds with each other like in the first film, but because Buzz had different ideas from Woody’s as a de facto leader of the toys. Whereas Woody was more committed to proving that Andy still cared about them, Buzz took the rejection the hardest and was the most compelled to suggest sticking around at the daycare. Come what may, he knew that as long as they were in good hands and well tended to by kids who would have looked forward to playing with them, then it was possible that they would have found a new home. Of course, by the time the true nature of the daycare was more evident, with Lotso’s relentless nature toward the toys and his fierce, uncompromising leadership, it would have required Buzz to prove himself as a leader and attempt to steer the toys away from Lotso’s ruthless rule, despite a good chunk of him being replaced with many different kinds of him.

For one thing, Buzz had to go through being forced into demo mode, where he reverted to his original personality of believing he was a Space Ranger from the Star Command. And he did more than revert to his old personality; he was also an unwitting ally to Lotso. When the toys tried to bring him back to his regular personality, it was usually to hilarious results because, outside of failing to bring him back to his senses, they also accidentally switched him over to a Spanish version of Buzz, where he still believed he was a Space Ranger, except he spoke Spanish.

Jessie, in hindsight, was the character I was most intrigued by, knowing she already had more than her fair share of rejection courtesy of Emily. It made me curious to see how she would react to the idea of being rejected again, as well as to the possibility of finding another owner, just as she did with Andy by the end of the last film. So, outside of Buzz trying to steer the toys in a more prosperous direction, Jessie was in the same boat as everyone else in looking for a new opportunity for playtime, no matter who it was with. And from what she did throughout the movie, she still went through the same motions and uneasiness as everyone else. It’s just that her extensive experience made her more compelling.

Rex was obviously the most panicky about the ongoing circumstances, as potentially his worst fears of being replaced, tossed aside, or ignored began to come to fruition. Only, this hinted at more of an innocent desperation from him to find anyone to play with, which was evident when he looked forward to having the kids come in from recess to play with them again, before realizing that he was about to be bombarded by the toddlers who were coming in out of excitement to play with Rex and the others.

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head both attempted to confront their new state of affairs with as much level-headedness as possible, while also reacting to some other shenanigans in the movie with the same sass and smart-mouth antics that Mr. Potato Head did in the first two films. Mrs. Potato Head, of course, was generally more sensitive about it and had no idea how to react to the idea of being abandoned by Andy, if they were at all, while also trying to make sure never to leave Mr. Potato Head’s side. On top of that, unlike in the last film, Mrs. Potato Head engaged in as much physical comedy, if not more, than her husband, with her sharing his experience of body parts coming off or being scattered.

Ham, of course, reacted to the possibility of being rejected by Andy with more of his usual sharp wit, but he reacted to it with a more laid-back and less despairing aspect. One of the most memorable lines I remember him saying about such a possibility was when he said,

Come on, let’s see how much we’re going for on eBay.

I like how he responded to the general pain of possible rejection, but never to the point where it painted him as pessimistic. He instead looked more laid-back, like he could take it in stride.

I don’t remember Slinky Dog having much involvement in the movie, but I do remember him being more or less on Woody’s side, believing what Woody believed: that Andy would never have just abandoned them if he loved them that much. And because of that, while Woody was out doing his thing, Slinky somewhat became Woody’s secondary voice as he tried to keep his friends and everyone in line with what they believed as Andy’s toys.

Bullseye continued to be a supportive, pet-like character to his friends, whether it was Woody, Jessie, or anyone else. What I found interesting is that he expressed mannerisms more similar to a dog than to a horse. I wonder what that’d make Slinky by comparison?

As for the new characters in the movie…where do I start?

Toy Story 2 was already off to a good start with its share of new characters, a good chunk of whom became as iconic as the original cast. But to talk about the new characters in this movie would take forever, so I’ll try to elaborate on the more memorable ones as briefly as I can without overwhelming you.

Bonnie was a cute kid who was obviously goodhearted and had the same kind of playfulness as Andy when he was younger. She was also the daughter of the daycare operator. But as soon as she ran into Woody, she took him home with her, and it was there that he got acquainted with her and some of her other toys. That, to Woody, felt like the first time he had ever enjoyed playtime in forever, and in a loving, not passing, way.

Mr. Pricklepants was a joyfully theatrical toy with a bit of bravado. The Peas in the Pod were very cheerful as a trio of peas who were childlike in their own way. Trixie was a generally sweet-natured triceratops, but surprised me with her tech-savviness, almost like she was an early social media fanatic. Dolly was memorable because of how motherly she felt, whether when she introduced herself to Woody or to her fellow toys. Buttercup was memorable for his a crass personality; it also helped that he was voiced by Jeff Garlin, whom I remember well as Mr. Goldberg and the Axiom captain from WALL-E. 

In addition, one of Bonnie’s toys happened to be Totoro from the movie My Neighbor Totoro. Cute cameo.

One new character in this film who technically wasn’t a new character was one of Andy’s younger sister Molly’s former toys, a Barbie. We’ve seen her in some of her variations in the last film, especially Tour Guide Barbie. This Barbie, on the other hand, was just another Barbie whose complexion and personality made her compelling by comparison. She became unsure of what purpose she had left after being donated by Molly, until she ran into Ken. From then on, she became more engaging as a fellow toy among Andy’s toys while also grappling with her feelings for Ken.

Speaking of whom, Ken was very crafty and also interesting when you look at what kind of allegiances he had to grapple with. He was introduced as Lotso’s right-hand man, showing the new toys around Sunnyside Daycare and following Lotso’s orders. However, after laying eyes on Barbie, his commitment to her began to test his allegiance, prompting him to consider whether he was better off with Barbie or Lotso.

But I do want to elaborate on four new characters who I thought were the most memorable in this whole movie.

Chuckles the Clown was a toy clown who knew Lotso like the back of his hand and used to be Daisy’s toy alongside him and the Big Baby, feeling let down by what happened. 

Speaking of whom, Big Baby was slightly terrifying but also sympathetic because of the hardships he endured since Lotso snapped.

But Chuckles knew the tragic essence of what Lotso went through that made him into the monstrous being that he became. Thus, he became a sad clown for what he failed to do, but not to the point where he gave up hope.

I also remember Chatter Telephone for what he surprised me with. On the outside, he was cutesy and would have looked like just a fun communicator. But on the inside, he was like a beaten veteran who survived systemic abuse at the daycare and tried to warn Woody about the odds of making it out. And the reason he knew all this is who I ought to address next.

The most terrifying character in the movie was technically the head of security in the daycare, the cymbal-clanging monkey. He was the seer of all that went on in the daycare and would alert Lotso and the others about anyone trying to break out so they’d apprehend them. With his bulging eyes, menacing disposition, and loud voice as he reacted to any goings-on within the daycare, I can see how anyone would have been unnerved by this character, besides just him hunting down whoever acted out of line.

And that’s one of the surprising things about half of the new toys in this movie. They acted like battered veterans who had gone through hell and back, much like Alan Pruitt in the first Jumanji. Only in this case, what they went through was from the daycare, the last place where you would expect things to be so uncompromising. In fact, if the daycare Andy’s toys were going to be donated to seemed like a dream come true, the daycare, as it was under Lotso’s rule, was instead a nightmare you want to run away from.

On top of that, the voice actors excelled in what they brought forth for their characters.

Tom Hanks honed the more optimistic, unyielding, committed bravado as he always had with Woody. He also excelled in maintaining his character’s leader-like voice while also leaving enough room for comedic moments to shine through, just like he did in the first two films. But while he excelled in letting the leader-like nature of his voice take hold, you can tell there was more commitment in his voice to prove something as validation for himself and his toys, along with a slight desperation in his voice to prove that despite him having grown up and preparing to move on to the next chapter in his life, Andy still cared about Woody and his fellow toys.

Tim Allen provided the nobility and heroism that made Buzz Lightyear such a recognizable figure, whether in his more modest and supportive moments or when it became clear just how ruthless the daycare was. In doing so, he allowed Buzz to sound more like a protector of the toys rather than just another leader when things started to go south for them. He even excelled in honing the more uncharacteristic qualities in Buzz that were not like him, such as when he reverted to his demo mode and thought of himself as just another space ranger of Star Command. In the last film, he had to have these two personas work off each other. But here, Allen had to work off one at a time, and it worked equally well.

Joan Cusack highlighted the joyful but also anguished aspects of Jessie’s character. She helped convey her personality both when she was at her most enthusiastic and when she was at her most uncertain, considering what she went through the first time. Because of this, Cusack honed a stronger commitment in her voice, to the point where it started to plant the seeds of her worth in keeping the toys safe and together.

Speaking of keeping the toys together, this was Blake Clark doing the voice of Slinky Dog after the original voice actor, Jim Varney, sadly passed away in 2000. He captured the likeness of Jim Varney’s voice and honed elements that were more Slinky-like than the actor’s. And for what he did, he did not miss a beat. Clark captured the general sensibility and devotion we recognize well from Slinky, and he did not skimp on delivering some comedic moments under the right circumstances.

Don Rickles still delivered pure comedy standouts as Mr. Potato Head. Meanwhile, Estelle Harris still dished out some of her own through Mrs. Potato Head. Because Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head have grown to be nigh inseparable - aside from their body parts, I mean - both actors helped them sound like they had been together for a long time and were willing to have each other’s backs in any moment of peril or abuse. They also did their characters right individually; Rickles excelled in reacting to them with his classic bark, while Harris continued to respond to them with outbursts at their most pleasantly flamboyant.

Surprisingly, whenever Wallace Shawn played Rex in this movie, I didn’t remember him playing his character with as much of his over-the-top comedic personality as he did in the first two films. The reason I remembered Rex feeling so innocent and desperate in this movie is in thanks to the utmost sincerity Shawn expressed in his voice whenever his character contemplated where he and his friends stood in Andy’s eyes.

Let’s talk about Jodi Benson as Barbie and Michael Keaton as Ken. Both of them went to town in conveying each character’s naturalistic qualities to a T. Jodi Benson captured Barbie’s sensible nature, as well as her inner fierceness when things got hectic. And Michael Keaton conveyed Ken’s charm, disposition, and qualities that’d make him a good soulmate for Barbie, even when he was at odds with where he stood between her and his allegiance to Lotso.

Long before Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling put their own spins on Barbie and Ken, this was the closest thing to a cinematic translation of Barbie and Ken we had ever seen: just a Barbie and Ken doll getting together and going through some ups and downs before they finally declared themselves as meant for each other. Both Benson and Keaton conveyed them with enough mannerisms to draw in adults and children alike.

Ned Beatty was terrific as Lotso the Huggin’ Bear. After being acquainted with him as Daniel Reuttiger, Sr., what he unleashed as Lotso conveyed all kinds of naturalistic, conflicting aspects of his character. On the one hand, he conveyed a loving father’s side to him, especially when Lotso welcomed the new toys into the community. However, as his personality became more evident, Beatty unleashed his inner fury, dominion, and brutality when Lotso became the feared leader he grew up to be. I’m convinced that this tied back a bit to when he starred as Lex Luthor’s henchman in Christopher Reeve’s Superman. So, not only did Lotso’s role surprisingly fit Ned Beatty, but he, as a result, mastered it very well.

I am still blown away by Whoopi Goldberg’s performance as the purple, stretchy octopus named Stretch. Despite her not having much character, she sounded so intimidating that I forgot Goldberg was the one playing Stretch. One minute, Stretch was pretty cheerful, and the next, she conveyed surprising menace. The only other time I remember hearing Whoopi Goldberg bust such acting chops, especially in animation, was as Shenzi from The Lion King.

Finally, there were three actors who I thought outdid themselves in this film.

The most astonishing voice actor to return was John Morris as Andy Davis. He reportedly retired from acting shortly after Toy Story 2, but was later approached by fellow Pixar staff to reprise his voice role as Andy. It was a blessing that they brought back the original voice actor to play Andy again, because this time, he helped hone not only where Andy went in his life, as well as his responsibilities as someone who’s prepared to go to college, but also carried the intrinsic qualities that we recognized in him from the first two films. Because of that, he, and not just the writing, did wonders for Andy’s character.

Bud Luckey masterfully conveyed how depressed, lonely, betrayed, and knowledgeable Chuckles sounded when he reminisced about his time with Daisy compared to how he ended up with the others. The last time I heard his voice, he played a jackalope in the short film Boundin’ and also Mr. Dicker from The Incredibles. What he brought to his role as Chuckles the Clown carried a lot more weight than anything he had mastered before in Pixar history, and it really showed.

And I tip my hat to Teddy Newton because of how much he made Chatty Telephone sound like he had seen the worst before him and tried to convince other toys to be mindful of what they’re in for if they wanted to make it out, if not make it out alive. And that was impressive because, for all the cutesiness from this character, what Newton provided to him made him more dignified than I anticipated him to be.

Everybody else excelled in their roles as well. Bonnie Hunt was terrific in conveying Dolly with sheer softness and modesty, honing her motherly nature. Kristen Schaal sounded just as chipper and delightfully smart as Trixie after being a computer user for so long. Emily Hahn just sounded like a bundle of joy whenever she played Bonnie. Laurie Metcalf continued to hone the motherly instincts of Mrs. Davis, while Lori Alan excelled in doing that for Bonnie’s mother.

The next thing I want to talk about is the animation. Toy Story 3 mastered what the first two films used while also taking it in new directions. 

Eleven years had passed between Toy Story 2 and this film, and they were most kind to the animation of the humans and even the toys. Never mind how slightly fake and a little awkward Sid and Hannah looked in the first film. Ever since Toy Story 2, the animation has refined the textures on the returning human characters like Andy, Molly, their mother, and the other human characters, making them feel more human than ever before. Look at all that Pixar released between Toy Stories 2 and 3. Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up. All those films were hailed as animated masterpieces for pushing the envelope in CGI animation, and look how well the Toy Story characters looked with this kind of visual progression. They could not have looked better.

But my favorite part of the animation lay in the contrast between its bright and dark colors. I remember being blown away by how colorful the movie was when it was bright or sunny, especially at the Sunnyside Daycare. However, there were other times when it looked really ominous, especially at night, and at the daycare, it exposed its dark side as Lotso’s tyrannical rule became more obvious.

Compared to how the bright and dark colors were used in the first Toy Story, the way Toy Story 3 utilized them felt more ingenious to me.

In the first film, it used its colors to highlight the characteristics of the designated surroundings. Andy’s house was introduced with bright, happy colors to hone its atmospheric, friendly, and inviting nature. Sid’s house, on the other hand, used dark, murky colors to demonstrate how foreboding and uncompromising it was and that it would beat you down at every opportunity.

In the case of Sunnyside Daycare, however, they were two sides of the same coin. It felt fun, bright, and lively, even compared to the more basic atmosphere and joys to be felt in Andy’s house. Yet, from that same place came forth the unrelenting harshness of the daycare at nighttime, which was more in line with how Sid’s house looked. But whereas Sid’s house was more obviously dangerous, the daycare at nighttime was more subtly dangerous. 

In a way, this may also reflect Lotso’s character nicely, because what may look like cutesy fun on the outside could be really dark and aggressive on the inside. Why? Because whenever the lights were out after a whole day of playtime at the daycare, Lotso kept the toys in their cages, apprehended anyone who tried to break out, and tortured them if they went out of line. It created a general prison-like atmosphere in the daycare, with Lotso acting as a warden-type figure. The story surrounding Woody, Buzz, and their fellow toys was evidently inspired by The Great Escape, and it would likely be as easy to tell as it would be with Chicken Run. But with the Sunnyside Daycare’s nighttime routines, the filmmakers admitted they looked to films like Cool Hand Luke and The Shawshank Redemption for inspiration.

Even the designs of the other locations, like the inside of the garbage truck and especially the furnace, looked dreadfully exquisite. They both looked dreary and hopeless, as if, to the toys, there’s no way out but your own death.

But let’s go into more detail about the Sunnyside Daycare and how else it was such a complex establishment.

As soon as the Buzz and the others laid eyes on the Sunnyside Daycare, they were surprisingly overjoyed, as if they thought that Molly – and, as they thought, Andy – did the right thing by donating them to that daycare. Because there, they felt like they would have had playtime no matter how long it was, how it would have gone down, or by whom. As Lotso explained, even when the kids grew up, they would be adored by the next wave of kids, who would then replace them, and so on. So to them, except for Woody, this was basically a second chance at life.

But then, things started to look suspicious when Lotso and his followers directed the toys to the adjacent room, which seemed like the same idea, with the toys enjoying themselves freely. The first sign of things being murky became clear when the toys, upon the bell ringing, hid in every corner. And it turned out that where Lotso directed them as their home was actually not for kindergartners like in the Butterfly Room, but rather for preschoolers, where they would have been a lot more reckless, rough, and too physical with their toys.

And boy, did that kind of playtime not go well. It was not the playtime that they had in mind or wanted. It turned out that the part of the daycare they thought was right for them was actually the Butterfly Room for the older kids. And the room they ended up in for the much younger crowd was the Caterpillar Room. Not age-appropriate for them, Buzz said. It reminded me a lot of what Mr. Potato Head said in the first Toy Story.

Ages 3 and up. It’s on my box. Ages 3 and up. I’m not supposed to be babysitting Princess Drool.

Nor should the rest of his friends. That’s when I found out that things were not as they seemed. And yes, Woody did manage to get out of the daycare after a falling-out with Buzz and the other toys. Of course, just as Buzz, Jessie, and the others found out about how murky the daycare was because of the Caterpillar Room, so too did Woody find out about it through Bonnie’s toys. He was given the full details about that, and not just Lotso’s descent into villainy, through Chuckles the Clown.

Before I forget, when the toys had to hunker down and avoid the rambunctious antics and desperation of the preschoolers at play, I’m convinced this was the movie’s way of tying back to one of the very first short films Pixar ever made, Tin Toy. Remember that one, where the toys had to hunker down while the baby was playing? I feel like the whole idea behind that short film was revisited with the Caterpillar Room in Toy Story 3.

After all, how would Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs have revolutionized the animation field if it did not experiment with such animation in the short film, Goddess of Spring?

But this leads to what gave Toy Story 3 the most muscle and emotional resonance: the climax and the ending. This is where I’m about to venture into spoilers, so read at your own pace.

SPOILER ALERT

What can I say about the incinerator scene that no one else did? It was terrifying. It was seething with a hellish sense of impending doom. It made you feel like you were staring death right in the face as, just like in the dump truck, you have no way out as you brace for the landing strike of your own finality. Watching every one of the toys hold hands as they anticipated their demise was one of the most shocking things I ever anticipated this movie to do to the characters.

Here’s what else did not help matters. Lotso was dragged into the garbage chute with the main toys, and it seemed like he was about to turn over a new leaf when he was helpless and trying to make his way out, just like everybody else. But just as they were reaching the furnace, Lotso, who looked like he was about to push the button to stop the incinerator, instead turned his back on them. That was just despicable.

It reportedly traumatized a good chunk of people, children and adults alike, who went so far as to compare this to the death of Bambi’s mother, because it was that painful, and I can see why that would be the case.

Fortunately, they were saved in the nick of time by the three green aliens, but that still did not lessen just how shocking the scene was.

By the way, let me explain what the deal was with the little green aliens.

In the last film, as Buzz and his friends set out in a Pizza Planet delivery truck to catch up to Al and rescue Woody, they found a trio of the green aliens from the restaurant hanging from the rear-view mirror. During their pursuit, the aliens almost flew out of the window before Mr. Potato Head heroically saved them, prompting them to say to him (over and over again),

You have saved our lives. We are eternally grateful.

They stuck by him like glue since, even into the Potato Heads’ adventures through the daycare. Being the clueless aliens they were, they made for some decent comic relief, especially since their warped alien logic remained intact. But the fact that their fascination with the landfill’s claw was enough to save Woody, Buzz, and the other toys from being burned alive was both remarkable and an incredible callback to the first film.

And as for the ending?

Lotso was defeated. The toys made it out of the landfill. They finally made it back to Andy. Andy finally had everything packed up and was ready to head out to college. He said his goodbyes to the elderly Buster, Molly, and his mother before he left. And yes, Andy not only acknowledged his toys, but also prepared to take Woody to college.

However, it had a twist, for Woody had other ideas.

And it all led up to a most unanticipated moment where Andy, in a surprise turn of events, headed out to Bonnie’s house so he could drop his toys off to Bonnie for her to play with. As Andy introduced Bonnie to the toys one by one, it all came forth as Andy slowly reconnected with his inner child, the kind of child on whom Woody and the other toys relied on for many years as we all saw what the audience and even Andy knew was going to be his last moment of reconciling with his childhood before he had to tuck it all away and depart for a brighter future ahead of him. And the most tear-jerking part of this playdate was the surprise reveal of Woody’s self-inclusion with the toys that he asked Andy to give away.

What came of it was one of the most bittersweet endings I’ve ever seen from any animated movie. It showed how much Woody had to sacrifice so that he, his friends, and Andy could be better off than they were before. It also served as a stark reminder of the great times Andy and his toys shared, sharing one last hurrah before they parted ways, as the toys ended up with someone who appreciated them just as much as Andy did.

I also found the connection between Andy and Bonnie surprisingly strong because, let’s face it, what are the odds that this would’ve been equivalent to his past playtimes with Molly?

That is why I found this such a striking, memorable scene: it hit home with all the feels of reconnecting with the icons of your childhood as you prepare to leave it all behind and step into adulthood. If you remember my reviews of the Inside Out movies, they’re already on their way to doing just that as a series, only with emotions. Toy Story 3 was among the pioneering movies to demonstrate that in all its valor and glory. And in its most bittersweet moments at the end, you know that Andy really was going to miss the toys that he grew up with. But at the same time, you know that they were about to be in good hands after Woody already got acquainted with Bonnie and her fellow toys earlier in the movie, even if it was by accident.

It’s like they say: when a door closes, a window opens.

For those who grew up with the Toy Stories, like my brother and I did, a lot went on throughout our childhoods that helped shape who we became. And when Toy Story 3 came out, it could not have come out at a better time because those who grew up with the Toy Stories would have been out of high school, ready for college, or in the middle of college, exactly like Andy in the movie. In a sense, Andy was a bit of an extension of the audience watching this film.

To those of you who think that this ending was too cloying, sentimental, or corny to work, I have only this to say to you.

You are a sad, strange little fan, and you have my pity.

To lighten the mood, there were two standout moments of comedy that I ought to point out here because of how much the movie would throw out at you. For all the relentless moments Toy Story 3 unleashed compared to the first two films, the franchise did not lose its sense of humor with this film.

Because of the situations going on, the moments I’m about to speak of felt like the traffic cone scene from the last movie, where there’s some genuine tension going on, but enough hilarity going on for it to feel all balanced out. 

One was when Mr. Potato Head attempted to work his way out onto the playground in the middle of the night, as part of a complex plot to have Woody bust him and the other toys out. In that case, Mr. Potato Head, after acting out of line, was sent to the sandbox he had gone into once before, also for acting out of line. When Mr. Potato Head successfully got out of the box, he evacuated by dismembering himself, as in the arms, the eyes, the nose, the mouth, the feet, everything that stuck onto him as a potato. And the closest thing that Jessie and the others could have found that he could have used as a body was a tortilla.

And boy, was his form priceless.

Watching him flop all over the place as he attempted to lie low, not draw any attention, go along with the plan, and even avoid being eaten by a hungry bird was just terrific. And the last punchline before Mr. Potato Head finally met up with his friends was when he had enough of his tortilla form and went with a cucumber for a body. 

And as for the second aspect that felt downright humorous, it’s Spanish Buzz. Nuff said.

Never mind the toys’ desperation to return him to normal; when Buzz had transitioned into this Spanish demo mode, his mannerisms and romantic approaches made him a complete knockout. And while this part was still in character, his admiration for Jessie felt overblown compared to how shy the normal Buzz would react under normal circumstances, and that’s what made it so funny.

Plus, Javier Fernández Peña, who did the voice, excelled at honing Tim Allen’s sense of authority, goodhearted nature, and bravery. The only difference was that his delivery added a more comedic flavor to this persona, even compared to Tim Allen. 

And that’s what I ought to give the movie credit for. Even though it was overcast with, again, an air of solemnity, it still knew how to balance the childlike aspects that were still present in Toy Story 3 with all the hard-edged reality seeping through the movie. There were enough bright colors to make it easily digestible for the children watching it, but enough weighty dilemmas to draw the adults in, too.

It’s funny, actually. Stylistically, Toy Story 3 still managed to maintain it all so well, whereas How to Train Your Dragon 2 kind of struggled a bit under the weight because of how grayish and murky it all looked, despite its moments of splashing color. I still think Toy Story 3 had a more successful balancing of such opposing ideologies and moods throughout the whole film, much like what The Lion King did when it came to Simba’s guilt after being manipulated by Scar into thinking that he was responsible for the death of Mufasa when it was Scar who murdered Mufasa.

I love the first two Toy Stories, but while I unquestionably have a soft spot for Toy Story 3, what I felt more of for this movie was respect. I respect how it pulled no punches with the gritty subject matter that it dove headfirst into and the characters went through. I respect how it maintained the inevitability that would befall Andy and his toys once he was set for college. I respect how it balanced it all out with its family-friendly image, while still including the humor, adult jokes, subtlety, existentialism, and childlike wonder that made the first two films so popular in the first place.

On another note, one of its most notable achievements was a nomination for Best Picture at the Oscars.

That is a huge honor for Toy Story 3, let alone an animated film. It made it the third animated film in history to be nominated for that Oscar, after Beauty and the Beast and Up. That’ll tell you right away just how much of an effect Toy Story 3 had even on casual moviegoers.

And need we forget Randy Newman’s music?

Half the time, it was mostly reused musical pieces from the first two Toy Stories. But other times, the music he composed for this movie helped highlight the travesties and the severity of what went on throughout the movie. Much like what Newman composed for Sid’s house in the first film, he mastered the sheer ominousness of revelations concerning foreboding places or diabolical methods the bad guys had in mind. While Newman was known for his whimsy, he knew how to emphasize the threatening factors of what the toys were in for, especially at the furnace, which amounted to one of the fiercest, most relentless pieces of music he ever composed.

Finally, the song ‘We Belong Together’ was a fun song about the strength of togetherness and how one should try to get by with whoever you’re close to, no matter what circumstances you may deal with. It even won an Oscar for Best Song, which was impressive considering that ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ and ‘When She Loved Me’, both of which were nominated for the same award, never won it. Personally, though, I find the song to be like ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’. As nice as it was to see that song win the Oscar for Toy Story as a franchise, I believe ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ deserved the Oscar more, similar to how I believe ‘Circle of Life’ deserved it more than ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’—my two cents.

In fact, ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ did make a comeback, but let me explain how Toy Story 3 utilized it.

It played at the beginning of the movie as Andy grew up and played with his toys. However, as Newman sang the lyrics…

And as the years go by, our friendship will never die.

…it cut off right there as the film hopped to the present day. That cutoff gave off a vibe equivalent to saying, “...will it?” That was the perfect cue to imply that nothing was as it had been many years ago.

Finally, similar to Wheezy’s rendition at the end of the last film, it was played with a romantic essence, except in Spanish. During the end credits, Buzz and Jessie underwent a dance-off as they busted some ravishing moves together. Whereas Spanish Buzz was flamboyantly romantic, this cover, coupled with the overall atmosphere, felt confidently romantic. As I saw Buzz and Jessie dancing, their choreography was flat-out sizzling; I could tell they were finally one step closer to expressing their innermost love for each other.

SPOILERS END

Last but not least, the garbage man who drummed down on the mailboxes for fun? Look closely at his shirt. Does the skull look familiar? It’s not because someone else was wearing the same shirt as Sid Phillips. That really was Sid Phillips, complete with Erik von Detten reprising his role.

Considering what he grew up to do, that honestly left me curious to see what happened to him. With Andy, he basically grew up to be a very responsible, sensible young man with a future ahead of him. With Sid, he looked like the reckless type who always did things in a very unusual way, if not a dangerous way, while also potentially showing enough maturity and responsibility to actually hold down a job, just like he did as the garbage man. So, that was a most pleasant surprise.

Everything about Toy Story 3 that could have been achieved was achieved as efficiently and profoundly as possible, with emotional resonance and, as a result, with more gravitas in its outcome. It took everything that the first two Toy Stories nailed to a T and propelled them to new heights with new ethical dilemmas, new toys, new surroundings, new techniques, and an unanticipated sense of dread and inevitability that gave the Toy Stories greater cleverness and adult sensibilities than we would have anticipated.

The returning characters’ ability to navigate uncertain terrain was intriguing. The new characters helped carry the movie through on their own terms while complementing those of the returning characters. The villain was as fascinating as he was relentless. The animation continued to be sublime. The voice acting was still at the top of its A-game. And the implications for the characters in this movie could not have landed in a better place.

It’s one thing to do a sequel to a classic, let alone two, but it’s another to achieve it in ways that only made it worthy of sharing the spotlight with them and carve out a special place of its own in the hearts of many who have grown devoted to the Toy Stories since the first film.

It was nothing short of an artistic powerhouse.

I can think of no other way to wrap up this review except with this.

Toy Story 2 will always remain my favorite Toy Story, but Toy Story 3 will easily remain the best.

My Rating

A+