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The first two " Toy Story " movies centered on the relationship between a boy and his toys. In Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story 3," Andy has grown to college age and the story leaves the toys pretty much on their own. In a third act where they find themselves fighting for life on a conveyor belt to a garbage incinerator, we fear it could be renamed "Toy Story Triage."

The problems all begin with that most dreaded of commands, “Clean out your room!” No mother in history understands that a boy's room has all of his stuff exactly where he needs it, even if he dumped it there 10 years earlier. Andy's mom gives him three choices: (1) attic; (2) donation to a day-care center; (3) trash. As Andy examines his old toys, his gaze lingers fondly on Woody (voice of Tom Hanks ), and he decides to take him along to college.

What with one thing and another, the other toys find themselves at the day-care center, which they think they'll like, because there will be plenty of kids to play with them all day long. There seems to be relatively little grieving about the loss of Andy's affections; he did, after all, sentence them to a toy box for years, and toys by nature are self-centered and want to be played with.

Day care seems like a happy choice, until a dark underside of its toy society emerges in the person of an ominously hug-prone bear named Lotso ( Ned Beatty ). They pick up, however, some additions to their little band, including a Ken doll with an extensive wardrobe. If you ask me, Barbie ( Jodi Benson ) is anorexic, and Ken ( Michael Keaton ) is gay, but nobody in the movie knows this, so I'm just sayin'.

Buzz Lightyear ( Tim Allen ) is back, still in hapless hero mode, but after a reboot, he starts speaking Spanish and that leads to some funny stuff. I also enjoyed the plight of Mrs. Potato Head ( Estelle Harris ), whose missing eye continues to see independently of her head. This raises intriguing physiological questions, such as, if Mr. Potato Head lost an ear, would it continue to hear, or if he lost a mouth, would it continue to eat without a body? These are not academic questions; at one point, Mister becomes an uncooked taco shell. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head must be old hands at such situations, because children spend most of their time attaching his body parts in the wrong way, like malpracticing little Dr. Frankensteins.

Man, the toys have a dangerous time of it after they eventually find themselves at a garbage collection center. You have no idea what garbage has to go through before becoming landfill, and even an Indiana Jones toy would have trouble surviving the rotating blades. There is a happy ending, of course, but I suspect these toys may be traumatized for eternity.

This is a jolly, slapstick comedy, lacking the almost eerie humanity that infused the earlier “Toy Story” sagas, and happier with action and jokes than with characters and emotions. But hey, what can you expect from a movie named "Toy Story 3," especially with the humans mostly offstage? I expect its target audience will love it, and at the box office, it may take right up where " How to Train Your Dragon " left off. Just don't get me started about the 3-D.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film Credits

Toy Story 3 (2010)

103 minutes

Michael Keaton as Ken

Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head

Tom Hanks as Woody

Ned Beatty as Lotso

Wallace Shawn as Rex

Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head

Laurie Metcalf as Andy's mom

John Morris as Andy

John Ratzenberger as Hamm

Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants

Joan Cusack as Jessie

Jodi Benson as Barbie

Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear

Directed by

• Lee Unkrich
• Michael Arndt

From a story by

• John Lasseter

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Toy Story 3

• The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.
• Woody, Buzz and the whole gang are back. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice. So, it's all for one and one for all as they join Barbie's counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear to plan their great escape. — Walt Disney Studios
• With their beloved Andy preparing to leave for college, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and the rest of the toys find themselves headed for the attic but mistakenly wind up on the curb with the trash. Woody's quick thinking saves the gang, but all but Woody end up being donated to a day-care center. Unfortunately, the uncontrollable kids do not play nice, so Woody and the gang make plans for a great escape. — Jwelch5742
• With 17-year-old Andy ready to leave the nest and spread his wings after the events of Toy Story 2 (1999) , Woody and the toy gang sense the time for hard goodbyes is just around the corner. At least, living in the attic is better than nothing. Instead, as the young man heads off to college, a moment of distraction sends the entire collection to the promising Sunnyside Daycare Centre: a colourful place where once-adored toys get a second chance at love. But there's more to the local paradise than meets the eye. And when Andy's stranded toys discover a dark side, Buzz and his friends must summon every last ounce of courage for the great escape. The question is, however, will things be the same again? — Nick Riganas
• When the group of toys are mistakenly donated to a daycare centre, they do everything that they possibly can do to return home to their rightful owner who is about to leave for college. However, the daycare centre is run by a stuffed bear who has a hideous past. — RECB3
• Andy Davis (voice: John Morris ) is 17 years old, and is heading off to college in a few days. The fact that Andy has grown from a young boy to a teenager about to leave home has not been lost on his toys. Several of them hold out hope that Andy will play with them at least once before he leaves, but those hopes are soon dashed. As the toys take stock of how many are left, and those that they have lost over the years, their attention is drawn to the last of the little green Army Men: Sarge (voice: R. Lee Ermey ) and two paratroopers. Fearful of being thrown away, they leap out the window into the world beyond, their parachutes taking them who knows where. This idea soon fills the heads of the remaining toys: Woody (voice: Tom Hanks ), Buzz Lightyear (voice: Tim Allen ), Jessie (voice: Joan Cusack ), Bullseye (voice: Frank Welker ), Mr. Potato Head (voice: Don Rickles ), Mrs. Potato Head (voice: Estelle Harris ), three alien squeak toys from Pizza Planet, Slinky Dog (voice: Blake Clark ), Rex (voice: Wallace Shawn ), and Hamm the Piggy Bank (voice: John Ratzenberger ). Several are of the persuasion that Sarge is right, and they'll be tossed out soon, but Woody believes that Andy wouldn't do that. He figures Andy will store them in the attic...maybe one day to be played with again when Andy has kids of his own. The toys' "staff meeting" is cut short when Andy returns to his room with his mom (voice: Laurie Metcalf ) in tow. With only a few days left until he leaves, Andy has not cleaned up his room. Andy's mom is having Andy's sister Molly (voice: Bea Miller ) clean her room as well, and tells the two to throw out what they don't want, store extra items in the attic, or donate items to Sunnyside Daycare. From Andy's room, the toys watch as Molly throws her Barbie doll (voice: Jodi Benson ) in the donations box, along with some other toys. Andy finally takes out a black trash bag and begins to put his old toys into it. When he gets to Woody and Buzz, he hesitates before putting Woody in a box marked 'College' and tossing Buzz in the black trash bag. Inside, the toys think they are going to be thrown away, and Woody watches as Andy leaves the room. His panic turns to relief as he sees Andy open the attic door. However, before Andy can go up, he helps Molly move the donations box downstairs. The lapse causes the attic door to close, and Andy's Mom soon after finds the trash bag with the toys. Thinking Andy left trash lying around, she takes it with another bag to the curb. Woody looks down the street in horror as the garbage truck slowly makes its way to the curb. Woody jumps out the window and slides down a pipe to the front lawn...only to see the trash bags thrown into the garbage truck and crushed! Shortly thereafter, Woody notices a recycling bin walking towards the garage. Following it, he is relieved to see that his friends escaped. However, they are now all convinced that Andy meant to throw them away. Woody tries to explain what really happened, but most of them just feel that he is in denial. Jessie soon notices the box of donations to Sunnyside Daycare, and proposes that they all go there. Everyone eagerly jumps in, except for Woody, who demands that they all return to Andy's room right away. Before he can say anymore, the trunk to the family mini-van closes, and Andy's mom takes the box to Sunnyside. At Sunnyside, Andy's mom brings the toys in to the Butterfly Room. Looking through the handle-hole in the box, the toys are excited to see a group of children happily playing with the toys in the room. After the recess bell sounds and the kids leave the room, the toys eagerly escape from the box, only to meet a very friendly group of toys who are excited to see them. The group is soon joined by a strawberry-scented bear named Lotso (voice: Ned Beatty ), who soon calls his associate Ken (voice: Michael Keaton ) to escort the group around, showing them what Sunnyside has to offer. During the tour Ken becomes smitten with Barbie...who finds herself drawn to him as well. Lotso explains that the toys are taken care of, and that due to a never-ending supply of kids coming and going, the toys will never be without someone to play with them. Andy's toys eagerly accompany Lotso over to the Caterpillar Room, where he then leaves them to experience their first playtime at Sunnyside. However, Ken and Barbie appear to have gotten along quite well, and Barbie eagerly goes back with Ken and Lotso to the Butterfly Room. Woody explains that while Sunnyside does seem great, he strongly believes they should go back to Andy. Woody asks Buzz to come back, but Buzz refuses, saying they should stick together. Realizing that the others won't accompany him, Woody sneaks out of Sunnyside, but not before accidentally losing his hat. In the process, a little girl named Bonnie (voice: Emily Ricks Hahn ) finds him and takes him home with her. Back in the Caterpillar Room, recess ends, and the toys get their first playtime...only to find the room filled with noisy screaming toddlers, each of them rambunctious and not as 'delicate' as Andy was. They are thrown around, smashed about and covered with poster paint by the toddlers. Once the daycare closes, the toys feel there has been some mistake and that they should be in the Butterfly Room instead. Buzz manages to get out of the room, intending to talk to Lotso. However, once outside, his attention is drawn to Ken and several other toys sneaking inside a vending machine. Buzz follows them, but is caught by a sleepy-eyed doll named Big Baby. Ken and the others take Buzz to the daycare's library and tie him up. Suddenly, Lotso comes across the other toys, and demands that they let Buzz go. Buzz thanks Lotso for helping him out, and makes his request for himself and the other toys to be transferred. Lotso admires Buzz's initiative, but is only willing to consider to have him join the Butterfly Room inhabitants. When Buzz refuses, Lotso orders Buzz held down and procures a Buzz Lightyear instruction manual from the library. Using it, the group of toys sets Buzz to "demo" mode — he's once again the deluded space ranger we met early in the Toy Story (1995) Lotso, his compatriots, and demo-Buzz return to the Caterpillar Room, where Buzz subdues his friends and places them in prison-like storage cages. Lotso explains how the daycare is run: all newcomers start in the Caterpillar Room with the ill-behaved toddlers. If they survive, they move up to the Butterfly Room where they'll be treated better. To set an example about what happens to troublemakers, Lotso has Big Baby take Mr. Potato Head out to the playground and stuff him in "the Box" (a sandbox). Also as a warning, Lotso produces Woody's hat, although he doesn't explain what happened to the toys' friend. Barbie realizes that Ken lied to her and as she refuses to be part of Lotso's regime, she's imprisoned as well. During the toys' day at Sunnyside, Woody has been in Bonnie's house, taking part in her imaginative fun and games. Woody grows excited to be part of a real playtime again, but longs to get back to Andy. Once the household is asleep, Bonnie's toys help Woody access the family computer. Woody is relieved to find that Andy's house is just around the corner. He thanks the toys and tells them that if Bonnie ever outgrows them, they should go to Sunnyside. However, the name causes the toys to look on in fear. The toys explain that Lotso is responsible, and one of Bonnie's toys named Chuckles (voice: Bud Luckey ) begins to tell a story. Lotso, Chuckles, and Big Baby were once owned by a little girl named Daisy. Of the three, she loved Lotso the most. However, one day at a rest stop, the three toys were accidentally left behind. The three eventually made it back to Daisy's house. Lotso and Chuckles managed to look in her window, only to see that Lotso had been replaced. Lotso, resentful of being left behind, declared they had all been replaced (even though there was only proof that he had been replaced). Big Baby still wanted to go back, but Lotso yelled "She doesn't love you no more," and tore off a necklace around Baby's neck: a plastic heart that said "I belong to Daisy." Secretly, Chuckles kept it. The three toys went from place to place until they found Sunnyside. Lotso took over and set up the system in which most new toys would be subjected to the rough handling of the toddlers in the Caterpillar Room and would not survive. Chuckles explains that he eventually was broken at Sunnyside, and Bonnie took him in and repaired him. Realizing the danger his friends are in, Woody decides to return to Sunnyside and rescue them. The next day, Woody sneaks into the daycare and moves around the building above the ceiling tiles. Finding his way into a hidden area of the Caterpillar Room, he chances upon a Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone (voice: Teddy Newton ). The telephone tells Woody that he should have stayed gone, and that there's no way that he and his friends can get out. Woody thanks him for the concern, but says they have to try. The Chatter Telephone explains what Woody and his friends will be up against: Lotso's minions manning search lights on the playground, trucks patrolling the halls and the playground, an 8-foot-high cinderblock wall, and a cymbal-clanging monkey (voice: Frank Welker again) that monitors the security cameras in the building. The telephone says the only other way out is through a garbage chute across the playground. Once the toddlers have gone to recess, Woody joins his friends, who tell him that Buzz was reset to demo mode, and now they want to get back to Andy. Woody sets his plan in motion. Later that evening, the group springs into action: Mr. Potato Head creates a scene to get put in the box again, this time as a way to get outside and report for the group. Barbie pleads with Ken that she can't take being imprisoned, and Ken lets her out. He takes her back to his dream house, where Barbie subdues him, and using one of his outfits as a disguise, infiltrates the daycare library to find the instruction manual for Buzz. Woody and Slinky Dog infiltrate the main security room and take down the cymbal-clanging monkey. Rex and Hamm start a fight to distract Buzz, allowing Jessie to escape. Then they trap Buzz under a plastic tub. The toys regroup and set about trying to get Buzz back to normal. However, a mistake in resetting Buzz sets him to Spanish mode. With little time left, the group decides to worry about fixing him later, and they set out for the garbage chute. The gang gets to the end of the chute before plummeting into the dumpster...only to find Lotso, Ken, and his associates waiting (along with the chatter telephone, now broken by the bad toys). Lotso offers the toys a choice: either end up in the dumpster, or return to the daycare. Jessie and Barbie both decry what Lotso has done to the daycare, and even Ken soon turns against Lotso. The eagerness of the group and Woody to return to Andy incites Lotso to declare that love doesn't exist. It is then that Woody mentions Daisy and produces the tag that Chuckles kept. Big Baby sees the tag, and Lotso declares that she didn't love them and replaced them. Woody reminds Lotso that it was only him she replaced. This revelation causes Big Baby to reach for the tag before Lotso destroys it, yelling at Big Baby for being stupid and believing that Daisy loved him. Big Baby, feeling betrayed, then throws Lotso in the dumpster. The other toys begin to run across the lid, but one of the Pizza Planet aliens' feet gets stuck in the lid. Woody goes to help him, only to have Lotso grab his hand. The others rush to help Woody, but just then, a dump truck pulls up and empties the contents of the dumpster (including Andy's toys) into the collecting bin in the back. Barbie and Ken, who were not on the dumpster's lid, can only watch as their friends are taken from them. Inside the dumpster, more trash is emptied onto the group, and a TV set falls on Buzz — which sets him back to his proper self. However, before the toys can rejoice, the truck arrives at the Tri-County landfill. They're shocked when a bulldozer scoops up the three Pizza Planet aliens, carrying them away! The remaining toys are shoveled by another machine onto a moving conveyor belt, headed towards a large shredding machine. The toys avoid being shredded by grabbing metal objects that are being magnetized to an overhead track. Woody and Buzz even manage to save Lotso, who thanks them. Once they make it through, they find themselves on another conveyor belt, heading towards what looks like daylight. However, as they draw closer, they soon realize it's a large pit that empties into a fiery incinerator. The toys try to outrun their fiery fate until Lotso notices an emergency stop switch. He motions for the others to help him, and they hoist him up to stop the machine. However, once he reaches the button, Lotso just smirks at Woody, muttering "Where's your kid now, Sheriff?" and runs off. The toys are soon unable to keep running, and tumble into the pit. They try to climb out, but there appears to be no escape. With no hope left, the toys all join hands, willing to stay together to the very end. Suddenly, a blue light appears overhead, and a giant claw falls down, scooping up the group. As they wonder who rescued them, the enormous claw swings by the glass cabin of the machine, where the three Pizza Planet aliens are. Once the group gets out, they thank their saviors and wonder what became of Lotso. Unknown to them, Lotso is found by another garbageman at the dump. Remembering that he had a Lots-a-Huggin' Bear as a kid, he ties Lotso to the grille of his dump truck and he heads off for duty. Andy's toys find the dump truck that services Andy's neighborhood and manage to get back before Andy leaves for college. After cleaning themselves up, they sneak back into the house, finding Andy's room cleaned out, except for some minimal items, and two boxes: one marked 'College,' the other 'Attic.' Woody's friends pile into the 'Attic' box, and say their goodbyes. Hearing Andy and his mom approaching, Woody hops in the 'College' box. As they enter Andy's room, his mother is hit with the sad reality that her son is going away. Andy tells her that even though he'll be gone, he'll still care about her. Hearing this, Woody realizes that Andy can still care for him and the other toys: an example of true love, in that you never forget those you really love. While Andy is distracted by his sister Molly and his dog Buster, Woody grabs a Post-It note and a marker and writes down Bonnie's street address. He takes the Post-It with him and hops into the 'Attic' box. Andy returns to the room and sees the note on the 'Attic' box. Thinking that his mom wrote it, Andy takes the box to the address and sees Bonnie playing in her family's front yard with the same quirky imagination that he had. Andy gets out of the car with his box. As Bonnie sees him approach, she stops her game and calls for her mom. Bonnie's mom (voice: Lori Alan ) recognizes Andy, who explains that he has some toys for Bonnie. Andy introduces each of his toys, telling Bonnie a little bit about each of them, since he still remembers how he played with them: for example, Hamm saves your money but is also the evil Dr. Porkchop. With each toy revealed, Bonnie gets more and more brave, until after Buzz, she peeks into the box and sees Woody. Andy has no knowledge of how Woody got in there, but is surprised when Bonnie calls him "my cowboy doll," and quotes one of Woody's lines: "There's a snake in my boot!" Andy sees Bonnie looking at Woody, and explains to her how important Woody is to him: how long he's had him, and how brave Woody can be. However, he explains to Bonnie that she can have Woody, if she promises to take good care of him, and the other toys. When she quietly nods an affirmative, Andy begins to play with her, and the two are having an imaginative time with their toys. Secretly, Andy's toys are overjoyed at their last playtime with him. Finally, Andy gets into his car, as Bonnie gathers her old and new toys on the porch. As she holds Woody and Buzz in her little arms, she makes Woody wave goodbye. This causes Andy to give a sad but calming smile. "Thanks, guys," he whispers, as he drives off. After Andy leaves, Bonnie's mom takes her inside for lunch, leaving the toys on the porch, watching Andy's car fade into the distance down the street. "So long, partner," says Woody. Woody smiles at the other toys, reaffirming that Andy did care for them, and care for them enough to leave them with another child who will take care of them and give them many playtimes to come. Woody introduces his friends to Bonnie's other toys. Some time afterward, the toys find a note in Bonnie's backpack from Ken. In the time since Lotso has been gone, Ken and Barbie have worked to abolish the unfair system that ran Sunnyside, and now the toys have an equal opportunity to move between the Caterpillar and Butterfly rooms. The toys at Sunnyside now enjoy their time there, and soon after, Sarge and his two paratroopers arrive, with both Ken and Barbie welcoming them.

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The Hero's Journey in a Disney Movie "Toy Story"

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Film Review: ‘Toy Story 3’

Pixar plays its third "Toy Story" outing mostly for laughs, before rewarding 15 years of audience attachment via an emotional ending.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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Andy outgrows his anthropomorphic amigos Buzz and Woody in “ Toy Story 3,” the franchise’s third (and final?) installment — and as it turns out, 15 years after launching the computer-animated toon revolution, Pixar has outgrown them, too. Whereas “ Toy Story 2 ” treated auds to a character-based sequel that handily justified its existence, this tertiary adventure delivers welcome yet nonessential fun, landing well after its creators have grown up and succeeded toying with more sophisticated stories. Nevertheless, the stereoscopic 3D release, which reportedly out-tested all of Pixar’s previous efforts, should dominate summer playdates.

From the outset, we can sense different hands at the reins. Like the original, pic opens with 6-year-old Andy acting out wild narratives for Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the gang — only this time, director Lee Unkrich (who came up through Pixar’s editorial department and handled co-helming duties on “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Finding Nemo”) plunges us into Andy’s imagination, which follows childhood logic but looks more like a Jerry Bruckheimer movie.

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Andy’s toys are fiercely loyal to their owner, with such playtime being their raison d’etre (though the “Toy Story” movies have long hinged on a rather arbitrary notion of what qualifies as the healthy treatment of toys). Homevideos advance us through a dozen years, disposing of Bo Peep and a few other key players along the way. It’s gutsy to see Pixar stripping back its ensemble — the Green Army Men effectively desert, rather than be donated — in contrast to the unwieldy, ever-growing ensembles of most toon sequels (though Disney Consumer Products has plenty of new characters to be excited about).

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Now 18, Andy is packing up for college. Clearly oblivious to the Roundup gang’s value, he tosses all but Woody into a garbage bag, which his mom mistakes for trash and takes out to the curb. So begins a convoluted adventure that leads the toys to Sunnyside Daycare Center, which at first appears to be an improvement: The toys haven’t been played with in ages, and here, they’ll get daily attention. Plus, they’ll have plenty of new friends, including “Big Baby” and a Dream House-dwelling Ken (Michael Keaton).

But there’s a dark side to Sunnyside, which is overseen by a folksy, strawberry-scented pink plush named Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear ( Ned Beatty ). “Lotso” lost his owner years ago, and now he runs the place like a prison. Where the first two “Toy Story” installments served as rescue movies, with characters nobly putting themselves in danger to save their friends from harm, this one instead follows the jailbreak genre.

Take a step back, and the film seems to be about the idea of toys coming to terms with being outgrown by their owners — however, everyone but Woody seems perfectly fine with being donated at the outset (and Jessie’s song already addressed such abandonment issues quite poignantly in the second movie). As character arcs go, this one doesn’t seem particularly compelling: Woody must convince the others to break out of Sunnyside and find their way back to Andy’s attic, where they can wait until he needs them again — as delusional thinking goes, this tops even fresh-out-of-the-box Buzz Lightyear’s identity issues.

Pixar has essentially set an impossible standard for itself, having previously delivered the rare sequel that improves on the original, then followed that up with a run of exceptional work. This latest script, written by “Little Miss Sunshine’s” Michael Arndt from a story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Unkrich, feels more gag-driven than the studio’s previous efforts — essentially borrowing a page from DreamWorks Animation, chasing snappy humor over heart-on-their-sleeve sentimentality, within a few months of DreamWorks going the Pixar route with the sincere storytelling of “How to Train Your Dragon.” (It’s worth remembering that former Disney CEO Michael Eisner once intended to make “ Toy Story 3 ,” sans Pixar involvement, when relations between the two studios broke down in 2004.)

The visuals look gorgeous as ever, making classy use of 3D to enhance the drama, while staying true to the original aesthetic. Humans are notably improved, especially young Bonnie (Emily Hahn), who takes Woody home at one point and introduces him to the film’s most appealing new characters, including Shakespearean hedgehog Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton, whose perf amusingly suggests another level of split-personality delusion among toys) and scatterbrained triceratops Trixie (Kristen Schaal).

The latter bodes well for Rex’s romantic prospects, which seem far better than Barbie’s, since Keaton plays Ken as an effeminate closet case (imagine the outcry had Pixar attempted an equivalent racial caricature). But the pic wants laughs, and it’s willing to dilute the respect Lasseter showed this borderline-absurd world to get them, goosing auds with punchline-driven cutting, pop-song montages and throwaway silliness. Surely kids could have done without the bathroom humor, though much of the comedy takes the high road, such as an inspired bit in which Buzz is accidentally switched to Spanish-language mode.

But “Toy Story 3” is best when it’s being serious, and the final 15-minute stretch — from the moment the toys are dumped at a landfill through the tear-jerking finale — pays off feelings auds invested 15 years ago. Still, there’s no reason these scenes couldn’t have come 80 minutes earlier (had the toys not escaped their first brush with the garbage truck), which would have left room for the film to explore the curious ontology of being a toy after escaping such a near-death experience.

Pic is preceded by Teddy Newton ‘s visionary six-minute short “Day and Night,” an invigorating blend of stereoscopic CG visuals and old-school hand-drawn animation. Set against a black background, two characters serve as windows to opposite halves of the day, their playfully layered dance of sound and spectacle suggesting exciting creative directions Pixar could explore in the future.

• Production: A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release of a Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios production. Produced by Darla K. Anderson. Executive producer, John Lasseter. Directed by Lee Unkrich. Screenplay, Michael Arndt; story, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Unkrich.
• Crew: Camera (color, 3D), Jeremy Lasky; lighting, Kim White; editor, Ken Schretzmann; music, Randy Newman; music supervisor, Tom MacDougall; production designer, Bob Pauley; story supervisor, Jason Katz; supervising technical director, Guido Quaroni; supervising animators, Bobby Podesta, Michael Venturini; stereoscopic supervisor, Bob Whitehill; sound designer (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Tom Myers; supervising sound editors, Myers, Michael Silvers; re-recording mixers, Michael Semanick, Myers; associate producer, Nicole Paradis Grindle; casting, Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon. Reviewed at Disney Studios, Burbank, May 27, 2010. (In Taormina Film Festival -- opener.) MPAA Rating: G. Running time: 102 MIN.
• With: Voices: Woody - Tom Hanks Buzz Lightyear - Tim Allen Jessie - Joan Cusack Lotso - Ned Beatty Mr. Potato Head - Don Rickles Ken - Michael Keaton Rex - Wallace Shawn Hamm - John Ratzenberger Mrs. Potato Head - Estelle Harris Andy - John Morris Barbie - Jodi Benson Bonnie - Emily Hahn With: Laurie Metcalf, Blake Clark, Teddy Newton, Bud Luckey, Beatrice Miller, Javier Fernandez-Pena, Timothy Dalton, Lori Alan, Charlie Bright, Kristen Schaal, Jeff Garlin, Bonnie Hunt, John Cygan, Jeff Pidgeon, Whoopi Goldberg, Jack Angel, R. Lee Ermey, Jan Rabson, Richard Kind.

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Toy Story 3

Ending a series with the hand of God

To be completely honest, I originally had issues with how this story--taken as a whole--was structured. And while I fully recognize that I'm just about the only person on the planet who had any problems with it, I still feel that what was there was creating some kind of confusion in the message that was being communicated. This is in contrast to the past fifteen years of Pixar films that I felt were more concrete in their execution of complete storytelling .

While it is clear that Woody was the principal character that changed, it is less obvious which character was the impetus for that transformation. At first glance, it seems as if it is supposed to be Andy as the most emotional scenes involve the college freshman-to-be and his cowboy toy. But Andy's realization that the time has come to say goodbye comes off more as the last predictable event in a series of well-intentioned setups and payoffs, rather than a point of emotional growth developed naturally over the course of the story. Andy's resolve (what to do or not to do in regards to Woody) was what the film set out to be, but for some reason was relegated to a teary-eyed bookend device.

The Andy/Woody story (with Woody remaining the "steadfast" toy and Andy changing) appears to be the concluding emotional event to all three films, rather than the singular end of this particular film. This was the source of my confusion in my original analysis. Seen in the context of all three films, Woody is Steadfast, and Andy is Change. Taking this film as a singular piece, Woody is a Change Main Character. The conflicting contexts proved to be the reason for the inaccuracy in my original analysis.

The second, less obvious choice for their counterpoint to Woody's point-of-view, would be the Toy Family (Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Hamm, Buzz, etc.) Here the argument about "being there for Andy" vs. "being there for other kids" seems to fall into place and perhaps suggest what the story is truly about. The only problem with this is that the argument is not fully explored, leaving more time for throw-away gags (Ken) and classic film references (the phone) than emotional growth.

The most atrocious affront to meaningful story structure, however, lies in the literal "hand of God" that descends to save our heroes from an almost certain death. Conveniently setup, this solution to the story's major problem came at a most unusual time emotionally; a surprise that, while welcome, had no real significance to the story's message. In this respect, Toy Story 3 shares shelf space with the pantheon of Spielberg final acts that end because they are supposed to (see Saving Private Ryan or War of the Worlds or Jurassic Park ), not because they meaningfully developed to that penultimate moment.

That being said, the overall entertainment value of the piece well supersedes any errors with how the story was constructed. Ken is a welcome addition to the already wonderfully imaginative characters as is Buzz's new found dancing skills. And there is some character animation--particularly on the part of the little girl, Bonnie--that is so truthful it surpasses most, if not all of the performance capture found in Avatar .

In addition, one of the five stars above was solely earned by the Teddy Newton-directed short that appears before the film. A great concept and some spectacular character animation make this adventure to the theaters this summer more than worth the 3D premium charge.

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Effectiveness of “Toy Story 3” Launch Essay

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The animated film Toy Story 3 can be viewed as an example of both critical and commercial success. This popularity can be attributed to various factors such as interesting script, excellent voice cast, the use of the most advanced technologies, and proper marketing strategies (McLean 2011, p. 68).

This essay will discuss the launch of Toy Story 3 in more detail. In particular, it is necessary to focus on critical response, sales promotion, and the premier. In this way, one can better understand the reasons why this film achieved success.

It should be noted that the prequels of Toy Story 3 enjoyed enormous popularity among people of various ages and educational backgrounds. Thus, it was difficult for Pixar to reach the standard that they set before (Corliss 2010, p. 103). However, this animated film did meet the expectations of critics. The majority of them agreed that Toy Story 3 was emotionally engaging and unpredictable. Thus, one can argue that this animated film was successful from a critical point of view.

Secondly, Toy Story 3 was released exclusively in digital format that has become very appealing to viewers throughout the world. It was released in Disney Digital 3-D; it is a brand which emphasizes the idea that the film can be watched only in three-dimensional form (Toumarkine 2007, p. 28). In this way, Pixar and Disney were able to spark people’s interest to this film. Thus, this decision was quite justified, even though they had to spend more time on production.

Toy Story was released in the United States on June 18 in 2010 (Desjardins 2010, p. 56). Overall, Toy Story 3 was released at the time when it was most anticipated by viewers and critics (Desjardins 2010, p. 56). Moreover, at that time, there were no significant premieres, and the release Toy Story 3 was at the center of public attention. Therefore, the film was well-differentiated among others.

Additionally, sales promotion was also very effective. Prior to the release of the film, Pixar and Disney released several teaser trailers that made people more willing to see Toy Story 3 in cinemas (Cohen 2009, p. 5). Additionally, this film could be purchased in different formats such as DVD or Blu-ray (Connolly 2010, p. 76). This movie could also be downloaded from iTunes.

Additionally, the marketing success of Toy Story 3 can be partly explained by its nomination for 5 Academy Awards. So, these examples indicate that Pixar and Disney took different sales promotion actions. They increased people’s awareness about the release and made sure that it could be purchased through different channels. Overall, these strategies achieved their goal and brought substantial revenues to Pixar and Disney.

This assessment shows that the launch of Toy Story 3 was very effective. It fully justified the investment that Pixar and Disney had to make. There are several things that one can single out.

First, the companies involved in the production of the film relied on the success of the previous films and stressed the idea that the last part of the series would come up to the expectations of viewers.

Secondly, they made sure that Toy Story 3 would not be rivaled by other films. They managed to differentiate this movie among others. The combination of these strategies eventually contributed to the overall success.

Cohen, D 2009, ‘Disney ‘Story’ time at NAB’, Daily Variety ,15 April, p. 5.

Connolly, M 2010, ‘Toy Story 3’, Film Comment , vol. 46 no. 6, p. 76.

Corliss, R 2010, ‘End of Innocence’, Time , 10 July, pp. 103-105.

Desjardins, D 2010, ‘The Greatest TOY STORY Ever Told?’, License! Global , vol. 13 no. 1, p. 56.

McLean, T 2011, ‘Making of Toy Story 3’, Hollywood Reporter , 18 June, pp. 68-71.

Toumarkine, D 2007. ‘Digital 3D Projection’, Film Journal International , vol. 110 no. 11, pp. 28 -31.

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Toy Story 3 (2010)

“Reach for the sky.”

That’s how it all began, fifteen years ago: a laconic, drawling challenge from an intrepid pull-string sheriff in a tense bedroom stand-off with a tuberous one-eyed desperado. There was swagger and panache in this self-assured proclamation that a new power had entered the fray, that the rules of the game had changed.

Artistic/Entertainment Value

Moral/spiritual value, age appropriateness, mpaa rating, caveat spectator.

From day one, John Lasseter and company reached for the sky. Their heads were in the clouds from the get-go — from the first shot, in fact. Toy Story wasn’t just the first fully computer-animated feature-length film. It was practically a manifesto: The industry was on notice.

Coming in the early days of decline of the Disney renaissance formulas, Toy Story broke rules and took risks. There was no boy-meets-girl / coming-of-age drama; no yearning hero or heroine with assorted sidekicks; no song-and-dance show-tune production numbers. The hero, Woody, was sympathetic but flawed — jealous, vain, insecure and not above ignoble acts — and in need of comeuppance and redemption.

At the same time, despite undercurrents of snark and cynicism among the rank and file of Andy’s toys, Toy Story wore its heart on its sleeve with disarming sincerity. Overtly sentimental and nostalgic, it was a celebration of imagination and play, of childhood innocence, of friendship and devotion. Despite the now-dated computer animation, there was a tactile familiarity to Andy’s toys: Behind the scenes, one sensed animators playing with Etch A Sketches and Slinkies.

The tension between Woody and Buzz Lightyear was emblematic of the film’s blend of old and new. Woody was vintage and old-school, evoking the swashbuckling poetry and moral heritage of the Western as well as the traditionalism and values of his 1950s pull-string milieu. Buzz was all bells and whistles, exciting and futuristic in a retro way, like Tomorrowland at Disney World. He was Star Wars to Woody’s Hopalong Cassidy — and, like Andy, Pixar embraced them both, combining cutting-edge animation technology with narrative traditionalism. It was about both the toys and the story, and it set the tone for Pixar’s subsequent work.

Four years later, Pixar amazingly topped this dazzling first achievement with one of the finest sequels ever made, conquering new storytelling heights even as it mined deeper emotional territory. Where the original cut Buzz down to size with the revelation that he was a toy and not a real space ranger, Toy Story 2 drew Woody into a head-turningly larger world of franchise collectability, at the same time confronting him with mortality and especially with the inevitability of Andy growing up and leaving childish things behind.

Toy Story 2 was The Empire Strikes Back to the original’s Star Wars , with one glaring difference: Where The Empire Strikes Back ended on a transitional note that cried out for a third chapter, Toy Story 2 cross-examined and revealed its characters’ relationships and destinies with such utter finality that there would seem to be nothing left to say about them. Eleven years later, Pixar’s track record of excellence makes it hard to imagine them messing up Toy Story 3 . On the other hand, is Toy Story 2 too tough an act for any conceivable threequel to follow?

Well, almost. The bar isn’t set quite as high, but Toy Story 3 finds ways to turn some of its challenges into strengths. For Woody especially, it’s a welcome opportunity for a victory lap. Where both previous outings explored his frailties as well as his better qualities, the third chapter gives him a chance to be the hero Andy always knew he was. An inspired opening sequence somehow honors the openings of both previous films at once, revisiting Woody’s glory days in Andy’s fantasies in a new cinematic idiom. This is Woody’s true self, and in Toy Story 3 he stays gratifyingly true to form.

As for Buzz, his character development arc may be more or less complete, but sometimes you don’t have to develop a character to do new things with him. Toy Story 3 is more gag-driven than its predecessors, but the gags are funny, and the characters ride high on the audience good will they’ve earned twice over.

In part, Toy Story 3 plays out the scenario that Woody and Buzz knew was coming, and more or less accepted: Andy is a young man now — and college-bound. Whether the toys wind up in the attic or the garbage, or passed on to other children, their defining relationship with Andy is coming to an end. Already some old faces are missing (even Woody’s sweetheart, Bo Peep), and the toys have been left in the toy box for who knows how long; to play with Andy one last time is almost too much to hope for. And then what?

However it plays out, these characters know by now who they are, and so do we. At times, we know them better than some of them seem to know one another. At one point, though Woody knows otherwise, the other toys mistakenly think that Andy has thrown them out — and they refuse to believe Woody. Sooner or later someone will say, “Woody was telling the truth after all!” Shouldn’t they know him better than that by now? For that matter, while the initial mistake is certainly understandable, it might have been nice if the toys knew Andy better than that.

For Woody, all that matters is being there for Andy, even if “there” means “in the attic.” The other toys aren’t sure that getting donated to Sunnyside Day Care doesn’t sound like more fun, but Woody is grimly emphatic: “Day care is a sad, lonely place for washed-up toys with no owner.” Sunnyside for Woody has the same emptiness for Woody that Shady Oaks holds for Carl in Up ; it’s the end of the road.

When the toys do wind up at Sunnyside, Rex brightens at the sight of a rainbow on the door, and the new faces — an avuncular, well-worn purple teddy named Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty), a slightly creepy Big Baby doll with one droopy eyelid, and (much to Barbie’s wide-eyed astonishment) a fabulous Ken doll — couldn’t be more welcoming. But Woody remains stoic. Day care might not be a bad end, but the bond with Andy hasn’t been severed. Their relationship with Andy must end — but not like this.

At times Toy Story 3 feels a bit less fleet-footed than its predecessors, though there’s nothing that doesn’t work. Lee Unkrich, who co-directed Toy Story 2 , Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo , directs with a sure hand. The story is stuffed with wit and invention, such as a couple of premise-bending applications of the Potato Heads’ modular body parts and some hilarious riffing on Ken and Barbie. There are welcome new faces, including a large plush Totoro (woo hoo!).

The second half picks up the pace, combining goofily inspired prison-break tropes with an Indiana Jones -style gauntlet of terror (a juxtaposition inviting comparisons to Chicken Run ). Toward the action climax comes a moment of unexpected poignancy as old friends stare into the face of infinity and beyond with a simple gesture of solidarity.

And then, in the end, one last surprise. Woody and Buzz have long known that losing Andy was inevitable, but there’s someone else who hasn’t: Andy himself. It is Andy, poised on the threshold of adulthood, who shows a new side.

It’s here that Toy Story 3 offers one of the most emotionally powerful moments in the series, ending the trilogy on a lump-in-the-throat high note and sealing the deal on one of the most satisfying third chapters to one of the best trilogies of all time. Toy Story 2 remains the high-water mark, but in this finale, Pixar once again reaches for the sky.

P.S. Toy Story 3 is preceded by “Day & Night,” a surreal, slightly risqué six-minute short that’s as experimental and daring as anything Pixar has produced. Their coming feature output may be sequel-heavy for a while, but if this short is any indication, the spirit of discovery is alive and well at Pixar.

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