Toy Story 3 (2010)

4.9/5

Toy Story 3 is another spot-on piece of entertainment to come out of Pixar. The plot follows the toys' attempt to escape the prison-like Sunnyside daycare center after being mistakenly discarded as trash while Andy moves his stuff for college. The new toys were far more interesting than those in the second one and the recurring toys were given even more texture and complexity. The incinerator scene was both harrowing and heartwarming, and surprisingly draining emotionally. The second half of the film is directed effortlessly as a prison escape, and there are thrills and creativity aplenty. The inventiveness of the animators allows them to envision an alternate world for the toys with its own set of rules (especially with respect to Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head) that feels completely believable and fresh. And just as you think there is no way the toys will survive, the writers blindside you with a surprise you never could have expected.

The concept of abandonment makes its somewhat tired presence here once more, but a few more interesting thematics crop up as well. The toys could easily represent parents who must be there for their kids at every waking moment, even when the kid grows apart with teenage rebellion or adult maturity. If so, the daycare allegory doesn't really follow. It feels like a closer approximation of heaven and hell. And what would donation represent? I see some very intriguing potential here, but I'm not so sure it was fully thought-out.

This movie is tough to rate. On the one hand, the storytelling and technical precision make this a splendid film to enjoy. On the other hand, I miss the refreshing, eye-opening take on our world that the first one presented. I wish this one had blown me away with its thematics as much as it did with its visuals and storytelling. But maybe I'm being too hard on it and expecting too much from it. It really is a joy to watch.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/

Toy Story 2 (1999)

4/5

Pixar's Toy Story 2 is a well-made family film, but nowhere near as fresh or inventive as the first one. The plot follows toy cowboy Woody (Hanks) as he is stolen by Al the Toy Collector (Knight) to be sold to a museum in Japan as part of a collection known as Woody's Roundup Gang, which includes cowgirl Jessie (Cusack), steed Bullseye, and prospector Stinky Pete (Grammar). Buzz (Allen) and the gang go on a mission to save him, but Woody must decide if he even wants to return to a child he knows will grow disinterested in him over time or go to the museum to be eternally revered by kids behind a glass display case.

The major new theme in this film is the idea that it is better to be loved and forgotten than to never have been loved at all. However, the idea of abandonment has already been addressed in the prior film, and much more poignantly so. In that movie it was a frightening possibility that Woody fought tooth and nail to overcome, while here it is just a hint of a prospect. Much of this film I thought was a reiteration or reaffirmation of the first one, albeit wrapped up in a splendidly entertaining package. I wasn't a huge fan of the new characters that were brought in, but I did enjoy getting to know Hamm (Ratzenberger), Rex (Shawn), Mr. Potato Head (Rickles), and Slinky Dog (Varney) a bit better. They were far more fleshed out and interesting in this movie. All in all, this is an enjoyable follow-up to the first one, with a haunting and mesmerizing song by Sarah McLachlan, but a bit of a letdown considering how stunning and original the first one was.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120363/

Toy Story (1995)

5/5

Pixar's Toy Story is not the same movie I saw so many years ago. I remember much of the storyline (because of course the plot is still the same), but watching it from a more mature perspective opened my eyes to a lot of what I had either missed or ignored. The plot follows a collection of young Andy's toys who are constantly threatened to be replaced at every birthday and Christmas. Andy's favorite cowboy Woody (Hanks) is one such victim, being forsaken for the year's coolest space ranger Buzz Lightyear (Allen). Jealous, Woody plays a prank on Buzz that goes horribly wrong, the other toys band up against him for eliminating their new friend, and now Woody must save Buzz from the treacherous clutches of the evil neighbor Sid.

What surprised me on this viewing was just how dark this movie was. My understanding from IMDb's trivia page is that the producers wanted it to be edgy. They went down that path originally by writing Woody as an unlikeable sarcastic jerk (and there are some remnants of his unlikable qualities, despite Hanks's incredibly empathetic performance), but this final version is much more shocking. The toys in this world live to serve their master, to give him unconditional love regardless of whether he loves them back or throws them aside. These toys are voiced and animated as humans; how are we to respond when we see Sid explode army soldiers, rip off dolls' heads, and otherwise perform twisted chimeric experiments on the toys? The experience is surprisingly disturbing for a "family movie" and it is definitely edgy.

What stayed the same across these viewings was the animation, which is a real testament to the people working at Pixar. It's so easy for an animated film to look outdated 15 years in the future, but Toy Story does not endure such a fate. The animators took care to give it a unique aesthetic so that when you watch it 15 years in the future or 50 years in the future, you know it is meant to look exactly as it looks. It never becomes outdated, it only serves as a reminder of the style it helped create. The same can be said of the acting: the voice actors are recognizable even today, but they were chosen because of their acting ability, and that will shine through long into the future. They take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions as you alternatively love and hate them, often from the subtlest of voice changes.

Toy Story is a fantastic movie that goes where few animated films have dared tread. Even today, 15 years later, it is rare to find as mature a family film as this one. Pixar has traditionally provided important adult thematics in films that appeal to younger audiences, and Toy Story is the start of it all. What an amazing and refreshing experience it is to watch this movie!

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114709/

Ratatouille (2007)

4/5

Ratatouille is a delightful family movie with aspects nearly everyone can enjoy. Remy the rat has a gift for cooking because of his sense of smell, but his father wants to use him as a poison detector instead of letting him live his dreams. Linguini is a buffoon hired out of necessity to be the garbage boy of a famous restaurant that recently fell out of favor with food critics. Their paths cross and the adventure begins. The animation is absolutely brilliant; every frame makes you stare in awe. Liquids, fur, and their combination are notoriously difficult to animate and they were stunning in this film. The ingenuity and the innovation were real joys to watch (Remy marionetting Linguini, all the rats cooking in the kitchen, etc.). It was fun to watch and never got old or boring. These are rare traits in a modern movie, and much appreciated.

I found the characters a bit hollow. Remy was the chef who always made the perfect dish, Linguini was the moron who never got anything right, and Colette consistently and predictably chose the wrong ingredients. All the characters were so set and never surprised you. Also, some of the scenes would increase in climax but never quite reach their peaks. For example, many scenes would end with a fade out or cross dissolve into the next one with no real satisfaction of ending the previous one. The comedy was a bit too rare and the emotions were a bit too common; it tries to be too meaningful and doesn't succeed at being funny enough. The plot is a mite too complicated because it feels as if it's trying to tell two stories instead of one--the rat story and the human story. Overall, very much recommended for anyone who loves Disney Pixar and Brad Bird (of The Incredibles fame).

Also, I loved the short that they showed in the beginning (Lifted) and found it to be my favorite of the ones I've seen.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0382932/