Trilogy Thursday: Toy Story
Toy Story 3
Max: Let’s face it, Toy Story 3 had all the makings of a trainwreck. Why would Pixar go back to the Toy Story franchise years later, except to milk the franchise for more money. Thankfully I was woefully wrong. Pixar proved that third movies can be just as good or better than earlier entries. There’s not many series that can stay consistently good through all three movies. Woody, Buzz, and company get donated because their owner is going off to college. Even more toys are introduced and a quest to get back to their owner continues again. The script does an excellent job of keeping the characters real. There’s a real sense of being in that same position and having to donate the toys you’ve loved for all these years. A truly classic film through and through. I never thought it would be my favorite in the franchise.
Claire: A third film wasn’t strictly necessary, and it could have been a flop and one of those ‘they shouldn’t have bothered’ films. Happily, this wasn’t the case. Toy Story 3 wrapped up the story very neatly, and was certainly a bittersweet ending. Andy, like Toy Story’s originally viewers, has gotten older, and doesn’t need his toys anymore. When he goes off to college Woody and co are accidentally donated, and they have to stick together to try and escape from a rather sinister children’s daycare center. What follows is a wild adventure involving new toys, and an uncertain future… As with all the its predecessors, Toy Story 3 has a great vocal cast, and Ned Beatty is great as the devious Lots-O. The plot is very fun and certainly tugs on your heart strings in more than one scene. All of this is before you take into account the animation, which is completely spot-on, like with the previous two films. When you compare Toy Story to Toy Story 3, I don’t think it has particularly aged even though they were made 15 years apart – they fit together very well.
Final Thoughts:
Max: Top to Bottom one of the finest trilogies ever made. Where many series have parts that are significantly weaker than the other entries, Pixar has made something truly special with the Toy Story Franchise.
Claire: So bravo, Pixar, you’ve made a top rate trilogy that viewers will enjoy for many years to come, and one that I will definitely show my own children in the future.
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