Step 1: Improve on a classic. Toy Story 3 doesn’t try to surpass its predecessors but simply continues the story in such a wonderful, natural progression that it melds with ease into the brilliance that is the Toy Story lore. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, it’ll become a part of you.
Step 2: Have no fear. I felt a little trepidation about a third Toy Story, only because the first two were so fantastic, I was afraid the third one couldn’t measure up. Now, of course, I just shake my head. Toy Story is what started the whole trend of animated excellence from Pixar, with Toy Story 2 being one of those rare occasions a sequel stood on its own as a classic. Why wouldn’t the third in the franchise shine just as brightly as the first two, and then some? It’s sort of silly I doubted it.
Step 3: Continue the story. In the 11 years since we last saw Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the gang, the toys have finally been put in the toy box, as their owner Andy has grown older. They miss being played with, but they understand how it goes. Just so long as they have each other, it should be OK. And when Andy is finally heading off to college, some of the toys, including Jessie (Joan Cusack), are afraid they may be discarded once and for all, but Woody assures them Andy will take care of them, even if that means they’ll all go into the attic for awhile. But through a mishap in cleaning the room, the gang ends up getting donated to a local daycare center, where they meet other toys in their same predicament — or so they think. Turns out, the daycare world of toys is run by one rough, stuffed bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty), who rules with fear and intimidation. Our gang of toys quickly realize they need to get out of there and back to Andy pronto, before it’s too late. Let the great escape begin.
Step 4: Bring back all the familiar voices. Hanks, Allen, Cusack, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, plus a few new ones, add colorfully to the mix, including stand out Michael Keaton as the narcissistic Ken, the groovy cool cat with an ascot and a huge wardrobe of clothes. Think of him as the plastic, small, ever-tan male doll version of Sex and the City‘s Carrie Bradshaw. Ken definitely provides many of the film’s guffaws. Character actor Beatty does a nice job as the heavy, and try to recognize the voices of Whoopi Goldberg, Bonnie Hunt, Jeff Garlin, and many others.
Step 5: Hail to Pixar! Seriously, those folks over there never cease to amaze me — and I seem to write that every time I review one of their movies. At some point, I may be disappointed, but it’s hard to see how that might happen. Toy Story 3 is so full of rich, hilarious, wonderful, scary, meaningful, heart-wrenching moments, I’m sort of tearing up all over again, just remembering. Pixar stories ALWAYS make me cry, one way or another, but Toy Story 3 really does a number on you. It’s probably because these are characters you already know and love and watching them all interact again feels so comforting and a little anxious in wondering what’s going to happen to them.
Step 6: Learn a lesson while you’re at it. Those of us who’ve been watching the movies since 1995 know the drill. For those young ones who are seeing a Toy Story for the first time, there will be times when they may get scared (the incinerator scene is a doozy) or might not understand, but I think it’s still a film for all ages. Parents may find themselves engaged in conversations afterward, about what happens to their old toys when they don’t play with them anymore or about throwing things away and what happens to trash. I’m actually one of those parents who threw old toys out and, well, I feel horrible about it now. I still have one small-ish child left, and let’s just say, I’m going to find wonderful new homes for those leftover toys when she’s done playing with them, so help me god.
Level of difficulty in watching Toy Story 3: No difficulty at all. This is another instant classic.