Toy Story 3
★★★☆☆ Take my breath away!
Toys will be toys, but kids will change. The story of the new Pixar film Toy Story 3 has basically been glided over once in Toy Story 2: when kids grow up, toys are left behind.
That was when Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl tells her backstory in Toy Story 2. The sequence consists of no dialogue, but only a Sarah McLachlan song "When She Loved Me" (akin to the short sequence in Up's beginning where the couple grow old). It began happily where Jessie hangs out with her master Emily all the time, but as Emily grows up, makeup products slowly replace the toys, and Jessie was left under the bed, and then dumped to the side of the road. Pixar shows that it is the master in storytelling from this breathtaking sequence; Emily's face is blurry, but the faithful cowgirl never gets over this painful memory and never forgets her master.
This short segment is expanded into a full length movie in TS3 where they deal with the topic of the inevitable departure again. There's a similar sequence in the new film. The flashback of how the Lotso Bear (who smells like Strawberry) got replaced is very similar to the sequence in TS2. But the main problem in TS3 is that it lacks the necessary sequence that makes it memorable for this latest installment of the 15-year-old franchise which kickstarted the CGI animation.
TS3 like its predecessors is packed with clever and engrossing adventures, but like any sequels, it tries to balance its continuity with novelty. The continuity is there, but not much novelty is shown. The action scenes are similar, the jokes are similar, and the only novelty maybe come from the new toys (with a Totoro toy, but that's a Japanese character though?), and with Barbie and Ken, and with the new 3D technology (which doesn't really do much), or maybe we get to see Woody without his hat, or Buzz Lightyear in Spanish mode. When the toys finally face their nightmarish end, they stop struggling to escape, but they hold each other's hands, and are simply glad that they have been and are all in this together.
The true heartwarming scene is when Andy plops down on the grass to share his toys with a shy little girl, introducing the toys to the girl, and each speaking and acting for the toy, reenacting and reliving imaginary scenes, and creating a small, small world of their own. It is a moment that transpires sadness and layered pleasure. It is a moment where no one else would understand but only those who have done that before, those who had toys on their beds would know what it means.
When Andy heads to the next stage of his life, Woody says to him, "so long partner". Calling Andy his partner is a cowboy western kind of respect to a long-time friend. Simple on the outset, but filled with complex inner emotions beneath the words: respect, friendship, cherish, memory and changes. The toys finally understand and accept the changes, so they no longer seek Andy's attention anymore. The lesson here is to let go, and so they each move on to their separate paths: Andy to college, and the toys into another girl's arms. A bitter-sweet ending that concludes their journey together.
Playing with toys has always been a very personal thing. Sharing it with others expands an individual horizon. The attachment we have with toys, others might not understand, but the film provides a nostalgic reminder for everyone: is there an forgotten box up in the attic?
