Disney/Buena Vista | 2010 | 103 mins. | G
Pixar hit another home run, extending an amazing streak of successes that stretches all the way back to the original Toy Story, which changed the face of feature length animation when it reached theaters in 1995. Now, 15 years after their original debut and 11 years after the first sequel, Toy Story 2, Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and their fellow toys have returned for another adventure. Although aspects of Toy Story 3 echo similar elements from the previous films, the movie’s final act will resonate deeply with many viewers, making this chapter in many ways the most heartfelt.
Directed by Lee Unkrich, Toy Story 3 finds Andy (John Morris), the toys’ owner, 17 and less playful. Still a great kid, as Andy gets ready to head off to college, it’s immediately apparent he’s simply outgrown Woody, Buzz and the other toys in his chest. In fact, as he prepares to pack up, Andy’s mother suggests that he should decide which toys go with him to college, which go into storage in the attic, which get donated to a local day care center, and which go in the garbage. The latter of course is a fate worse than death for a toy. After a near-tragic misunderstanding, where Andy’s mom mistakes the trash bag full of toys intended for the attic to be actual trash, the whole gang narrowly avoids the garbage collector, putting themselves in the “donation” box instead. Only Woody is deemed college-worthy by Andy, and thus begins the series of adventures (and misadventures) you’d expect in a Toy Story film.
Buzz, Jessie the Cowgirl (Joan Cusack), Mr. & Mrs. Potatohead (Don Rickles, Estelle Harris), Rex the Dinosaur (Wallace Shawn), and Hamm the Piggybank (John Ratzenberger) end up being donated to Sunnyside Daycare Center, where at first, everything seems pretty rosy. There are lots of children for playtime, ruled over by a gentle pink teddy bear called Lotso (Ned Beatty). However, there’s a nasty darkside: the youngest children. Their idea of playing is banging and smashing the toys. Soon, Buzz and the gang long to rejoin Woody. That proves to be difficult, because the daycare is very secure. However, when Woody hears about his friends fate, he organizes an escape.
As is to be expected, while at the daycare, Buzz and company meet several new characters; initially, I was concerned they were introduced not for the good of the story, but rather to create more merchandising opportunities. However, they all fit in very nicely, particularly a suave acting Ken doll voiced by Michael Keaton.
The ending, touching and sweet, brought tears to my eyes. Toy Story 3 has everything viewers could want from the franchise. Is it as good as the first and second films? Not quite, but it’s still one of Pixar’s best.
Presented in 1.78:1 high-definition using the AVC codec, I think we know by now that Pixar has provided some of the best Blu-rays available. Toy Story 3 provides pitch perfect color and great detail. Character details are more noticeable than they have been in previous films. Another Pixar title, another top-notch presentation.
When necessary, the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless track packs the punch that reminds you of how much quality the Pixar soundtracks bring to the table. When used, channel panning is clear and effective, directional effects are clear and well-placed, and the subwoofer activity provides the low end required to deliver the goods. The soundtrack replicates all the action accurately, and the experience results in quality listening material.
We get a nice slate of special features here:
You get your choice of editions both with standard definition and digital copies of the film. With the BD/SD edition, there’s no less than four discs in a slightly wider than normal BD case, but a note to viewers, there’s some content overlap over the discs.
Disc One begins with “Day and Night” (6:05), the Pixar short that appeared in front of Toy Story 3 in theaters. It’s a cute and quick piece with two creatures that could best be described as a mix of old and new school animation. “Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: The Science of Adventure” (4:30) is a NASA-themed piece on space travel voiced by some of the film’s characters, and “Toys!” (6:37) covers just how many different varieties of toys there are in the film. There’s even a Spanish illustrator who Pixar hired to help draw “Spanish Buzz” and shows what he did to help get this essence properly. Neat stuff which helps scratch the surface of the work done in a Pixar production. There is a commentary for the film, but it’s found on the third disc/SD copy. Unkrich and producer Darla Anderson as they talk about the challenges in this film, story ideas, how they revamped the animation and anecdotal stories gained from the production.
On the second disc we get a slew of material, which retains the commentary, in Cine-Explore fashion, incorporating story boards, conceptual drawings and a bevy of other material as a subtitled track to go along with the commentary. The Cine-Explore mode on the second disc increases the appreciation of the film for fans of it. There’s a second commentary with members of the Pixar animation team that includes more information about the film is far more detailed and drier form, but if you’re a fan for the technical stuff, this is also a worthwhile track to listen to if you want to further appreciate the film.
The rest of Disc Two is broken into four sections. The “Film Fans” section starts with “Rounding Up a Western Opening” (5:42), which examined the film’s first sequence with a mix of storyboards and footage. “Bonnie’s Roundtable” (6:26) includes Unkrich (among others) as he talk about how the Bonnie character and how they got to where they did with her in the film. “Setting a Story in Motion” includes story breakdown/script structure for those interested in writing a story or screenplay, as it discusses character conflicts, act explanations and the like. “Life of a Shot” (6:57) looks at a part of the opening sequence with brief recollections from the Pixar crew involved in it, from the trivial to the substantial. The “Making of Day and Night” (2:00) is just that, but just as quickly as it appears, it’s gone. The “Studio Stories” section includes three interesting recollections from Pixar employees as they discuss things like a cereal bar (1:36), a tradition of head shaving (3:05) and a Constanza-esque hiding spot for Pixar animator Andrew Gordon (2:16). The “Family Play” section starts with “Goodbye Andy” (8:02), as the illustrators talk about the challenges in drawing so many grown-ups this go round and the challenges of making them look realistic without being overly so. “Accidental Toymakers” (3:56) looks at how Pixar became a force in the toy market with the film’s characters, while “Toy’s Eye View: Creating a Whole New Land” (5:19) looks at how Lasseter incorporates the film’s lore into a couple of Disney theme parks. “Epilogue” (4:23) covers the film’s closing credit sequence, sans credits. The “Publicity” section includes a quick reel of test motion footage (4:00), followed by “Ken’s Dating Tips” (1:30), three quick faux TV spots with one of the new characters from the film. Speaking of faux commercials, 80’s era commercials with Lotso are next (1:00), one for US and one for Japan audiences, and a making of those commercials to boot (1:28). Three other quick pieces titled “Internet Chat” (1:00), “Security Cam” (1:12) and “Gadgets” (:58) are next and aside from “Cam” being a clever spoof of horror films, can be skipped. “Dancing with the Stars at Pixar” (2:21) shows a couple of the show’s dancers at the studio showing off. There are seven trailers (five US, two Japan) of varying length, along with character introductions (2:00) and a poster gallery. The “Games and Activities” portion includes a BD-Live enabled trivia game.
Disc three includes the earlier-mentioned commentary with the standard definition copy of the film, along with a piece called “Path to Pixar” (4:38), which explains how some crew members got into the editorial department and what inspired them. “The Gang’s All Here!” (10:21) includes the old cast talking about returning one more time, and the new cast members talk about the privilege of being included for the film. Some of the earlier extras are brought to the disc too. Disc Four houses the digital copy for download to your device of choice.
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