Toy Story 3 (2010)

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By: Oberst von Berauscht (A Toast)

A Toast

With their near flawless track record, it should come as no surprise that this is not only a fantastic film, but also Pixar Studio’s finest film to date. I must admit, I had reservations about this one from the earliest trailers and even through the glowing critical reviews that led up to its wide release. After all, how many sequels are as good as the original?

Ok, but for the most part, when sequels are made, they tend to be on the lighter side or cash-in titles for the studio to make more money with fewer ideas.

Toy Story 3 picks up approximately eight years after the last installment. Andy is headed to college, and the toys are boxed up and all but forgotten. In Toy Story 2, you might remember that Woody nobly saved Wheezy Penguin from the bargain box. Wheezy is gone now, and many other toys have suffered the garage sale fate. The toys that are left are the ones that Andy feels nostalgic enough to want to hold onto. Through a series of mistakes, Andy’s mom ends up donating the toys to a local day care center.

And of course…

Pixar pulled out all stops to not only make Toy Story 3 feel fresh, but also to make the more familiar elements of the script fit nicely in the new set pieces. And not only that, but they also make it feel essential; it draws the series to a close that brings all characters full circle. I can honestly say this is one of the rarest gems in a film series, a trilogy which ends on the highest note of the series.

I award this film one beer of fine pour, and exceptional quality.

Note:

I did spot a “Zach Moment”* near the end of the film.

(Spoiler alert)

At the end of the film, where the toys are headed for the incinerator, an awesome way to end the movie would have been a fade to black followed by the face of Woody staring up at the sky blankly as the camera zooms out slowly, to reveal that his eyes are all that remain, and you see the melted corpses of all our heroes in a heap at the bottom of the burn pile.

*A “Zach moment” is a time during a film where the filmmakers missed an opportunity to fuck with the audience’s heads. These moments may or may not enhance the viewers’ enjoyment of said sequence.

Verdict

This may be the best in the series, and that’s saying something.