Note: This Recap/Review may contain spoilers.
The gang is back this Friday in Toy Story 3 and they are on a mission to figure out where they belong as Andy heads to college. Toy Story 3 takes viewers on quite a comedic and emotional roller coaster in stunning IMAX 3D. And even after all of these years, Disney-Pixar has created another classic.
The film opens with the toys playing in a western setting, as it is what little Andy has made up in his imaginary game. Viewers are reeled in even more with a montage of Andy playing with his closest toys over the years. This leads to “operation play time” in the present day…as Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Hamm, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Rex, Slinky, Bullseye, and the Aliens attempt to be played again before Andy heads off to college. The toys have not been played with in years! Meanwhile, Barbie has been thrown out by Andy’s baby sister, Molly. This leaves Mr. Potato Head calling dibs on Barbie’s Corvette and the rest of the gang uncertain of their fate…the attic or outside on the curb as garbage. Unfortunately, Andy separates Woody from the rest of the toys by boxing Woody up for college and the others for the attic.
Even more unfortunate but equally exciting since it is the moment that really jump starts the story is when Andy’s mom thinks the toys are trash and takes them outside. Without the help of the family dog, Buster, Woody sets out to save the toys. Though Jessie tries to save the day and her actions raise the stakes like never before for the toys. The gang ends up being driven to Sunnyside Daycare which may have seemed like a solution to their problems but is revealed to be quite a huge conflict. Although this is not so much the case for Barbie, as she finally meets and falls in love with Ken (Michael Keaton). Barbie not only gets her chance to fall in love but she also has the opportunity to show just how intelligent she truly is throughout the film.
Other Sunnyside Daycare toy residents aside from Ken include Lots-O (Ned Beatty), Stretch the Octopus (Whoopi Goldberg), Twitch (John Cygan), Chunk (Jack Angel), Sparks (Jan Rabson), Chatter Telephone (Teddy Newton), BookWorm (Richard Kind), and Big Baby. Lots-O is the leader of the pack and the surprise villain…that is aside from the vicious children at Sunnyside Daycare who do not understand play time etiquette.
So Woody manages to leave Sunnyside Daycare, in his mission to be with Andy again, even though the other toys have accepted that their time with Andy may be over. It is not until he finds himself in the home of a child name Bonnie that he finds out that Sunnyside Daycare is not so sunny. Bonnie’s toys who fill Woody in on the truth include the thespian hedgehog named Mr. Picklepants (Timothy Dalton), Chuckles (Bud Luckey), Buttercup (Jeff Garlin), Trixie (Kristen Schaal), Dolly (Bonnie Hunt), and the Peas in a Pod (Charlie Bright, Brianna Maiwand, and Amber Kroner).
Even though Woody is welcomed with open arms by Bonnie’s toys, he must go back to save his friends. When he gets back to Sunnyside, he finds that Buzz has been reset to his demo mode again! This is not a driving force in the overall plot, so it is a welcome throw back to the previous films. What is also a welcome throw back is “The Claw” which comes back in a big way. The ending of the film will exceed your expectations and the film as a whole will have viewers demanding an early DVD and Blu-ray release.
The IMAX 3D experience really is the best way to see this film as the level of genuine emotion is so high in the film, that the IMAX screen and 3D effect enhance every movement, facial expression, etc… Everything was so intricately developed and was made at such a high quality on paper and on screen. It really is such a sincere and magical experience for the entire family that you do not want to hesitate to see it this weekend. This is how it is done. This is story telling at its finest.
Toy Story 3 opens Friday, June 18, 2010.
Note: The short film, “Day & Night,” directed by Teddy Newton is shown before the feature presentation of Toy Story 3.