Toy Story 3 is simply one of the finest films I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. When I went into the movie, I knew it was going to be good- I have never seen a Pixar film that I hated, or even disliked. Pixar is a studio that stresses painstaking quality, excellent writing, and lovable, relatable characters. I knew I was going to get this with Toy Story 3- I had grown up watching the movies hundreds of times as a kid, and I could quote many, many lines from the first film. "YOU ARE A TOY! YOU AREN'T THE REAL BUZZ LIGHTYEAR! YOU'RE-YOUR'E AN ACTION FIGURE! YOU ARE A CHILD'S PLAY THING!" "You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity!" I even could sing all the Randy Newman songs: "Oh no, it can't be true- I could fly if I wanted to. Like a bird in the sky, I believe I can fly!!!!" I remember watching in anxious delight as a child at the awesome chase scene at the end of the film where the toys had to get back in the moving truck- and I still hold to this day that sequence is one of the finest in all of filmdom.
I went to see Toy Story 2 as a slightly older kid- I believe I was 11 or 12 when it came out- and I loved it just as much. Who can forget the awesome Buzz vs. Zurk fight sequence in the elevator? Or when the film attempts to outdo the original by having a chase-recovery scene with an airplane? Or the introduction of Mrs. Potato head? Wayne Knight as "Al" of "Al's Toy Barn"? Man, WHAT A GOOD MOVIE!
So, with me having watched both films at one time or another over the past 15 years and continuing to love them, I knew I was going to love Toy Story 3. I knew I was possibly in for a fun, light-hearted adventure full of amazing CGI and "Golly-bob-howdys" from the Slinky dog character. I did get these elements, but I also got a lot of dark, adult themes.
The premise of Toy Story 3 is that the toy's owner, Andy, is moving away to college. Over the years, Andy has grown older, and as it happens with children who grow older, he doesn't really play with his toys anymore.
Wow, look at how grown up he is! Anyway, Andy's mom comes in and says she is gonna throw out all the toys if Andy doesn't pack them up or donate them. I don't want to spoil the movie, but through a series of wacky mishaps the toys end up at a day care center. That's when things start getting dark. I will not ruin the rest of the movie for you, but I will discuss some of the themes in the film that stood out to me, and insert some examples when necessary.
The film deals with themes of growing up, abandonment, loss, death, and the attachment we as humans get for inanimate objects from our childhood. At one point in the film, *SPOILER* Andy decides that he wants to keep his toys, even though he doesn't play with them anymore. To him, they represent his childhood- a golden, idealized age of existence for us all where the fun never ends and there are no responsibilities. I myself could really relate to this scene- Even though I don't play with my old toys anymore, I've kept them all. There has been time after time where my Mom has brought my brother and I up to my room and said "Alright, let's go through these toys and decide which ones we're giving to the thrift store" And time after time, nothing gets donated to the thrift store. My brother and I associate those toys with the endless imaginative fun we had with them as children. *END SPOILER*
The film could even be said to have themes of questioning one's faith. *SPOILER* Throughout the film, the toys are constantly questioning if their "Owner" loves them anymore. They question the point of their existence- Are they just pieces of plastic, or do they serve a greater purpose? At one point in the film, the villain, Lot-So-Huggin Bear, states "YOU ARE TRASH!" and a little bit later, as he is about to effectively "end" a toy's life, he states "WHERE IS YOUR KID NOW?!" Symbolism, much? While it is most likely that I am reading too much into these scenes in the movie, the themes are still very adult and could raise some interesting discussions between friends, family and children that see the movie.*END SPOILER*
I have read somewhere that some people even consider the movie an extended metaphor for the afterlife- *SPOILER* The room where the toys are tortured and beaten by the toddlers is a kind of purgatory- The Lotso-Bear character even states that every toy must go through the room in order to get to another room with the older children where the toys are played with nicely. The garbage incinerator that the toys descend towards at the end of the film is an obvious metaphor for hell. Now you may think I am going too far- "IT'S TOY STORY, IT'S NOT DANTE'S INFERNO!"-and maybe I am. But again, it's just something interesting to think about.
Aside from all the dark themes, there were plenty of great moments: *SPOILER* The return of the aliens and "The claaaaaaw". The truly EPIC imagination sequence at the beginning of the movie. Mr. Potato Head as a tortilla. The Totoro (a character from a Hayao Miyazaki anime film) cameo. Spanish-speaking Buzz Lightyear. The hideous old baby toy character, complete with half opened eye. Randy Newman music. The stylistic Lotso Bear flashback scene. I could go on! *END SPOILER*
I have always loved children's movies that have dark themes. Among some of my favorite movies growing up were The Brave Little Toaster, Aladdin, Babe, The Lion King, and Pinnochio. All of these movies have very dark moments- Toaster is dark throughout and has the same themes of affection for inanimate objects that Toy Story 3 has. Alladin has the whole Jafar turning into a giant, demonic snake thing. Babe has the killing of Babe's mother at the beginning of the film. The Lion King has the death of Mufasa. Pinnochio has the whole nightmare section on "Pleasure Island" (I read the actual book the film was based on as a kid, and it was even more terrifying). I read somewhere that children have two big emotions- happiness and fear- and that is why good children's movie have these themes.
Go see Toy Story 3. If you don't like this movie, I can say in all confidence that you are a soulless wraith and have the movie taste of a sea slug. Except for that sea slug that showed me Eraserhead. He had good movie taste.
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