by Arrow » Sat Sep 04, 2010 10:31 am
^ I couldn't disagree more.
I thought Toy Story 3 was probably the best way they could have ended the trilogy. I don't necessarily understand the "rehash" complaints either. As someone else mentioned it's one thing to accept that something will happen later down the line and it's another to face that upfront. For example, from the day I entered High School I knew I'd have to leave home and go to college. I accepted that fact then. I'd even accepted that fact while trying to get everything worked out during the summer. But it was an entirely different matter when all was said and done the night before and I was leaving home the next day. Even for a movie that shares (one might even argue that it expands upon) the same theme as its predecessor, Toy Story 3 manages to be entertaining and well-done - it stands on its own as a movie and is a nice treat for people who liked the films as children (I only saw the first two on video though).
I hadn't seen a Toy Story movie in years before this came out so I was kind of taken when I saw how Andy had aged. I enjoyed the cameo from Sid, now an adult. Even though it's nothing more than a treat for old fans who enjoy things like that it helps drive home the fact that a lot of time has passed. I knew coming in that Lotso was a bad guy and his backstory didn't do a whole lot for me, though backstories rarely make me feel any sympathy. The prison break sequences were amusing and I laughed when Ken did the whole modeling bit. Unfortunately I couldn't really feel sad when the toys were headed towards the inferno simply because I knew they weren't going to die. But I liked that they subverted Lotso's "redemption". I like when bad guys stay bad - though his punishment could've been so much harsher. I honestly found the ending to be sadder than the toys nearly dying. And not because it's "dark" or "tragic" (it isn't), but because it's a simple fact of life: you grow up and move on.
It's a funny, entertaining, and heartfelt animated movie. Pixar did it again. I actually enjoy this one more than the first two.