Toys 'R Them
Cohesive and poignant, ‘Toy Story 3’ also works on a visceral level
By Lisa Miller 06/24/2010
Directed by Lee Unkrich and featuring the voice talents of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles, Michael Keaton, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, Timothy Dalton, Jodi Benson and Wallace Shawn
The “Toy Story” franchise has always blurred the line bet-ween humans and the inani-mate playthings of childhood, but this time that line is almost indistinct.
When designing the perspectives of Andy’s toys, Pixar’s storytellers took a cue from our canine pets. Owners of multiple dogs know that dogs stripped of human companions stick together, only to happily abandon one another when human society becomes available. Like our pets, the story supposes that toys, satisfied and energized by children’s imaginations, exhibit separation anxiety from their owners.
Until now, Andy’s toys have eagerly anticipated spending time with Andy (John Morris). However, as Andy readies himself for college, his toys are compelled to consider life without him. His favorite toy, Woody (Tom Hanks) the cowboy, is pleased that Andy plans to take Woody to school with him. Woody attempts to comfort the other toys, promising them safe haven in the attic during his absence. Jessie the cowgirl (Joan Cusack), Buzz Lightyear the astronaut (Tim Allen), Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head (Don Rickles and Estelle Harris), Rex the dinosaur (Wallace Shawn), Hamm the pig (John Ratzenberger) and Slinky Dog (Blake Clark), aren’t convinced. As it turns out, their misgivings are well founded.
Woody, Jessie and Buzz are the de facto leaders of Andy’s toy box. Perhaps that’s because these three look so much like us. Pixar’s CGI animation doesn’t distinguish between the faces of adults, children or the children’s humanly-modeled toys. All are plastic smooth, even when rippled by fear or sadness. The ploy cons us into investing the toys with a wide range of human emotions that pay off during daring action sequences.
The setup neatly contrasts harrowing bits with mundane domestic concerns, circumstances that land Andy’s toys at the Sunnyside Daycare Center. Here Barbie (Jodi Benson) finally meets her Ken (Michael Keaton), while everyone is initially impressed by a kindly Teddy Bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty). This middle passage is punctuated by humorous action, Barbie and Ken’s romance and by the backstories of Lotso and his cohorts. Ultimately, realizing they won’t last long at Sunnyside, Andy’s toys attempt to escape and find the Daycare’s security measures tantamount to those of a prison.
The film skillfully handles both dark and light themes by making them feel organic to the toys’ situation. An exception is the extended exploration of Ken’s Dream House — namely his mammoth walk-in closet stuffed with enough clothes for three movie stars.
The question at the heart of “Toy Story 3,” is whether Woody’s loyalty belongs with Andy or with Woody’s fellow toys. He spends most of the film straddling the two, but the knowledge that he must eventually choose one destiny over the other creates an undercurrent of tension. The film doesn’t gloss over Woody’s feelings of loss, or his realization that toys are disposable objects.
“Toy Story 3,” a cohesive and poignant tale, also works on a visceral level. Though disturbing and sometimes perilous, change can provide new opportunities and gives us new reasons to hope that Woody and the gang will return in “Toy Story 4.”
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