Toy Story 3

The previous "Toy Story" films centered around a boy named Andy and his toys. "What are my toys doing when I leave my room?" must have been a universal question for young children when they saw the first film fifteen years ago and the impetus for such a film. "What should I do with my toys now that I've grown up?" is probably no less common of a question.

In "Toy Story 3," Andy (voiced in all three films by John Morris) is now getting ready for college and obviously finds no use for his toys which he previously loved. What does fate have in store for a toy whose owner is getting ready to leave for college? The gang is here again--Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head, Wallace Shawn as Rex, John Ratzenberger as Hamm, R. Lee Ermey as Sarge, and Joan Cusack as Jessie. Jim Varney, who voiced Slinky the Dog and who passed away in 2000, is now voiced by Blake Clark.

There are also new characters. Michael Keaton is Ken, who despite his narcissism (and adamant denial about being a girl's toy), finds new love with (of course) Barbie (voiced by Jodi Benson). Whoopi Goldberg is also here as a purple octopus (I think), and Timothy Dalton is a toy hedgehog who is also a thespian. Ned Beatty is Lots-O-Huggin Bear, or simply Lots, the leader of the group of toys the original gang encounters at Sunnyside, the daycare center they are accidentally donated to. Realizing that the children at Sunnyside are too young for them and that Andy is looking for his toys, they decide to try and escape.

Something I liked about the previous two "Toy Story" films and this one as well is the way in which adult themes are presented to younger audiences. When "Shrek" was released in 2001, I remember adults talking about all the "adult" moments in the film, though in that case it was mainly with heavily suggested innuendos. In the case of the "Toy Story" films, the themes have been those of alienation, depression, jealousy, identity confusion, abandonment and a lack of fulfillment. Most of this, I suspect, goes over the heads of its target audience; I was about eight-years-old when I saw the first "Toy Story" film and I doubt I recognized any of those themes.

I was fortunate not to have seen this film in 3-D. If I could lend my voice to the debate (which will soon pass away) on the use of 3-D in films, it is this: 3-D is awful. What is particularly annoying about the use of it is how stupid filmmakers must feel the audience members are. 3-D imagery is not necessary to try and wash away the boundaries between audience and projected images. Plato's cave allegory that there is a separation between the real and the copy should be enough proof. Our brains are efficient enough to understand the copy that is the cinema--we don't need a pair of uncomfortable and expensive glasses to help us. And from what I've heard, 3-D did nothing to enhance the viewing experience of "Toy Story 3."

In some ways "Toy Story 3" is too much of a repeat of the second installment, with an angry, villainous toy bitter about what his owner did to him and intent on preventing the other toys from achieving their happiness. It's also a bit crowded with characters, and even scary at times. The monkey might be the scariest character since Pale Man in "Pan's Labyrinth," and there's a scene which exemplifies how petrifying preschoolers are.

But there is a magic in this film that goes beyond nostalgia and sentimentality. In 1995 "Toy Story" initiated the brilliance of Pixar. Since then we have been blessed with "Finding Nemo," "Wall-E," and "Up." "Toy Story 3" provides a necessary sense of cloture and catharsis for these characters, but let's hope it will not be the last wonderful film from Pixar.