Directed by Lee Unkrich. Voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles, Michael Keaton, Wallace Shawn,John Ratzenberger, Timothy Dalton, Whoopi Goldberg, R Lee Ermey G cert, gen release, 98 min
Though the bar is set a little lower, Toy Story 3 is a charming, bitter-sweet finale to Pixar's beloved series, writes DONALD CLARKE
THE THIRD Toy Story movie is no masterpiece. Now, when the last two words of the previous sentence appear in a review, the observer will, most often, read a degree of irony into the prose. Have you seen Rob Schneider Ate My Baby? Hey, it's no masterpiece, buddy. That sort of thing.
It's a different story with Pixar. The animation studio's standards are so high that "masterpiece" has become the default setting. The latest film is being asked to find its place on not one, but two soaring exponential curves. The last two Pixars ( Wall-Eand Up) defied all expectations. The first two Toy Story movies proved that even a groundbreaking gem can, if talent and will allow, generate a superior sequel. Poor Toy Story 3.
We shouldn’t let the heritage obscure the merits of the long- delayed climax to the trilogy. Rich in poignant nods to the cruelty of time, enlivened by beautifully worked jokes, the film brings craft and energy to a summer that has, hitherto, been desperately short on mainstream crowd-pleasers.
The delay between Toy Story 2and the new film (largely a result of disputes between Disney and Pixar) proves advantageous to the larger story arc. Andy, owner of Woody the Cowboy, Buzz Lightyear and all the other chattering playthings, is about to leave for college and, in a chilling development, the gang contemplate life in the attic or a trip to the dump. Only Woody himself retains a firm place in Andy's future plans. (Anybody who's been to university in the past 30 years will imagine Woody perched ironically between a traffic cone and a giant plastic marijuana plant.)
As things work out, following a mix-up involving plastic bags, the group ends up being donated to a kids’ day centre. At first, all seems jolly, but it transpires that a despotic, psychologically flawed pink creature misleadingly named Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear has transformed the toy box into a place of misery and terror. Escape beckons.
The Toy Story films have always been serious comedies, but the occasional grimness of the latest episode is something else altogether. Even brighter children may miss the Bergmanesque undertones, but the intimations of mortality – at least one toy has been retired, following a voice artist’s death – will cause many grown-ups to swallow nervously.
Sure, the introduction of a vain Ken for sassy Barbie is a nice touch. Yes, the discovery of a pompously theatrical hedgehog is a nice touch. But doesn’t Lots-o’-Huggin’ come across a little too like a deranged serial killer? Doesn’t the toys’ relocation suggest the looming care home that awaits those of us lucky enough not to die young?
None of this is meant as criticism. Pixar's films thrive on the juxtaposition of adult wretchedness with childish naivety. Featuring a character design that echoes the cruder stylings of the 1995 original, Toy Story 3allows the viewer to take events as seriously as he or she wishes.
So, what’s not to like? Well, the middle act is a little chaotic. One gets the sense the writers are marking time between the troubling set-up and the genuinely moving final scenes. The unavoidable inflexibility of the toys’ personality inhibits any serious character development.
And then there is the continuing menace of 3D photography. Adding nothing to the sense of solidity and seriously darkening some of the night-time sequences, the process has gone from being a forgettable gimmick to a genuine aesthetic menace.
Still, even the flat version of Toy Story 3is no masterpiece. But it is really, really good. That should be enough.
Toy Story 3opens on Monday
