Toy Story 3

The final installment in the Toy Story series was released in 2010. Directed by Lee Unkrich, Toy Story 3 brought most of the original voice actors back, replacing Jim Varney with Blake Clark and added Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton, Emily Hahn, Timothy Dalton, Whoopie Goldberg, Richard Kind, Bonnie Hunt and Kristen Schaal. The film grossed $1.063 billion and was the first animated feature to break the billion dollar mark along with the 13^th highest-grossing film of all time. At the top of Quentin Tarantino’s list of favorite films of 2010, it won the Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack, Academy Awards for Best Animated Film and Best Original Song, and the Saturn Award for Best Animated Film.

Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and their friends deal with an uncertain future as Andy (John Morris) has grown up and is about to head off to college. He puts the toys in a bag meant for the attic, but the toys mistakenly think they’re being thrown away so they climb in a box bound for a daycare.

Foreshadowed by a line by Stinky Pete in the second film, this installment is probably the most impactful of all the Toy Story films. The first dealt with jealousy, delusions and depression when faced with reality. The second with abandonment and skims growing up. This one goes all out in growing up and moving on, totalitarianism, loss, and even the inevitable. But still manages to do so in a way that’s appropriate for both kids and the young adults that grew up with the franchise.

Andy does finally grow up and the toys realize they’re headed for the attic, despite their attempts to get him to play with them. And in a misunderstanding, the toys think it’s in their best interests to move on to a day care. A daycare ruled with a purple iron fist that smells like strawberries. But when they’re finally able to escape, they have to face the end via incinerator. It’s one of the most poignant animated scenes ever, with all of them one by one accepting their fates and holding hands, ready to go out together.

But the film isn’t without its lighthearted moments. Buzz is shown to have a third setting, other than Space Ranger and Toy: Spanish Space Ranger. There’s also the well-timed reference to Star Wars, just like the first two films, with Big Baby throwing Lotso in the dumpster a la Darth Vader and The Emperor. And then it tosses Brick Jokes to the audience, both set up in the first film with one carrying over into the second. Rex finally gets to pal around with an herbivore and The Claw ultimately chooses who will go.

Production also made sure this was the perfect ending to the trilogy, with the filmmakers bringing back John Morris as Andy. Prior to this film, Morris hadn’t acted since Toy Story 2. Sid also has a cameo as a garbage man and he, too, has the same voice actor.

The only problem is the film goes on for a little too long and could have ended a couple times before it did. It makes sense to have Andy bring the toys to Bonnie and introduce one or two to them. But he does it for every single one and plays with them.

The joke was that full grown adults were barreling through kids in line for the film at theaters screaming they had waited 11 years to see it. And in the end, it really was worth it. Toy Story 3 really is the best of the trilogy.

#5