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

Jumanji

Chris Van Allsburg’s 1981 children’s book, Jumanji as adapted into an adventure/fantasy film in 1995. Starring Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, David Alan Grier, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde, and Bebe Neuwirth, it grossed over $200 million. It got a spiritual sequel in 2005 under the name of Zathura.

After Alan (Adam Hann-Byrd) and Sarah (Laura Bell Bundy) find a supernatural board game that makes animals and jungle hazards appear, the two play and Alan becomes trapped inside. Twenty-six years later, Judy (Dunst) and Peter (Bradley Pierce) move into the house and find the game. They free a now adult Alan (Williams) and seek out Sarah (Hunt) in order to finish the game.

It’s been said that Jumanji was supposed to be the definitive film for CGI usage in the 90s. And while the effects have a hit or miss effect, the story is quite good, especially with Williams not showing up until halfway through the film.  

The film is soaked CGI effects and was supposed to be the next big thing in development of the concept. However, while some of the effects were pretty good for mid-90s tech, like the vines and the lion. Transforming the wooden attic floor into quicksand was also fairly ok. However, a lot of it wasn’t and the effects don’t really age all that gracefully. The giant spiders near the end look incredibly fake as do the monkeys.

On the other hand, the plot of film is really good. It creates great suspense with the game itself from its first appearance until Alan and Sarah start playing, utilizing mysterious jungle drums to great effect. The inclusion of Van Pelt is a great way to bring home the idea of standing up for yourself instead of running away from your problems. Having him played by the same person that plays Alan’s father was a great idea.

Also, Williams, despite getting top billing, doesn’t show up until the second half of the film and he sort of plays against type. He’s not the manic funny guy, nor is he in the compassionate sagely role like he was in Good Will Hunting or Dead Poet’s Society. Here, he’s kind of shell shocked from experiencing the terrors of Jumanji for 26 years and just wants the game to end. He pulls it off really well, especially when he tells Peter how he’s not afraid because of all he’s been through.

Jumanji is pretty good, with the only real problem being how its digital effects stand up against the test of time. It’s well acted and has quite a good plot. 

A Bug's Life

Since Toy Story was such a success, Pixar decided to keep making films. Their next project, A Bug’s Life, retold Aesop’s fable of The Ant and the Grasshopper. Starring Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Hyde Pierce, Denis Leary, Bonnie Hunt, Brad Garrett and Mike McShane, the film made over $300 million worldwide. It was also nominated for Best Original Score, but lost to Shakespeare in Love.

Yearly, a peaceful ant colony is terrorized by a biker gang-esque group of grasshoppers, led by Hopper (Spacey). The ants are forced to give them an offering of food. But one year, and and named Flik (Foley) accidentally destroys the offering and Hopper forces the ants to create a replacement that is twice as large. He give them until the last leaf falls. The ants fear that the demand could ruin the colony and Flik volunteers to redeem himself by recruiting tough bugs to fight the grasshoppers. Princess Atta (Louis-Dreyfus) sees it as a way to get him away so she gives him her blessing.

Flik travels to the city and meets a bunch of recently fired circus bugs (Pierce, Leary, Hunt, Garrett, McShane, Joe Ranft, Jonathan Harris, Madeline Kahn), who he mistakes for warriors. He takes them back to the colony to prepare for the grasshopper’s arrival.

The Seven Samurai meets The Three Amigos with insects. For such an odd idea, this is actually a really good film.

Flik starts out as a complete loser. He’s got great ideas, but implements them terribly and is treated with contempt by everyone around him. And he’s either oblivious to that fact or just doesn’t care, believing his next thing to be what people love. In other words, he’s your average inventor who just wants to make his world better. And he’s so determined that he’ll risk his life to do it.

And it’s not that the other ants are bad for disparaging him. They’re just wary and weary of him. They’re tired of having to deal with all the stuff that hasn’t worked out and they don’t know what he’s going to do next. Atta and the royal council are actually quite justified.

Hopper is also a very intimidating villain. His only justification for what he does is that he feels insignificant to the ants and wants to be lord over them. Problem is, one ant has now realized Hopper is not as superior as he makes out to be. So he turns the screws and becomes even more threatening. But that’s his downfall when the ants realize he’s just someone projecting his own inferiority onto someone that can’t do anything but continue to defy him and stand.

The chemistry between the circus bugs is also really good, especially with Francis, Slim and Heimlich. The provide most of the comedy in the film and it never comes off as trying too hard or not trying at all.

It’s also got a great score.

#11