Monday Morning Pathfinder: Toy Story 3

What better way to begin this blog than with a post about my favorite animated franchise of all time? Today, ladies and gentlemen, we'll be looking ahead to Toy Story 3 to be released on June 18th, 2010. If you haven't yet seen it, check out the trailer now:



When I first saw the trailer for this movie before the Toy Story/Toy Story 2 3D Double Feature back in October, I nearly peed my pants in excitement. Up until I saw that double feature, I had a little trouble deciding which of the two Toy Stories I liked better. During the second movie, however, I realized that Toy Story 2 is in fact the better movie, and from the looks of this trailer, Toy Story 3 has the potential to be the best of the series. That's no small accomplishment, considering the fact that Toy Story 2 (followed closely by the first) is the best animated film ever made (regarding all the buzz about Up, I haven't seen it so I can't weigh in on it; I'll let you know what I think when I do see it).

There was talk of an earlier draft of the movie being focused around a Buzz Lightyear recall and the toys' journey to Japan to rescue Buzz, but as much as I thought that could be cool and funny, it sounded a little too much like the main storyline of Toy Story 2 with a different plot device. I think it's appropriate, now that 10 and a half years will have passed between sequels at the time of 3's release, that Andy is now college age, and I'm curious to see how the toys themselves respond to being dumped off at a daycare, since the theme of being forgotten and given away by the children who loved them was discussed often in 2. My only minor complaint is that the younger Andy in this trailer doesn't exactly look a whole lot like the Andy I remember from the first two movies. Sure, the technology has gotten better and Pixar has certainly improved their animation skills, but even though he does look more "realistic," something seems a little off about his appearance... "chubby" isn't quite the right word, but he looks a little more rounded.

The main cast has returned for this film, barring the late Jim Varney, who has been succeeded by Blake Clark. I'm torn on this; I'm never a fan of recasting, and I think the situation was handled well in the animated short featured before Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (a great movie in its own right, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it). In that clip, all the major characters from the Toy Story series had speaking parts except for Slink, who just moved about and gestured when appropriate, and I think that worked perfectly fine. On the other hand, it's easier to hide a character's silence in a 3 minute animated short than it is in a feature length film. The only way to avoid recasting Slink would have been to cut him out of the movie completely, and that's not a good idea either. From what I've heard, Blake Clark sounds enough like Jim Varney to get the job done, and I suppose that's all I can ask for. One of the most promising things I see on the cast list is Michael Keaton as Ken; I think this has potential to be really funny. If you asked me to put a voice to Ken, I'd be more likely to go with Cary Elwes, but that's just my personal preference, and Keaton is a solid choice.

It seems like the great adventure of this movie is going to be the escape from the day care, and I wonder just where they plan on going once they do get out; perhaps, in a Brave Little Toaster-esque scenario, to find Andy? The malfunctioning, Spanish speaking Buzz Lightyear looks mildly amusing, but I have a feeling it could get old quickly. The way the fake Buzz led them through Al's Toy Barn and the apartment building was one of the funniest things about Toy Story 2, so the idea of "resetting" him could be humorous enough, but the language barrier might keep it from being truly hilarious, and if it goes on for too long it could get downright annoying. The rest of the charming humor incorporated in the first two films looks to be intact, however, and I look forward to seeing how Andy's toys interact with the new toys they meet in the day care.

I'm doubtful that there will be a fourth installment in this series, so this will probably be the last we see of Woody, Buzz, and the gang. I can't wait to find out how it resolves and where the toys ultimately end up, but I'm sure wherever they go, it'll be a great ride. With all the elements in place for another superb piece of computer animated cinema, and being the second sequel to the film that started it all, Toy Story 3 is my most anticipated movie of 2010.

-Billy