Disney and Pixar Prove That We're Never Too Old for Toys!

Pixar is currently one of the toughest guns to beat in the film business, especially after collaborating with Disney to release films such as Monster's Inc., A Bug's Life, and The Incredibles.

Audiences around the world fell in love with the first Toy Story film released in 1995, starring the always entertaining Tom Hanks, and the forever comedic Tim Allen. Walt Disney Pictures teamed up with Pixar Animation Studios to produce the first feature-length film to be animated entirely using CGI technology. This film was a huge hit, grossing more than $360 million worldwide, and receiving extremely positive reviews from critics, currently having a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

History then repeated itself four years later with the release of Toy Story 2, which followed in the footsteps of its blockbuster predecessor, grossing $485 million worldwide, and earning a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Finally, in the summer of 2010, Disney and Pixar released a third installment of the series, unsurprisingly entitled Toy Story 3. The film is the most financially successful of the trilogy, earning more than $1 billion dollars in box offices worldwide, trailing behind successful films such as Avatar and Titanic. It is also the highest grossing animated film ever, ahead of Shrek 2, and managed to score an outstanding 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, ironically the lowest scoring of the film series.

Summary

The film continues to follow the adventures of Sheriff Woody (Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Allen), and the rest of the toy box. As a grown-up Andy prepares to move off to college, he decides to put his beloved toys in the safety of the attic. However, a series of misunderstandings cause the toys to donate themselves to Sunnyside Daycare (much to Woody's chagrin), where they meet Lotso, a seemingly warm and cuddly teddy bear with a dark personality, and an even more haunting past. Again, the toys have to put aside their personal opinions and differences to escape Lotso's clutches, and return home to Andy for the last time.

Review

If any film deserves to be highly praised, it's this one. Not only is the imagery clean and crisp, but the emotion and meaning behind the story is so honest that it could move the hearts of even the toughest critics The characters are once again at their best with a talented voice cast who all seem connected to each other. Although they are each made of either plastic, rubber, or polyester, it is amazing to see how their emotions are no different to ours. In fact, they are almost better.

Ratings

Story: 10/10 - It's very rare for me to award a film a perfect score for story, but I couldn't find ANYTHING wrong with this plot.

Characters: 9.5/10 - ALMOST hit the jackpot with this one. However, I wish some characters could have been given more dialog, (Slinky Dog), and we could have gotten to know some of the new characters a bit more, (Trixie, Chuckles, Dolly). I also wish they could have kept Bo Peep, however, Barbie was a worthy replacement, courtesy of The Little Mermaid's Jodi Benson.

Acting: 10/10 - Need I say more? SPOTLESS! From Tom to Tim and Jodi to Estelle, simply immaculate!

Music: 9/10 - One of the few downfalls; the MUSIC. I think music is important in an animated film, even if it were to be one or two theme songs. That's what makes a Disney film so memorable. Although I give props for David Newman's We Belong Together and the score he wrote that helped intensify the story, it would have been nice to hear a cheesy, catchy, and almost annoying pop-tune, such as You've Got a Friend in Me.

Score: 96%

This film is a definite must-see with it's charismatic characters and clean comedy. There is a reason this film did so well, and that is because the effort and heart the directors, story writers, and even actors put into this film constantly shines through. To make a long story short, do not let your life go by without seeing this film.