A work in progress cut of Toy Story 3 (sans Randy Newman) was shown today at ShoWest and reactions were wild! Wildly good that is!
As expected, Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson were in attendance to introduce their new film. John Lasseter, who was presented with the Big Ten Award, introduced Teddy Newton’s new short. The director/producer duo made it clear that no formal reviews or plot details should be published at this time.
Hype was welcome, though.
Many movie blogs are buzzing about their experience. Most commonly, they’re citing the last 30 minutes or so as exceptional material. Looks like we’re going to have another tear-jerker this summer. But don’t get me wrong, they’re saying it’s wildly funny too, and filled with classic Pixar charm:
• slashfilm: Toy Story 3 was great, last 30 minutes were pure brillance.
• firstshowing: Toy Story 3 was wonderful, so much fun and heartwarming, too! Totoro is in it a few times as well. Pixar at their best
• colliderfrosty: Toy story 3 continues pixars streak of brilliance. Last 20 or 30 minutes wrecked me.
• elguapo1: Toy Story 3 was fantastic. People were crying at the end. I guess we can expect another tear jerker.
• EDouglasWW Just saw Toy Story 3 at Showest… Brilliant job @leeunkrich
Even Ed Catmull joined in the excitement, pointing at his friend’s reaction. edcatmull: I had a friend just email me after the TS 3 screening and he raved about it. Good sign.
A couple of film sites couldn’t hold back and posted vague but exciting opinions about what they saw.
Latino Review assures us that the sequel is "just as funny, sweet, adventurous, sad and goofy" as the last two films. Jim Hill Media adds that the crew did an amazing job making "seamless flow of story and character development from 1 to 2 to 3." Entertainment Weekly doesn’t hold back either saying that the film is "high-quality" but "also exceptionally emotional."
Coming Soon joined in saying they would "see [TS3] again right away"! CinemaBlend, who was also at the screening, "guarantee[s] [we] will enjoy this film" because it’s "entertaining and lovely." On the other hand, they didn’t feel it was the best time to release Toy Story 3, for whatever reason.
Update: Peter Sciretta of SlashFilm also shared his opinion of the film and short. Bottom line, he loved it. Head on over to Stitch Kingdom for a great gallery from the event.
Pixar’s next short was not ignored. Coming Soon confirms that Day & Night features 2D animation with 3D inside of the characters and CinemaBlend describes Day & Night as "an artistic leap even though it boasts some of their simplest animation."
Is it safe to say that Toy Story 3 will be Pixar’s 11th critical hit in a row?
Last modified: March 16, 2010
‘Last 20 or 30 minutes wrecked me’ — this one really interests me, somehow. I can only guess — but I know Pixar will certainly pull off an emotional finale.
—Leirin
I can only guess as to what may have happened, but I want the same feeling to wash over me like during ‘Jessie’s Song.’ I want that Mack Truck of emotion to barrel into me at 120 mph, and ruin me emotionally.
At least it sounds like PIXAR didn’t let the thought of shooting fish in a barrel cloud their judgement (any other studio would have gone: “Toy Story 3? We can make this cheaply and reap even more money!”).
I second uruseiranma‘s comments on the matter. Judging by these reviews, tissues will be required, and I’m glad that Pixar takes care in “smoothing out their sculptures”, as it were, until they’re just so instead of rushing through things.
In any case, this is wonderful news. I definitely look forward to seeing this film come June 18th. Thanks for the information!