How to Train Your Dragon may have reinvented the wheel with it’s story, while Toy Story 3 took more chances, I gotta go with How to Train Your Dragon. It was a lot more fum to watch. I loved Toy Story 3, but as somebody already said, there was a feeling of mortality throughout the film. And I had a meloncholy feeling that wouldn’t let up until the end starting with the scene at the beginning when Woody called for a meeting, and Slinky Dog said that they were all there, and Woody started talking about the toys who were gone. Then I started remembering how fun and full of live Andy’s room was during the other Toy Story films. Then I had a problem with Lotso’s story. I felt that it trying to hard to be emotive. And I felt the same way about the ending when Andy gave the toys away. And that’s the first time I ever felt that way about scenes in a Pixar film that her going for heart felt moments. I actually found thought the part with Andy and Bonnie at the end cheesy.
How to Train You Dragon was so much fun, and a total shock to me. I wasn’t expecting it to be so good! I remember seeing it the first time, and thinking about it for the rest of the day. I didn’t think that it was trying to hard to be emotive, the characters were great, and I cared about them, the flying scenes were beautiful and exciting and the final battle was one of the most exciting battles I have ever seen in an animated film. And the score definately kicked this movie up a notch. As soon as I got home I bought the soundtrack, and after literally hundreds of plays later, I’m not tired of it. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. It’s so good, I think it stands on it’s own without seeing the movie. I remember playing Romantic Flight really loud one day, and my mom stopped what she was doing and asked me what was I listening to, and how much she liked it. And she’s not into that kind of music. I didn’t care for Randy’s score for Toy Story 3. There were times when I thought about A Bugs Life and PatF when the score would start. But I did enjoy the spanish version of You Got a Friend in Me.
IV, you have just voiced my opinions exactly. In my ideal world, TS3 would get Best Pic, HTTY will win Best Animated, and LOTG and Tangled would both get Noms.
Oh god, yes! That was melodrama to the extreme. It would’ve been simpler (IMO) if Andy played with the toys for the last time, and then gave Woody a last tug on his voice-string before climbing into his car. But having him hold that gaze, actually give a little gasp, and then a smile… was just too over-the-top, for a 18-year old who has never touched his toys for years. That ‘jump the shark’ moment simply snapped my heartstrings.
I agree with every word of your second paragraph too. Toy Story 3’s score was unremarkable, though I loved the Spanish Buzz rendition. But like The Dark Knight or Quantum of Solace, it is weighed down with too much ‘darkness’ for it to be a truly enjoyable ride taking again. Some people might feel it is emotionally-balanced and like any Pixar movie. Others might enjoy that kind of ‘gruelling’-feel kinda movie. Me, I do appreciate such ‘endurance’ and ‘dark and heavy’ films, but for some reason, TS3 didn’t fly with me.
And I have to disagree with you with regards to TS3 being more daring. It had an exact copy of the themes from TS2, just as much as HTTYD was from E.T. or Lilo and Stitch. It’s how they present something old, in a new way. Superman is Hercules. Homeward Bound is The Odyssey with pets. Bolt is like Homeward Bound. TS3 is like The Brave Little Toaster. Tangled is a reinvention of Rapunzel. Nothing’s original. It’s how you tell it with your heart that matters.
Just to reinforce my mantra of “Nobody’s truly original” here’s a comment from a Cartoon Brew article by “John”:
Well, I just keep getting hounded. I’ve even been verbally assaulted by a new member. It really stinks to me, because I always try to be the nicest to the new ones.
looks like there are many fans of HTTYD in this forum, which is great, people should not be afraid of express their opinions, whether they like a film or not, it is our decision, I still see Toy Story 3 as one the best films of the year (Inception, TSN, Black Swan and Tangled come in my list), but if someone doesn’t agree with me, is fine, IV keep going and defend your thoughts, I know you are a nice person
Anyway, at this point, I’d be happy either way. I would be a little bit disappointed if TS3 won best animated, because of the predactibility. But I personally despise this award, so I guess it’s my fault. I’m broken. But, again, they both deserve it, so it comes down to preference.
I think HTTYD was the first Dreamworks film in a long time that strived to limit it’s use of silly funny humor jokes and tried to creat a good movie, using a great story.
I can see that TS3 is a better film. I’ve accepted it and moved on. However, I just can’t cling to it like I did with Toy Story 2. And the ending of TS3 left it open for the same thing to happen again. With Dragons, the ending made total sense to me. I love both movies, and I won’t rant anymore. I just find some of TS3’s flaws unbearable and hard to sit through. It could have been the best movie ever.
It’s nice to know in the tech industry there seems to be little in the way of politics or discrimination. Just old school meritocracy. But that’s from a layman’s point of view. I can’t really comment on how these work.
It would’ve been simpler (IMO) if Andy played with the toys for the last time, and then gave Woody a last tug on his voice-string before climbing into his car. But having him hold that gaze, actually give a little gasp, and then a smile… was just too over-the-top, for a 18-year old who has never touched his toys for years. That ‘jump the shark’ moment simply snapped my heartstrings.
I’m broken. But, again, they both deserve it, so it comes down to preference.
That’s cool.