Your Toy Story 3 Reviews

Pixar's Feature Films Toy Story / Lightyear
#121

After seeing it twice and giving it a month’s thought, I have finally come to the conclusion of my opinions of Toy Story 3. I’m writing the review as I speak, but it’s not anywhere near completion yet. All I can say is that in my opinion it’s the second best movie ever made (behind Wall-E), and I’m not just talking about the second best Pixar movie. I don’t know why so many people are complaining about the soundtrack. It’s one of my all time favorites from Pixar, and I immediately bought the album after watching it. It’s like a nostalgic yet fresh ensemble of tunes. My favorites are as followed:

You’ve Got a Friend In Me (Spanish Versoin)-
Very hip and fun, and I especially love the scene it accompanies in the movie, and the cool guitar fade near the very end.

Cowboy!-
Simply epic…I love the Woody aspects, the Buzz aspects, the Potato Heads’ guitar solo; everything. Several very cool parts near the mid-beginning, too.

You Got Lucky-
I don’t care as much for the second half as much as I do for the first, but man is the first half awesome. It’s so bone-chillingly creepy, yet incredibly tragic at the same time. As an introduction to my favorite TS3 character (see if you can guess who) it left a great impression on me for the rest of the movie.

[spoil]The Claw[/spoil]-
By far my favorite piece, not only is it the best scene, but the best score as well. The best way to describe it would be a mix between Monsters, Inc. (which is why a lot of people are calling it familiar) and Schindler’s List. Two completely different films that combine scores to make it even more awesome. The metal drum during the [spoil]incinerator part[/spoil] bumped this up to a definite Oscar nom next year, and the end is a wonderful payoff with several nods to the score when Buzz and Woody are falling with style at the end of Toy Story 1.

[spoil]So Long[/spoil]-
Simply sad, and the perfect piece of music for the perfect good bye to the perfect trilogy of perfect movies. Toy Story 3 was, well… perfect. A full review should be coming soon, so in the mean time, please see this movie again before it goes out of theatres. You’ll be kicking yourself forever if you don’t.

Chuckles out!

#122

Chuckles- Oh, there’s nothing wrong with the soundtrack per se, and I’m sure listening to it outside of the film it’s very good. It’s just that at certain points, in my opinion, the soundtrack was almost trying too hard to both recall memories from the previous films whilst at the same time applying to Toy Story 3. That’s such a difficult thing to pull off, and I’m not quite sure it worked. Still, it’s all a matter of opinion.

#123

Yeah, I’m not saying its bad, its all very good. I just feel like the goodbye track stood out, and would like the rest to be on that level in terms of freshness. its one of the few tracks I can actually recall from memory. The rest are more atmospheric and understated.

#124

I understand, and I wish it was a bit more original at times too (but that’s the problem with Randy Newman scores). They’re awesome, but repeat almost all the time. Nevertheless, it was simply a rush of pure nostalgia to me and I loved every moment.

#125

I saw it again yesterday, and I enjoyed it so much :slight_smile: The audience was okay, these 3 girls behind me wouldn’t be quiet until the movie started. And then this lady kept spoiling all the good parts. When we were almost at the [spoil]incinerator[/spoil] scene, she had to say, “Oh, this part’s scary!” and then at the end she said “Oh, this is sad!” and some kid yelled “Daycare!” when the toys arrived, but thankfully they were much better behaved then other audiences I’ve had.
I still almost cried at the end, and I felt happy and sad at some parts I never felt happy or sad before with. Mostly because the audience helped me feel sad or happy. Most of them said “Awww!” when [spoil]Rex brings up Bo Peep and Woody has a small catch in his throat.[/spoil] I laughed even harder at the Spanish Buzz stuff, along with everybody else. Somebody said “Eeeew.” when the monkey came up. I agreed with him 100%! They all went “Awwwww!” again when [spoil]The toys are out of the dump but Buzz and Jessie are still holding hands.[/spoil] They could be heard crying at the end, and during the end credits everybody was enjoying [spoil]Buzz and Jessie’s dance.[/spoil] including me. :slight_smile: I went home humming We Belong Together. (I love that song like crazy right now!) And the minute I got home I looked up a bunch of TS3 videos.
I had a great time last night (Except for my Reese’s melting) and I love Toy Story 3 now more than I did the last time I saw it. Pixar, you’re awesome and I can’t wait for Cars 2! :smiley:

#126

Aw… lucky you! :frowning:

Great review, lizardgirl! I, too, was a little uncomfortable watching Toy Story 3. I mean, it’s not the kind of ‘wow-this-is-over-the-top-fun’ kind of thrill like the earlier movies, but the kind of dreadful ‘this-is-scary-and-depressing’ kind of thrill. Which in a way, is entertaining, but probably why I didn’t fall in love with it as much as I did for How to Train Your Dragon or Wall-E.

They really took the whole ‘mortality-existential’ theme from the first two movies to a whole new level in this one. And yes, I was very upset when [spoil]Rex got hurt, or when the toys got all fatalist in the incinerator inferno.[/spoil] But that was something brave for Pixar, even by their terms, and I admire them for not holding back. Where a lesser studio would have tried to insert a joke to liven things up, the bad stuff keeps getting worse and worse (I mentioned in the last Movie Night that Pixar has a tendency to have ‘improbable successive misfortunes’ in their stories to the point of absurdity, and the beginning of TS3 was very similar to TS2!). I guess that’s what keeps us as the audience on the edge of our seats.

The music for me was quite distracting and forgettable at the same time. Distracting as, like other members have said, you recognise the familiar riffs. But also in the sense that it’s not very subtle, so you can sort of tell that ‘Oh, here comes the dramatic music, okay, this is suppose to be the poignant bit’. A good score should be enjoyable, but not bubble to the top of your consciousness. I kept getting ‘snapped out of the scene’ for this movie, for some reason.

Forgettable, because, other than the rousing opener and the Spanish-remix closer, I can’t recall any memorable tracks from any scenes. Whereas for Dragons, I can remember ‘Romantic Flight’, ‘Test Drive’ etc. or Up, ‘Carl Goes Up’, ‘Kevin Beakin’, etc. Here, it just sort of melded into an indistinguishable whole for me. I dunno. That’s how I felt.

I still think though, that Toy Story 3 is one of the best movies of the year! Now we’ll have to see how Inception and Guardians of Ga’Hoole stands up. :wink:

#127

Thanks, thedriveintheatre! I completely agree with everything you’ve said there, especially the fact that at times, Toy Story 3 was very painful to watch. I am pleased that Pixar didn’t hold back though, like you said- I think that sort of raw situational emotion is unprecedented in any animated film so far, Pixar or no Pixar. It was a very strange experience. And yes, I think you’ve got it spot-on about the score, too.

I’m hoping to see Toy Story 3 again next week with my mother, who really wants to see it after how much I was babbling on about it after I saw it the first time. To be honest, I think she’ll be most upset at the part when [spoil]Andy’s mum is saying goodbye to him before he goes off to university.[/spoil] :laughing:

#128

Imagine you’re a big, strapping 33 year old male grizzly bear from Yorkshire. You just can’t be seen crying in the cinema at a cartoon!!! The last 10 minutes nearly killed me. I was fighting it so hard too but those damn glasses don’t help and I felt a tear trickle down my face and my chin was wobbling like a plate of jelly. When the gang all start to hold hands I was really battling to hold it all together and just as I think I might…my little girl, with real peril in her voice yelps “What’s going to happen Daddy?”. Well that was it, I was off like a burst pipe. And the whole ending just cut me wide open. I shall have to go watch it again in the hope I can compose myself in time to enjoy the end credits this time!

Thank you Pixar, you never let us down. Woody would be so proud. 10/10. :smiley:

#129

Oh god, I nearly broke at that point, too! I was thinking of [spoil]my mum as well, she was also sad of me leaving for Sydney when I started college[/spoil]… I think she’d cry if I ever convince her to watch that scene.

Haha, you big crybaby! :stuck_out_tongue:

[size=59]Just kidding mate, I was a mess at the end too. :slight_smile:[/size]

#130

I probably would have been a mess at the [spoil]incinerator[/spoil] scene, but I was too scared to be a mess. :slight_smile:

#131

I saw Toy Story 3 for a second time the other night, but this go around I saw it at the drive in (unfortunately, only one drive in left in my state). The movie was just as good as I remembered it being when I saw it a month ago. Toy Story is my favorite of the three, but the third movie is arguably the best of the trilogy.

#132

Am seeing Toy Story 3 tonight, will be back with a review. :wink:

#133

I just got back from my first TS3 screening.
I’ll have to withhold final judgement until I have seen the English version, as many of the German voices just didn’t fit the characters (Rex sounded particularly bad).

Also the soundtrack didn’t feel like anything special.
It is definitely Randy Newman’s weakest score and by far the weakest score of any Pixar film to date.
That’s quite sad considering their track record of truly awesome scores, culminating in the “Memories can weigh you down” sequence from Up.

So far I would give it a shockingly low 7.5/10, which puts it at the bottom of my Pixar list.
I’m sure that will go up with a decent voice cast, but 9/10 is the limit, simply because of the mediocre score.

But enough complaining -
I was pleasantly surprised by some aspects that I didn’t see coming from the trailer, which looked pretty spoiler-laden to me.
Bonnie enters the ranks of my all-time favorite Pixar characters with ease, and the Jessie/Buzz and Barbie/Ken scenes were just brilliant.
Oh, and I’m glad Totoro got way more screentime than anticipated. :smiley:

#134

I’m surprised you thought the score was weak, the music that plays through the indinerator is epic and scary and everything it should be! And the touching tune at the end is awesome too I thought

#135

Yeah, I have to admit, after having seen it for the second time today, the music in the [spoil]incinerator scene[/spoil] was stronger than I’d thought it was, and there are a few other moments in which the score stood out for me as I’d been able to ignore the bits which I thought weren’t as good.

Second time round the film isn’t quite as shocking, and it was slower when set in Andy’s room at the beginning than I’d remembered, but aside from that it was once again a great experience and I really felt the build-up this time.

#136

Time for an update, based on a 3D screening of the original version.
First off, I like the score a bit better now.
My initial reaction was mostly due to the fact that I missed some of my favorite cues from the first two films, and that some bits (e.g. [spoil]Buzz climbing into the vending machine[/spoil]) just sounded a bit odd for a Toy Story film.

As expected the original voice cast improved my enjoyment of TS3 immensely. Every single voice fit the respective character perfectly, and wow, Slinky really did sound like in the first two films.

As for a possible fourth film (unlikely, but you never know), I am really torn because although I’m not a fan of sequels, they introduced so many awesome new characters that I would love to see again.

Final score: 9/10

By the way, this was my first 3D screening of a full-length feature, and I was really glad that I didn’t suffer from any major headaches.
It does strain the eyes a bit, though.

Before Day & Night and TS3 there was a 3D trailer for Despicable Me, and that showed you perfectly how you should not do 3D.
They pushed the 3D effects totally in your face, and the whole thing looked like you had many separated, totally flat layers (more like multilayered 2D than proper 3D).
But even when done properly (which Pixar thankfully does), I don’t think stereoscopic projection adds anything meaningful to the film.
It’s certainly not worth the premium over a ticket for a 2D screening.

#137

:smiley: I loved every single moment let me get my thoughts together and then I will post my mini review.

#138

My review of Toy Story 3…

I went and saw the movie last month on a Saturday. Thankfully my local theater is equipped with 3D Projectors so I was able to enjoy the movie in 3D.

Holy cow… to say i was impressed would be a understatement. Early on I had told my self that I wouldn’t read anything deep about the movie’s plot line. And boy, I’m glad I didn’t.

While there are similarities to Toy Story 2 as pointed out by Fett101. The character developments are quite different than Toy Story 2 imo.

The movie has some really powerful parts. Like the following:

At the beginning of the movie. We have flashbacks of Andy while he was younger. While the song "You Got a Friend in Me’ plays in the background. What threw me for a loop is when it got to the “Our Friendship will Never Die” part of the song. The Song and the Flashbacks stop suddenly at “Our Friendship will…”. Making it very clear that things have changed.

The Entire back story of Lots’o, the baby doll, and the clown. And I thought the story of Jesse was sad. At least she didn’t get lost, and ended up being replaced like Lots’o did. And Lots’o’s anger, thought tragic is understandable.

The part where the Woody and the Gang are facing what they think is a certain end. When they are getting ever so closer to the furnace. And then, they all hold hands with the idea if they are going, they are going together. Thank god for the Pizza Planet aliens. And their obsession of Claws lol!

[spoiler]The end of the movie where Woody leaves Andy a note. Saying to drop off the other toys to the little girl who saved Him off the tree. This has to be the most emotional part of the movie. We have Andy driving up to the house. And giving the girl the toys.

Telling the imaginary stories of each toy. The last toy Andy gets to is Woody. Which he wasn’t expecting to find in the box. Which the girl instantly recognizes. Here we see Andy facing the idea of giving up Woody. One of his most favorite toys of his childhood. Andy gives the girl Woody. Asking her to make sure to take good care of him.

Then Andy, all of the sudden. Starts play with the Toys and the girl. After Andy is done, and has to go. We see Andy, saying good bye to Woody and the other toys. And he drives off into the sunset towards collage.[/spoiler]

Anyway, I really like the fact that I basically grew up with Toy Story. And the fact that Toy Story 3 is a coming of age story. And the fact I’m facing similar things that Andy was facing in Toy story 3. (Though I’m not moving away for Collage!)

And I think Toys Story as a whole. Is one of those once in a generation kind of things. That most likely not be repeated. Of if tried, won’t have the level of success that the Toy Story trilogy has.

I give Toy Story 4.5 Cowboy hats out of 5. If you haven’t seen it yet. Either go watch it in theaters if still possible. Or get the movie as soon as it comes out on DVD or Bluray![/spoil]

#139

As with Up, I did a 2 part video review for this film on my YouTube channel, the link to that shall be provided, I would also include the script in text form but I deleted it by accident -_-

Link to Part 1 youtube.com/watch?v=RLyD2nN75MU

Link to Part 2 youtube.com/watch?v=7EBD3TXTVFQ

#140

Leon, could you not say d**n? I’m not offended, but I don’t wnt the mods to give you a warning or edit your posts, either.