Editorial
Front Page - Friday, July 2, 2010
The Critic's Corner
David Laprad
“Toy Story 3” made me cry. Like Andy making Woody say, “Reach for the sky,” Pixar Studios pulled my string and the waterworks began. I would’ve been less embarrassed if I’d jumped up and shouted, “There’s a snake in my boots!”
I suppose I had nothing to be ashamed of. No matter how old we grow, we never forget our favorite childhood toys. For me, it was a stuffed rabbit I first saw on a rocking chair on Easter morning in 1970. We had a lot of adventures together, many of which involved me pretending he was a football and my diving leap onto my bed was the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl.
Bunny, as I called him, took the rough play like a champ, even as he lost his tail, ears and most of his fur. Like any cherished toy, he was more than a plaything; he was a part of my life when the world was small, but my imagination was big enough to bump up against the edges of the universe. Before adulthood pressed in around me, there was the innocence of childhood; baseball games, bike rides.Charlie Brown cartoons; and the love of a rabbit that was as real to me as the air I breathed.
In time, I let those things go and moved on. That’s what Andy is facing as “Toy Story 3” opens. As he prepares to leave for college, his mother tells him to either donate his toys to a daycare, store them in the attic or throw them away. While he puts his best buddy, Woody, in a box marked “College,” he throws the rest of the gang, including Buzz, Jessie, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Rex, Hamm and Slinky Dog, in a trash bag destined for the attic. His mother, however, hauls the bag to the curb, thinking it’s trash.
Through further mishaps, the toys end up at Sunnyside Daycare. While most of Andy’s toys express a desire to stay at Sunnyside, where they believe an endless stream of kids will play with them day after day, Woody insists they try to return home to Andy. Neither him nor Andy is willing to let go.
As you’ve probably inferred, “Toy Story 3” is thematically rich. Fans are going to be peeling back its layers for a long time. But it’s also entertaining. While no “Toy Story” sequel could be as witty and humorous as the original, the third movie is smart and funny, and the action is exciting and well-choreographed.
Also, Pixar once again shows why it’s the premiere computer animation moviemaker. The colors on the screen are richer, the character animation more intricate, and the screen packed with more detail than ever before. A scene in a dump yard features Pixar’s best work to date.
More impressive than the visual clarity of “Toy Story 3” is the intelligence and restraint Pixar instilled in every frame. The toys still look and move like toys; the animators never exceed those boundaries just to show off their skills.
Best of all, the film’s emotional coda provides the perfect wrap-up to three amazing movies. As I mentioned earlier, both Andy and Woody have trouble letting go of each other. Sometimes, we hang on to things we should set free, or those things cling to us and hold us back. In the end, Andy makes a decision that’s heartbreaking but grown-up, and Woody handles it like a cowboy.
As a result of its themes, there are some dark moments in “Toy Story 3,” but I think most children will be able to weather them. Pixar has crafted a movie that will entertain and speak to both kids and adults without alienating either group. Those guys and gals are nothing less than brilliant.
“Toy Story 3” will make you wish life played out in reverse, that you could get the hard stuff over with first and then settle down for a few carefree years of enjoying the simple pleasures of childhood. Since that’s not how things go, I’m glad Pixar decided to take us back, and in so doing, showed us we never lose our connection to that time, no matter how old we get or weighed down with responsibilities we become.
“Toy Story 3” is about more than letting go; it’s also about passing on the things we love. Somewhere in Smithville, Tenn., a 40-year-old stuffed rabbit with a new set of ears is sleeping in shoebox, waiting for the day I fetch him and hand him over to my (yet to be conceived) grandchild, who will have a knack for catching Super Bowl-winning touchdowns. Their love for each other will be as real as the air they breathe.
Email David Laprad at dlaprad@hamiltoncountyherald.com.
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