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In my very first blog for families.com I bemoaned Pixar’s current penchant for making sequels, a trend I blamed on Walt Disney Corp. CEO Bob Iger. I’ve expanded, or at least reiterated, my opinions on the matter since then. Some might say, however, that I should stop criticizing the making of all of Pixar’s recent sequels if I never bother to see them, something I just haven’t felt motivated to do.
Nearly a year after it came out on in theaters, I finally decided to see “Toy Story 3.” Before I get into how I felt about the movie, however, I want to preface this by saying I went into it wanting to like it. Several friends with similar opinions to mine urged me to watch the film. I expected that I would enjoy it, and I did.
But not as much as I wanted to. I wanted to adore “Toy Story 3.” I wanted it to not only assuage my uncertainty and annoyance about all of Pixar’s sequels, but to make me anticipate the further adventures of all of my favorite Pixar characters.
I just didn’t feel that way, as much as I wanted to. I even got a little bored at one point during the movie, a point that was supposed to be filled with climactic high tensions.
I also wasn’t as caught up in the movie’s swelling sentiment as I always am for a Pixar flick. No other movie studio tugs on my heart strings as consistently as Pixar. But I had some problems suspending my disbelief for “Toy Story 3.”
I just find it hard to believe that a 17-year-old about to take his first steps into real independence would be as sentimental for his toys as Andy was. I realize that the inherent premise of the “Toy Story” films, one that must be accepted in order for enjoyment of the movies to be possible, is that Andy and his toys have a special bond, one that is so unique because it goes both ways.
But do you know any 17-year-old boys, days away from leaving for college, that would want to take their favored childhood cowboy doll along with them? Maybe if Andy were a girl, it would be more believable.
I must be fair to Pixar; traditional American views on masculinity dictate that Andy would never do such a thing. We shouldn’t trap ourselves into such restrictive gender roles, so really Pixar is doing fantastic work in challenging and combating these erroneous expectations.
Still, in those lauded 10 minutes at the end of the film, ones that so many reviewers and personal friends told me were akin in emotional power to the first 10 of “Up,” Andy recoils from Bonnie when she asks if she can have Woody. In these moments “Toy Story 3” strains credulity at the same time that it lays the sentiment on the thickest, and the combination of the two pulled me out of the film a little bit.
Yet these are all opinions from an adult’s perspective. Kids will love “Toy Story 3” for its zaniness, cranked up to its highest notch for the franchise, and for its inherent heart. These two elements ensure that, despite its flaws, “Toy Story 3” is still a fun and entertaining film.
What it isn’t, however, is an assurance that Pixar’s still doing its strongest work by churning out more sequels to its movies. While the studio might not be ruining its franchises by revisiting them, doing so robs both its artists and their fans of the chance to make and enjoy even better brand new work.
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*(This image by jurvetson is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
