“Toy Story 3″ review
by V.E. on September 5th, 2010
filed under entertainment, recap/review
My family and I just got back from Toy Story 3 (wiki). It’s the third (and final, I assume) installment in the Toy Story franchise, which began in 1995 with the original Toy Story and continued in 1999 with Toy Story 2.
I liked this new one. It was heartwarming and while I don’t think I’d go so far as to put it on my list of all time favorite movies, I will agree that “For me the happy ending that they settled on actually was the most painful of all, because I am such a keeper of stuff, and I do have toys still from when I was little because they mean things to me. Andy’s flinch when the little girl reached for Woody, it hurt because it was perfect, because YES, Pixar GETS IT.” I agree with that 100000%. So bittersweet and I’ll admit I cried during parts of it. I’m a sucker for pulling the heartstrings. I’ll watch it again, probably, but not anytime soon. I can take only so much heartache at a time—you know?—even when it’s all good and happy at the end.
It’s a kid movie, but it’s a kid movie about growing up. Indeed, the people who were kids when the first Toy Story came out—namely: my generation and me—are all grown up and may even have kids of our own. Toy Story 3 taught the importance of family—sticking together, even under the harshest circumstances—and that family is what you make it. Those toys weren’t family in the traditional sense; they weren’t related by blood (if that’s even possible for toys, anyway), but they knew what was important. That’s how I feel about my waterbrothers.
Thankfully, Toy Story 3 passes the Bechdel Test. There are multiple female characters: Jessie, Barbie, and Mrs. Potato Head, who are dolls; and Andy’s mom, Bonnie, and Bonnie’s mom, who are all human… among others. The humans talk to each other, but they only talk about Andy, so it doesn’t pass on that count. However, there is one part where Jessie and Mrs. Potato Head comfort Barbie about being abandoned by Molly (Andy’s little sister). Still, that “conversation” is less than a minute long, so take that as you will.
