Toy Story 3 (2010)

"Now, you gotta promise to take good care of these guys. They mean a lot to me."
                            - Andy

As if this needs much set up…Toy Story 3 is a massively successful children’s movie and you should see it. You will enjoy it and you will tear up if not weep like a child. I’m not afraid to admit it: this was the first movie to bring tears to my eyes since With Honors (I’m sure I’ll get to that one at some point in this blog).

Toy Stoy 3 is familiar in that the same theme (unconditional friendship) established in the first two movies carries on. Even while Andy, the boy young man who owns the lovable cast of toys, grows and is on the brink of the next stage of life, this theme remains. Interesting how this concept is explored throughout several movies and never goes stale. But of course that speaks to unconditional friendship; it never ends, does it? It changes and evolves and somehow remains the constant and familiar. Throughout the movie the toys are separated and reunited a number of times as they try to make their way back to Andy, all while urging each other to “just hang on!!!” and reminding each other that “we have to stick together!!!” Two keys scenes remained with me. While facing certain death in a garbage incinerator the toys begin grabbing each other’s hands. No words are said but their faces and the simple gesture of holding hands is incredibly powerful. They may die, but they’ll die hanging on to one another. A second scene comes at the end of the movie. Andy is passing his toys on to a new child and he spends time talking about how special each toy is to him. Each toy, not just Woody and Buzz, get a moment to shine and it’s touching.

There’s something about toys. We cling to them so tight as children. They’re given to us to stop our crying, they infuse us with an esoteric sense of bravery in tough times. You could hand me toy from my childhood and it would instantly open the flood gates of memories. It’s a unique quality and Toy Story 3 taps into it.

Well done.

* Read the script online! : http://www.waltdisneystudiosawards.com/toystory3/script-toystory.pdf