![]() ![]() Where both previous outings explored his frailties as well as his better qualities, the third chapter gives him a chance to be the hero Andy always knew he was. For Woody especially, it’s a welcome opportunity for a victory lap. The bar isn’t set quite as high, but Toy Story 3 finds ways to turn some of its challenges into strengths. On the other hand, is Toy Story 2 too tough an act for any conceivable threequel to follow? Eleven years later, Pixar’s track record of excellence makes it hard to imagine them messing up Toy Story 3. Toy Story 2 was The Empire Strikes Back to the original’s Star Wars, with one glaring difference: Where The Empire Strikes Back ended on a transitional note that cried out for a third chapter, Toy Story 2 cross-examined and revealed its characters’ relationships and destinies with such utter finality that there would seem to be nothing left to say about them. Where the original cut Buzz down to size with the revelation that he was a toy and not a real space ranger, Toy Story 2 drew Woody into a head-turningly larger world of franchise collectability, at the same time confronting him with mortality and especially with the inevitability of Andy growing up and leaving childish things behind. It was about both the toys and the story, and it set the tone for Pixar’s subsequent work.įour years later, Pixar amazingly topped this dazzling first achievement with one of the finest sequels ever made, conquering new storytelling heights even as it mined deeper emotional territory. He was Star Wars to Woody’s Hopalong Cassidy - and, like Andy, Pixar embraced them both, combining cutting-edge animation technology with narrative traditionalism. Buzz was all bells and whistles, exciting and futuristic in a retro way, like Tomorrowland at Disney World. Woody was vintage and old-school, evoking the swashbuckling poetry and moral heritage of the Western as well as the traditionalism and values of his 1950s pull-string milieu. The tension between Woody and Buzz Lightyear was emblematic of the film’s blend of old and new. Despite the now-dated computer animation, there was a tactile familiarity to Andy’s toys: Behind the scenes, one sensed animators playing with Etch A Sketches and Slinkies. Overtly sentimental and nostalgic, it was a celebration of imagination and play, of childhood innocence, of friendship and devotion. The hero, Woody, was sympathetic but flawed - jealous, vain, insecure and not above ignoble acts - and in need of comeuppance and redemption.Īt the same time, despite undercurrents of snark and cynicism among the rank and file of Andy’s toys, Toy Story wore its heart on its sleeve with disarming sincerity. There was no boy-meets-girl / coming-of-age drama no yearning hero or heroine with assorted sidekicks no song-and-dance show-tune production numbers. It was practically a manifesto: The industry was on notice.Ĭoming in the early days of decline of the Disney renaissance formulas, Toy Story broke rules and took risks. Toy Story wasn’t just the first fully computer-animated feature-length film. Their heads were in the clouds from the get-go - from the first shot, in fact. ![]() From day one, John Lasseter and company reached for the sky. ![]()
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