Toy Story 3D

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0435761/

My Synopsis: Andy goes to college to party while Woody and the gang go to Hell!

Comments: So those Pixar guys are amazing! And the Toy Story movies still stand as the greatest demonstration of the perfect blend of story, voice acting, and animation. We all know it's true and I really don't feel the need to spend too much time confirming it. What I do choose to address is two major elements of this movie. 1. What is the point of the use of 3D? 2. This is a horror movie!

The first one is specifically phrased as a question because I'm really not sure. It is also the thing I am actually criticizing of the two. It just seems self defeating to 3D a computer animated picture. I mean, the purpose of cgi is to make a 2D animated picture appear in 3 dimensions. So what does the new 3D technology add? Honestly, the 3D was noticeable for only about ten minutes. I kept peering over the top of the glasses to make sure what I was seeing was supposed to be 3D. And yes, most of the time it was the usual blur, but the only time I noticed it in true 3D is when we were looking over a characters shoulder. Maybe I missed something? I welcome comments on this one!



Now for the second observation, this is one scary movie! I don't intend to spoiler-rific here, this movie, as is the case with all Pixar films, is totally worth seeing. But I will say the story content seems well above suitable for the age group these movies usually cater too. I mean, these toys get brutally punished for losing faith in their boy Andy. Which just made me realize this chapter in the Toy Story universe especially could be the subject of a very long religious paper with Andy as God, Woody as the Christ figure and the rest of the toys as disciples. In fact this whole movie, which can often be the case with Disney movies, is very biblical in nature. But that is not the focus here, I will leave those observations for a film student or evangelical minister to explore. Besides I usually try to avoid such analysis in favor of viewing each movie for it's entertainment value rather than it's religious implications. I only mention it now because it is integral to seeing Toy Story 3D as a horror movie.



Anyway, believing Andy does it want them they set out to find a new place in which they can get played with, because that is what toys want more than anything (it's been awesomely explained to me that, for the toys, being played with is equal to getting attention, as in, god is not showing them attention so they look for one that will, but I digress back into a religious discussion). As the new toys in the day care they are forced, by the purple Teddy bear and his mob (or cult followers) to be locked in the toddler room, where the toddlers torture and maim them in ways Jigsaw hadn't thought of yet! Before the end of this adventure they literally find themselves in Dantes Inferno. The images of their experience are as graphic and visceral as they can be considering we're dealing with toys. I have a hard time imagining this wouldn't scare a child, by the time they faced the flames of Hell I was scared!



There are a few other things that lent to the belief that this film may not have been intended for It's usual target audience. There's metro-sexual Ken (the gay undertones are hardly under, sure it confirms what we all guessed, and Michael Keaton is as always, brilliant) apparently Buzz is more sexy in Spanish mode (to me he seemed a touch more like Pepe lePu then Latino amorado, just seems like a stereotype that should some day be layer to rest), and, if the mangling of the toys has taught us anything it is to seriously reconsider having kids. Toddlers are vicious!



In conclusion, though I still believe it is an interesting chapter to the Toy Story saga, it made me question much about it's place in the whole scheme of the Disney Universe. That is not to say I didn't like it though. 3D aside, it is a very entertaining horror movie that deserves 3 out 5 Barbie heads. As always I welcome comments and opinions!

'till next we bleed
JP