Almost a month ago, I wrote about How to Train Your Dragon, a film from Dreamworks Animation. In the post, I extolled the virtues of the film, and raised doubts about how Toy Story 3 would fare in comparison. After seeing the latest film by Pixar yesterday, I most willingly submit that I was a jackass for doubting them.
Toy Story 3 is as every bit as good as the first two, and in some ways possibly better. Obviously the animation is much better, considering it has been a decade since the last one came out. But beyond the colors being richer, the motions more fluid, and the scale being even bigger, it was more emotionally resonant.
For me, all eleven Pixar films have had moments which just elevate the film and stick in my memory. In most of the films, those moments go even further, affecting me on a deep level. Through the first ten movies I was certainly affected, but rarely to the point of tears. I keep it together through "When Somebody Loved Me" and "Kitty!". It got a bit dusty when Wall-E reboots and when Ellie and Carl live their lives together in the span of a few minutes. Through them all I kept it together.
Then came the end of Toy Story 3. I don't know exactly what it was, but I just couldn't keep it together completely. In fact, I had to struggle just to keep from bawling, something I'd rather not do in a public venue. Maybe it was just release after the roller coaster ride that ended just a few minutes before. Maybe it was because the "boy" who was now a man was named Andy. Hell, maybe it was just the work of very good emotional manipulators. Whatever it was, it was powerful stuff.
After thinking about it, and discussing it with my sister who also saw the film, I think I came up with a reason. Without giving too much away, I figure the end of the movie marked a passing of the torch, the first real one our generation had. True, I wasn't exactly a kid when Toy Story came out in 1995, but I wasn't too far off from those days, and many of those in their 20s and late teens today were Andy's age at the time of either of the films. There may be more films about Buzz and Woody and the gang, but they won't be our films. Sure, they might still be entertaining, and we might still get some connections to them, especially if we view it through the eyes of our children or other young relatives. But it will be their adventures, and we will be living them vicariously at best.
As for Pixar, they haven't faltered yet. Unfortunately, the next film to be released by Disney and Pixar will be Cars 2. Suffice it to say I have doubts about that film, considering its the sequel to a film that is easily the weakest one Pixar has done. However, they have earned proven until otherwise status, and more. So this next year I'll be sitting here, enjoying what they've already done, and eagerly looking forward to what they might bring us in the future. I wouldn't miss it for the world.
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