Toy Story 3

Today I literally was lucky to have seen Toy Story 3. (Check out previous post) Me and my buddies expected to be caught in a stampede of children on the way in. to our surprise, the only people we saw on the way in was the guard and two tellers and the inside of the theater was only a quarter full but hey, we're in the Philippines, use your imagination.

For those who haven't seen the film yet, I'm not gonna spoil it for you by telling the whole story but here's a "safe" overview of the story:

Andy is already 17 and is going to college. The toys have been kept in the wild west themed chest and haven't been played with for years. After a twist in the story (which I can't reveal without spoiling anything), they wound up in a daycare where they were welcomed by the resident toys led by Lotso the old pink bear you see in the trailers. It turned out the toys had a hidden agenda and the then the plot thickens.

This sequel appealed to me in a very different way compared to the first two movies probably because now I'm old enough to absorb the emotion and the drama whereas in the other two, I only cared about the comedy and the CG stuff. For me the serious stuff is like 60% - 70% of the whole story line but that doesn't make too mature because the core emotion and the drama were so honest that they will touch the hearts of grade school kids as well.

Still there is a good amount of element in the movie that is far more "adult". There's the feeling of loss and abandonment and the corruption of power (yes its in there). But the thing that hit me the most and almost made me cry was the gang's loyalty to Andy. I remember a part where Woody (if i remember correctly) said that their responsibility is to be there for Andy, whether that's in college or in the attic. That, for me is the tearjerker of the story.

I can go on typing about Toy Story 3 all night but again, I don't want to spoil it for you (like what my classmate intended to do this morning before I yelled at him) so in conclusion, this movie is the perfect blend of comedy, adventure and honest emotion. I think that's the best way to put it. It's not epic like what other sequels try to be, it's simple story telling but that's another plus. So, well, watch it. It's still in theaters.

"Now Woody, he's been my pal for as long as I can remember. He's brave, like a cowboy should be, and kind, and smart, but the thing that makes Woody special is that he'll never give up on you, ever, he'll be there for you, no matter what..."

-Andy