The Philippine Online Chronicles

The world’s favorite toys are back with an exciting new adventure in Disney Pixar’s Toy Story 3, a heart-warming, nostalgic and comical animated film that will surely be loved by young and old alike. In this third installment of the franchise, Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang find themselves in a new, but dangerous place as they are inadvertently sent off to Sunnyside Day Care. Andy, their “kid,” is all grown up and is heading off to his own new adventures in college. While Sunnyside may appear to be a haven for toys outgrown by their original owners, the gang soon discover that the friends they meet there are not friends at all. Bent on making it home to Andy, the toys and their new friends plot out the Great Escape. Will they make it on time?

Toy Story 3 blends together, as Director Lee Unkrich calls it, fun and a relatable story. In this movie, the issue of change is brought forth and explored as the toys, Andy, and even his mother are faced with one of life’s pivotal changes: growing up. Producer Darla K. Anderson explained, “The film has a lot of big, serious themes, so we wanted to make sure we balanced it with a lot of humor….The story reflects how we all must face change in life; it’s inevitable.”

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Old friends, new faces

Leading the pack is Tom Hanks who, for the third time, gives Woody his voice. In this third installment, Woody once again faces the issue of being left behind and outgrown as Andy packs up for college.

For Hanks, reprising his role as Woody was an easy choice to make. In an interview, he described Woody as a “passionate guy who throws himself into every action.” He said that for him, the great thing about the job is that “I get credit for the way the character and the humor come off. I have kids that are now in college come up to me and say, ‘When you told that neighbor kid to play nice, that really meant a lot to me.’”

Besides Woody, Hanks has also lent his voice in other animated films such as The Polar Express, Cars, and The Simpsons Movie. He likewise narrated several documentaries such as The Pacific and Beyond all Boundaries. This critically-acclaimed actor has starred in a number of Hollywood’s greatest movies including Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan,  and Philadelphia, all of which earned him accolades from various award-giving bodies. His latest film is Angels and Demons, a movie based on Dan Brown’s bestseller of the same title, where he reprised the role of Robert Langdon, a Professor of Religious Symbology.

Buzz Lightyear, the heroic space ranger action figure whose amazing features were once a source of insecurity for Woody, is portrayed by comedian Tim Allen. It is Allen who throws out the most memorable line in the entire franchise - "To infinity...and beyond!"

Allen talked about how much he enjoyed getting to know Buzz better in this third installment, as Buzz gets a bigger role in the film.  “I really do like being Buzz. He’s a character I developed with John Lasseter and he’s a lot of fun to play.”

Allen gained popularity as a comedian in the family sitcom Home Improvement where he played a do-it-yourself guy hosting a television show about home repairs, power tools, and construction, which would often end up in a hilarious mess.  On the big screen, he starred in several over-the-top comedies such as The Santa Clause and its sequels, as well as movies like For Richer or Poorer, Wild Hogs, and the Disney release, The Shaggy Dog.

Besides Woody and Buzz, the other toys are back to enthrall the film's long-time fans.

Returning as Hamm, the wise-cracking one-liner piggybank, is John Ratzenberger, who is described as “Pixar’s good luck charm.” A versatile actor, Ratzenberger has been a voice talent for many Pixar films.  From the voice of Construction Foreman Tom in the Oscar award-winning animated film Up, to the Abominable Snowman in Monster’s Inc., he has definitely added charm and spunk  to Pixar's characters.  For Toy Story 3, Ratzenberger said that doing Hamm again was more than just revisiting a character. He compared this experience to joining a bunch of friends in a sandbox filled with great toys.

Back as the fearsome but highly anxious dinosaur Rex is Wallace Shawn. Slinky, the dog with a slinky for a body, is back as well but Jim Varney, the original voice-over talent, was replaced by his good friend Blake Clark. Varney, best known as "Ernest P. Worrell," succumbed to lung cancer in February 2000.

Also back from Toy Story 2 are Jessie and Bullseye, two other characters from the fictional show Woody’s Roundup. Jessie, the feisty cowgirl, is portrayed by Joan Cusack.

The new toys on the block include Lots-O-Huggin’ Bear, or Lotso for short, the extra plush teddy bear who smells like strawberries. Ned Beatty lends his voice to this teddy bear. Lotso is the leader of the pack in Sunnyside Daycare and his looks will surely warm any child’s heart. But for the toys, well, let’s just say there’s more to Lotso than meets the eye.

Also a Sunnyside Daycare favorite is Stretch, the glittery purple octopus with sticky suckers made for stretching and tumbling down walls. Breathing life into the sassy alpha female in Lotso’s crew is comedienne and The View talk show host Whoopi Goldberg.

Sure to bring a smile of recognition to many viewers is Chatter Telephone, the familiar Fisher-Price classic. Chatter is voiced by Teddy Newton.

Other characters to watch out for are Big Baby, Twitch, Sparks, and Chunk, who complete Lotso’s army.

Sharing the spotlight with all the above-mentioned toys are two of the most recognizable toys in the world: Barbie and Ken. Voiced by Jodi Benson and Michael Keaton respectively, they provide some of the most laughable moments in the film.

To infinity and beyond!

While the story appears to neatly tie up the tale of Andy and his toys, the story seems bound to live on to infinity and beyond. Toy Story 3 is shaping up to be a blockbuster hit, so much so that the review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes, has given  the movie 100% in its Tomatometer. Billy Goodykoontz posted, “Toy Story 3 is very much a worthy entry in the series, a movie well worth making (and seeing). It continues the legacy. It just doesn't expand upon it.” Michael Rechtshaffen wrote that Toy Story 3 would be “an inevitable box office smash.” But Todd McCarthy thought that the film, “While scarcely excessive, the film still feels a couple of pounds over its ideal fighting weight.”

As for this writer, Toy Story 3 is one of those rare sequels that surpasses the bar set by its predecessors. For those who loved the heart-tugging tales of Toy Story and Toy Story 2, this is sure to not disappoint. Scenes to watch out for include the Barrels of Monkeys and Buzz’s dance moves.

Toy Story 3 opens today across the Philippines in Digital 3D and regular format and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.

Photo credits: Walt Disney Studios. Some interview excerpts taken from the movie press kit.