Culture

Directed by Lee Unkrich
Hoyts, Rialto
(4.5/5)
The great thing about Toy Story 3 is that its makers haven’t succumbed to laziness. Buzz (Tim Allen), Woody (Tom Hanks), and the other toys retain their loveable personalities without being reduced to caricatures; the world hasn’t become a cheap facsimile of itself as happens in so many cartoon sequels. In the final chapter, we can once more be immersed in the Toy Story world of our childhood. But this is changing forever – because the toys’ kid, Andy, is moving to college. The film is about their search for new lives, now that their original reason for existence is gone. It chooses not to go too deep, however. We follow the toys on a light and amusingly madcap journey: first to an apparently idyllic day-care that turns out to be a totalitarian hell, then to the household of a little girl whose toys are a group of thespians, and finally to the local dump. The series’ characteristic action and humour remain strengths – the Ken doll from the day-care is a particularly ingenious comedic touch. But underneath the fun is the overall theme of coming to terms with rejection. Yes, the ending is sad, and true enough to life to really move you. While Toy Story 3 isn’t as original or insightful as number one, to reach that film’s heights would be near-impossible. The finale manages to retain the warmth that runs through the series, and as a whole is as satisfying as you would expect from the experts at Disney/Pixar.