Not that we think they’re infallible or anything (“Cars” is pretty brutal), but we’re generally supporters of the Pixar animation company, despite there being some disagreement among our ranks as to which are their best efforts. In any case, most of us agree or at least can accept that the first two ‘Toy Story’ pictures are landmarks in some capacity, and their release (especially the first one’s) signaled a defining moment in the company’s evolution, and indeed in animation in general; perhaps the most notable development for the medium in this country since the early days of Walt Disney.
So, with a run of uniformly strong standalone features (for this writer, that begins with 2007’s “Ratatouille,” continues to 2008’s half-great “WALL•E” and on to this year’s “Up”), the studio returns to their reputation-making franchise for what Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter assures will be the last installment of the trilogy. Any self-respecting Pixar fan has reason to be excited by this, and up until now we have been too, especially after revising “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2” in their new, 3D incarnation re-release. Then, just this morning, the trailer for “Toy Story 3” dropped.
We already saw the teaser, which gave us a taste of what was to come, but the trailer hammers home the plot points, and somewhat to the film’s detriment. It all starts well, as Randy Newman returns to the soundtrack, and his elegiac, string-laden ballad “Losing You” (from last year’s incredibly under-appreciated Harps and Angels LP) recalls the similarly evocative, melancholy tone of “Up’s” moving opening sequence. But from this emotional and nostalgic high—enhanced by the effect of a worn video tape, the kind WALL•E might discover light years from now—the trailer sadly goes sour.
The plot of the new film, as the trailer breathlessly establishes, involves the iconic group of toys (Buzz, Woody, etc.) as they rally together after their owner, Andy, leaves for college. They soon find themselves in a daycare center surrounded by ravenous tots, and it’s this portion of the trailer that goes for mostly hammy gags and cartoonish gross-out moments, like that slow motion shot of the inside of some kid’s mouth as she attempts to devour Buzz Lightyear. (C’mon, Pixar, you’re above that!) And by the end, when Woody palmfaces and sighs, “Oh no,” the sentiments unfortunately resonate.
Of course, we’re not condemning this hotly anticipated project based on a two or three minute clip, but as far as previews of event movies go, this one is only slightly less disappointing than James Cameron’s bloated-looking sci-fi epic “Avatar” — which is really saying something. — Sam C. Mac
“Toy Story 3” opens June 18th, 2010