An Unnecessary Sequel that More than Justifies its Necessity.

Rating: 10/10 (27 June 2011)

Over the past fifteen years Pixar has consistently made not only the best animated films, but some of the best films of the last decade and a half, period. All their movies are great but my absolute favorites are: Ratatouille and Finding Nemo (tied for first), WALLE and Toy Story 2 (tied for second), and A Bug's Life and Up (tied for third). Make no mistake, the others that did not make this list are all excellent movies (yes, even Cars), but those six that I mentioned are the best of the best. So how does Toy Story 3 stack up?
Well before I answer that question I'd like to talk for a moment about one of the two movies in my second place slot: Toy Story 2. Toy Story 2 was a movie that was riddled with production problems from the beginning; it started as a direct-to-video project headed up by two less-than-experienced directors, then when the decision was made to make it a theatrical release, the story was not where it needed to be so, with less than a year until release date Pixar started over from scratch. Despite all of that Toy Story 2 not only was a good sequel, it was actually better than the first, and to this day stands as an example of one of Pixar's very best films. Not only that, but it's ending was perfect, it was satisfying, it was big, and it felt very final. Nothing else needed to come after Toy Story 2, and in many ways, nothing should have. However, here we are, 11 years later with a second sequel: Toy Story 3.
And what would you know? It's fantastic! A first time director took a movie that had absolutely no reason for existence and made a film that justifies it's value as an addition to one of the most beloved film franchises of all time. It was hilariously funny, deeply moving, and full of characters that feel like real people despite being computer models of plastic toys (basically everything you've come to expect from Pixar). From the brilliant opening scene to the emotional conclusion, this was one excellent movie. However, though great, it still didn't quite match the mastery of Pixar's best films and it didn't quite top Toy Story 2 as best of the franchise.
The biggest downside of this movie was that the second act moved too quickly and things were too easy and predictable. After the brilliant reveal of Stinky Pete the Prospector as the villain in Toy Story 2, the mystery surrounding the villain in this movie wasn't nearly as hard to solve and was answered as soon as it started making you question yourself. Second acts are typically the weakest parts of movies due to what's known as the second act sag, where the story takes too long transitioning from introduction to climax. This movie, though, seemed to overcompensate a little bit in that regard by resolving plot points too quickly and without enough effort. On one hand the second act was easily the funniest part of the film, but the story was at its thinnest during that part.
Aside from that one complaint, though, Toy Story 3 was an excellent film. I grinned like an idiot through the whole first act, I laughed hysterically through the second act, and, to quote director Lee Unkrich's favorite response to the film, in the third act "a tear made it past my beard." While this movie was not a film that necessarily needed to be made, I'm very glad that it was. It had everything that a good film needs, and aside from a slightly thin second act it was firing on all cylinders. Pixar has once again beaten the odds and created a truly remarkable film that defies all expectations, it may not be a perfect film, but considering how rare it is for a second sequel to be decent, let alone good, the fact that first time director Lee Unkrich was able to make a truly great second sequel to a fifteen year old film is an amazing accomplishment, the Academy might as well just give him his Oscar now and save some time because he definitely deserves it.
Rating: A+