Toy Story

The first Toy Story movie was produced by Pixar and distributed by Disney in 1995. The second chapter was supposed to be a home video from the start; but the success of the first film pushed the decision of releasing it in the theaters instead, in 1999. Over 10 years later, in 2010, Andy is a grown up and so are the kids who were watching Buzz and Woody for the first time in the 90s.

It is easy to imagine the level of empathy and sympathy that people can feel with this series and the last movie in particular: Disney Pixar bets on the universality of the feelings of growing up, saying goodbye to the past, starting the adult life. There was no need for effort: whatever the result, the fans of a life time would have watched the end of the trilogy. And yet, they made a great movie out of it: it could have been cheesy and boring and overly dramatic, but it is, instead, just brilliant. 

I am not the classic Toy Story fan. When it came out, I was barely 8, but I already had my principles: "cartoons" were the classics, not those weird, computer graphic, non-singing Pixar's things. Faithful to this, I never watched this franchise until the last episode was released. I can therefore testify for those people that missed it as children, that did not grow up sneaking in on their toys trying to catch them moving: I was completely captured by Toy Story anyways. In particular, the third one is not just one of the best animation movies, it is, to me, one of the best movies. Period. It is funny, moving, wise, cosy and brave all at the same time. 

Many things have been said about franchises, Disney ones in particular, and many of these things are true: make one good movie and its story and characters are going to be turned into cash cows, until the good memories linked to the first good film are gone. Prequels, sequels, spin offs...:they make money (which are needed to keep making good movies), but they kill the spirit.

It is not the case here: Lasseter's team honors the spirit of the trilogy with respect, achieving that good balance between tradition and originality  (symbolized somehow by the latino version of You got a friend in me).

Talking about innovation, it is interesting to see that the villain here is another toy, rather than a human. The nostalgia for the past and the need to go on with one's life are at a crossroads for everyone here: Andy, the toys and the audience. The empathy that this creates is what makes the movie great, that...and a couple of remarkable scenes: the playing one at the beginning, the fire one near the end and the goodbye at the very end. 

No matter how old you are, you need to watch this.