2010
is going to be a great year for movies. I’m confident of this. Since
we’re in this ride together I figured we’d get ready for the year in a
fun and exciting new way. First, over the course of the next fifteen
weekdays we’re going to highlight one mainstream film a day. Some of
them are slam dunks, some of them have a cloud of trouble floating
above them, but all represent a great way to spend a Friday night at
the movie theater even if it results in you ripping its ass thereafter.
One
of the things this site is built on is a love of movies. Some folks
think we’ve let some of that go by the wayside. I disagree, but
regardless, I want 2010 to be a year where this site restores some of
that wonder. Though the glass can never truly be half-full in a
business so driven by rehashes and hollow entertainment, we’re going to
have fun with it and prepare you guys with as many tools as possible to
make the moviegoing experience worth it. Especially as the internet
gets more and more bogged down with people who have no right serving as
an authority of film blabbering all over blogs and Twitter and beyond.
There’s a reason you come here.
Toy Story 3
Directed by Lee Unkrich
Starring
the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Timothy Dalton, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Keaton, John Ratzenberger, Bonnie Hunt, and Don Rickles
Written by Michael Arndt
The Gist
Andy’s going to college and the toys we’ve come to know and love are left at a day care where their whole way of life changes.
It’s a Toy Story movie, so it’s definitely one of the major releases of the year. That said, it’s not the plot that drives these movies but rather the details the Pixar folks bring to their movies that make them so transcendent.
With that said, I’m truly concerned about this movie.
The first film was good for what it was. The second film is amazing. A near masterpiece [though Wall-E and The Incredibles are my favorite Pixar films by a long stretch]. I think I’m personally Toy Story’d out. What else needed to be said about toys being outgrown by their owners and having an existential crisis?
Granted, there was the proposed Toy Story 3 that was to be done outside of Pixar’s realm when it appeared they’d be breaking off from Disney but cooler heads prevailed. With that said, Pixar develops amazing original concepts. We don’t really need a sequel do we?
Participants to Watch
Michael Arndt has gigantic shoes to fill as the writing of this flick. Addicted to Love, Inspector Gadget, and Little Miss Sunshine isn’t a resume you’d exactly want if you were following up a massive work of animated art like the second film in this series. Granted, the quality control at Pixar wouldn’t let a total dog through the system but there’s always the fear there’ll be that magic missing.
Blake Clark is taking over from the deceased Jim Varney as the voice of Slinky Dog. Them’s some big paws to fill.
Lee Unkrich has the directorial reins all to himself after sharing them on the previous flicks he’s worked on with Pixar. Wil we notice?
The Buzz
Lightyear.
Best Case
It fits perfectly next to the previous two. People are happy to lose their tidy Toy Story DVD sets that seemed complete only a couple of years ago. It’s a classic.
Worst Case
It’s forgettable and ONLY makes $150,000,000 domestically. Boo hoo.
CHUD’s Prognosis
I really have a bad feeling about it. And frankly, a subpar Pixar flick [though I hate A Bug’s Life and hold no major love for Cars] just shouldn’t be an option. No Pixar film is better than a mediocre one.
Useful links
Offical Site
Wallpapers
Wednesday: One that may surprise us.
14 comments
No Pixar film is better than a mediocre one?
Worst case scenario, it'll just be great instead of classic. I think the justification for a sequel is that these are characters we love, and a world we'd like to revisit. That being said, I'm not super excited about Cars 2 or Monsters Inc 2; Didn't care that much in the first place.
Correct. To date, no Pixar film has been better than a mediocre one. I haven't seem Wall-E, though.
its gauranteed gold.. but its not going to one up anything.. I'm tired of these characters myself, but I'm obviously not the target audience anymore and thats the point.. the last 2 films came out over 10 years ago! a whole new generation might sink their teeth into this one — 300mill. most likely —
My little girl is unbelievably excited about this. She's rinsed 1 & 2 since we got them and she watched the trailer a staggering amount. Think it's going to be top. The Spanish speakign Buzz is a quality thing.
I'm sure this will be brilliant, but personally I only really loved Pixar from Incredibles onwards. Aside from Cars, the run has been amazing: Incredibles, Ratatoille, Wall-E and Up. Each not just brilliant entertainment, but with a beautiful, and original, moral in there. I love these movies.
The Toy Story movies are the backbone of the Pixar brand, but oddly I don't really care for either of them. They're not as bland as A Bug's Life or Cars, but I wasn't really moved by them, either. UP, Ratatouille, The Incredibles and WALL-E are the tops, in no particular order, while Finding Nemo is a step or two below. I'd put the Toy Story flicks alongside Monsters Inc. Good, three-star entertainment and nothing more.
I have been underwhelmed by almost every Pixar movie. Great animation, but the stories are very familiar and frankly not that interesting. I saw the Incredibles in the theatre and frankly, while it was mildly entertaining, I never need to see it again.
Give 'em a break. Apparently the command came down from Disney "Make Toy Story 3 or we will" (same with Monsters Inc etc). So, as much you guys might be over Pixar, they're still a fuck sight better than the alternative choices. They're also starting to push outside their comfort zone with their upcoming projects.
You hate 'A Bug's Life'? Dude.
How can someone like Cars more than A bugs life? Having said that Nick, I could never ever disagree with you. We are like one. Every article you write gets me hard. Like a rock.
Um, this is going to be great! In my opinion, the first Toy Story is one of the top 3 greatest animated films I have ever seen. The second is brilliant as well, and I am really excited for this. My two year old son has watched Cars so many times, and while I wasn't blown away the first time I saw it, I have started to see the brilliant humor in it. The italian guys? Genius! I think Pixar is definitely the most consistent studio out there. Ratatouille was amazing, Wall-E, Up, Monster's Inc., etc., all brilliant! Honestly, The Incredibles, and A Bug's Life are the only two that aren't GREAT movies, they are just ok. That's my two cents.
Interesting. Toy Story stands as the only Pixar film I truly like. I thought the second was a empty, shallow redux of the first. But you thought the first was "good for what it was".
Hmmm.
Toy Story 2 was excellent; but I think Wall·E is the best film Pixar has ever made. I don't have super-high expectations for Toy Story 3, but if it sits somewhere between Toy Story and Toy Story 2, I'll be happy with that.
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