By: Nataliya Ioffe - 07-01-2010 - (0) Comments

I usually don’t see movies in theatres because prices have gone up and I’m a college kid, but I had to make an exception for Disney’s Pixar Studios. Last week I saw Toy Story 3 in 3D, and was blown away (as usual) by Pixar’s mastery of animation and obsession with good plot. They successfully created a solid second sequel to the original Toy Story that, so far, has held its own in the box office charts and “wow”-ed major critics.

The Animation
I cannot and will never call myself an animation expert, but I have at least taken an advanced animation course in college. The two things I learned in that classroom are that 1) I do not have the patience for animation, and 2) I have enormous respect for the people that do. It took our class an entire semester to rig and animate one-minute dance sequences with our models, and it took Pixar’s animation team four years to complete Toy Story 3 from start to finish. (Read about the process here)

The product of their hard work and unique level of dedication was translated perfectly on screen. The animators captured 3D textures in a way you’d simply have to see to believe; it was as if you could reach out and touch Mr. Potato Head’s softly dimpled plastic, Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear’s gleaming, velvet fur, or Barbie’s long, synthetic hair. Pixar created a film imagining the secret lives of children’s toys, and it was the most real experience I’ve had with the studio since their first films. If a bunch of my old toys were to wake up and walk about my room like did Woody, Buzz Lightyear, or Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 3, I imagine it would look exactly as Pixar captured it on screen. Yeah, you may call it a “kid’s movie” but you’d be hard-pressed to deny its artistic and technological superiority to other films of its kind.

The Story
If you have had the pleasure of seeing Pixar’s previous films (like Up, or Wall-E), you’ll have noticed that their storylines are relevant and emotional enough for any adult. Toy Story 3 is no different, as it tells a tale that is, at its core, about maturation and the ability to let go of the past to see clearly in the future. Pixar doesn’t bother with simple damsel-in-distress films that so many other studios produce. Their films are deeply emotional, genuine, and uplifting; their stories are commentaries on life, love, friendship, and even social issues and politics. Pixar went way beyond creating a children’s tale with Toy Story 3. Instead, they produced a film with a story that most anyone at any age can appreciate.

Maybe This is How It’s Supposed to Be
As a college-aged adult I don’t make a habit of watching children’s cartoons or films, but to me, Toy Story 3 was a gem. I think it’s as a good example of how films, both animated and real, should be written and produced. I know movie studios need to pump films out rather frequently to make money, but in my perfect world every story would be imagined and nurtured with the same careful love that has made Disney’s Pixar Studios so successful.