Episodes
Wednesday Jul 21, 2010
Joltin' John Lasseter
Wednesday Jul 21, 2010
Wednesday Jul 21, 2010
On May 15th, 1941 Joe DiMaggio hit a single off pitcher Eddie Smith. Nothing spectacular about it, just a single in a game where "Joltin' Joe" went 1 for 4. What is spectacular is that he got a hit in the next 55 games. That's right he recorded a hit in every game until July 16th.
How big a deal is this? Well, in the 69 years that have followed nobody has even come close. In fact, the only person to even break the 40 game mark was in 1978, and that person was Pete Rose (who technically cannot hold any records at all, what with the lifetime ban and all). There have been a handful who hit into the 30's, but nobody has come within spitting distance of it.
What does this have to do with "Toy Story 3?" Think about it. Pixar has made 11 movies, none of which could honestly be considered bad. Look at the list.
Toy Story
A Bus's Life
Toy Story 2
Monsters, Inc.
Finding Nemo
The Incredibles
Cars
Ratatouille
WALL-E
Up
Toy Story 3
Now, not every one of these has been a home run, but they definitely reached base with all of them. And I am just listing the features here. This says nothing of the litany of brilliant short films they have produced. John Lassiter has put together a company that seems incapable of making a bad movie.
I am curious if anyone can name one other director, producer, actor, or studio that has ever put together a streak like this. This is an honest request. I have been trying to think of one, but have drawn a blank. The closest I can come up with is Nolan, who is at 6, just past the halfway point. Even Hitchcock had occasional misses with movies like "Under Capricorn," "Marnie," and "Family Plot."
Getting 11 films in a row, let alone the first 11 films your company made, right is almost a statistical anomaly. There is only one explanation for it. Unflinching belief in the story you are telling, unwavering support and a single minded dedication to excellence from all levels of the company. That dedication to the quality of the story is what makes John Lasseter the most best thing to happen to animated film since Walt Disney.
When I heard about "Toy Story 3," let alone "Toy Story 3-D," I cringed a little. Going back to the well a third time has been disastrous of late. Seeing "Spider Man," "The X-Men," "The Matrix," "Alien," "Terminator," "Pirates of the Caribbean," even "The Godfather," all fell apart with ill advised third chapters. Why should "Toy Story 3," be any different?
John Fucking Lasseter, that's why.
All of the above failed because they were unnecessary. Not that there are some movies that are needed, but there was nothing in their stories that really wanted to be told. Some were bullshit third chapters following up pointless cliffhangers, but the information in them had no real weight or baring.
I imagine Lasseter staring into the face of such weak and cliché story telling and growling, "Not on my watch!"
"Toy Story 3" answers the inevitable question that faces every person growing up. You all know The Bible verse, "When I was a child I spoke as a child I understood as a child I thought as a child; but when I became a man I put away childish things." How does one do that? Everyone has one childhood toy that meant every bit of the world to them. You had one, don't try and say you didn't. You slept with it, you talked to it, you anthropomorphized it, and then one day, you had to put it away. But how does one do that? This was a story that, at least in the world of the films NEEDED to be told. That necessity is what makes it such an outstanding work.
The toys in the "Toy Story" movies have become like that one cherished item from our childhood. They aren't just plastic or cloth, they are friends with personalities who love us.
For 11 straight films Pixar has been able to combine comedy for kids, comedy for adults, and amazing emotional depth into films that don't just manipulate your emotions for 100 minutes, but stay with you long after. In that sense, this movie is squarely in their wheelhouse.
We begin with a montage of the toys growing up with Andy and fade to the now grown up boy preparing to go to college. There are only three real possibilities. Attic storage, donation to a day care, or being thrown out.
When they end up in the day care center by mistake Woody is determined to get back to Andy. His only aim, as it was for the other two was to get back to their owner, because his job is to be there for him. Now, I won't spoil anything more, but this movie has some incredible depth to it. The theme of abandonment and staying true to your friends runs to the bone in this film and it is handled with more depth and emotion than I have ever seen in a film.
This might just be the freshness of it, but this stands out as, if not the best thing Pixar has done, than at the very least the best of the "Toy Story" movies.
There are times when it is difficult to watch, but in the end it does what all good movies of this sort do. It awakens that part of you that wishes it never had to put those childish things away.
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