The publicity for the stop-motion Belgian TV spinoff A Town Called Panic (2009, Optimum, PG), whose comically animated toys are at the other end of the technical spectrum from the digital wizardry of Toy Story, boasts that it is presented "in breathtaking 2-D", with sardonically low-tech promotional items including empty-lensed cardboard glasses. Having seen both versions, I can happily attest that the 2-D experience is superior (brighter, clearer, and oddly more "immersive") which is handy for the home viewing market where 3-D continues to be little more than a headache. In cinemas, Toy Story 3 had the distinction of being the first stereoscopic movie which made me forget I was watching in irritating 3-D. There's also love, with Buzz's Spanish language reset button bringing out the Latin lover in the old space dog, to Jessie's delight, and Barbie encouraging newcomer Ken to burst out of his closet with side-splitting results. But it's the vibrant sense of life which rings through most clearly, as the old gang pull together in the face of adversity and collectively discover their true purpose. Like all the best fairy tales, the Toy Story saga has never shied away from terror. There's also plenty of the neo-gothic darkness which lurked at the heart of John Lasseter's original Toy Story, with director Lee Unkrich happily admitting that the scary elements of TS3 (involving a deviously grinning teddy bear and his monstrous wrong-eyed baby sidekick) are played for full creepy effect. ![]() Set on the eve of the now teenage Andy's departure to college, Toy Story 3 deals with some Big Life Issues: the imminent arrival of adulthood a parent's separation from their offspring and (thankfully) the birth of a new generational cycle. ![]() Remember that strange sensation (loss, elation, befuddlement) you got as Christopher Robin tried to explain to Pooh why he might not be coming back to the Hundred Acre Wood but Pooh would always have Piglet and Eeyore to play with? Well, prepare to shed those same tears again – all the more so if you're a grown-up who has long since put away childish things, but suddenly feels an overwhelming desire to rush up to the attic and get them back forthwith. ![]() While Coppola lost the plot in The Godfather's third act, Kieslowski fumbled the ball with Three Colours: White and Jackson's The Two Towers (inevitably) sagged a bit in the middle, Pixar's bittersweet final outing with Woody and Buzz has all the poignant beauty of the last chapter of Winnie the Pooh. W ith the arrival of Toy Story 3 (2010, Disney, PG), cinema (and now DVD) arguably has its first note-perfect trilogy.
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