The Toys Are Back in Town

By Kurt Anthony Krug

The artists and writers at Pixar never cease to amaze back-to-back 2-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks, who reprises his role as pull-string sheriff action figure Woody in Toy Story 3.

“They come up with something that actually looks as though it takes place in this happy, real world. Every plotline is not just plausible, but oddly authentic,” said Hanks. “The stories are full of adventure, humor, and love. The characters are written with great human dimension. I don’t know how they do it, but they astound me.”

He continued, “Motion pictures are just beginning to live up to their true potential of being this immersive experience – going from beyond black and white flickering images to fully immersive 3-D color high-definition. You don’t even know where the real world starts and the fake world begins. And yet, none of that’s going to matter unless the story and the emotions that they allow us to become invested in are something that we can recognize. Pixar is able to do this in ways that almost defies speculation. And isn’t it grand that the Toy Story films are such a great example of this power to deeply connect with an audience?”

Opening June 18, Toy Story 3 – written by Oscar nominee Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine) – reunites Hanks’ Woody with spaceman action figure Buzz Lightyear (Western Michigan University alumnus Tim Allen, TV’s Home Improvement) for a third installment of the group of toys that come to life when their owner’s not present. They’re also joined by some familiar faces, including cowgirl Jessie (Oscar nominee Joan Cusack, In and Out), Rex the dinosaur (Wallace Shawn, The Princess Bride), and Hamm the Piggy Bank (John Ratzenberger, TV’s Cheers).

The story opens with Andy (veteran voice actor John Morris reprising his role), who is now 18 and ready to go off to college. Having outgrown his toys, which are now in the attic, the toys are fearful of their fate, especially since a few of their number have been sold at a yard sale. Jessie believes the toys should make their own destiny and stow away with a bunch of other toys Andy’s mother (Laurie Metcalf, TV’s Roseanne, reprising her role) donates to a local daycare center.

“(It’s) all about second chances. The toys are thrown away by mistake and end up in a daycare center. At first, it looks like heaven for these guys, but they are placed with a group of kids that don’t know how to respect toys and they break them,” explained Allen. “It becomes an absolute purgatory for these toys. So they have to find a way to get themselves back home.”

At the daycare center, they encounter some new faces: Lots-of-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty, Superman), a doll named, well, Dolly (Bonnie Hunt, Jerry Maguire), a hedgehog doll named Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton, License to Kill), and Ken (Michael Keaton, Batman), Barbie’s quintessential boyfriend. Ken falls in love with the Barbie doll (Jodi Benson, The Little Mermaid) that once belonged to Andy’s younger sister Molly (Beatrice Miller, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs).

“Michael Keaton brings alive the character of the Ken doll,” praised Allen. “I laughed so hard at the scene where Ken does a fashion show for Barbie. It was hilarious.”

Realizing that the daycare is more of a prison for toys, Woody and Buzz vow to spring their friends from there and find their way back to Andy, but that’s easier said than done, especially with what happens to Buzz.

“When he accidentally gets reset, he speaks perfect Spanish. He’s a conquistador and a bullfighter. It’s pretty hysterical. I really do like being Buzz. He’s a lot of fun to play,” said Allen.

Hanks added, “It’s part-Great Escape with the same kind of excitement as Dorothy escaping from the Wicked Witch of the West (in The Wizard of Oz). And yet (the Pixar creators) take those elements and turn them into something that is very emotional,” explained Hanks. “(They) always manage to get you right in the heart. The story is as simple as growing up and having a guy go off to college, but it is so profoundly emotional that you can’t help but have tears in your eyes.”

Both Hanks and Allen gave their perspectives on how the relationship between Woody and Buzz has evolved throughout the course of the three movies.

“I think their relationship works because they accept teach other’s limitations. Woody is honest and he wants to do everything for the group; it’s always about other people. Buzz is a doer and a fixer. Give a job to Buzz and he will get it done. There is an overall respect for each other and this makes for a great relationship,” offered Allen. “The great thing for me about working on the Toy Story films is the great friendships I’ve made with all the people at Pixar and with Tom Hanks. Tom and I really like working together and being around each other. I totally respect his talent and I think he feels the same about me.”

Hanks added, “I love the way the relationship between Woody and Buzz has grown. They started off as pure adversaries and learned how to accept each other’s strengths, forgive each other’s failures, and respect each other as individuals. Opposites definitely attract in this case.”

Hanks also gave his perspective on what gives the Toy Story movies such staying power since the first one’s debut 15 years ago.

“The Toy Story films accomplish what timeless classics aim for – innocent characters who face an endless trail of adventures. We all know the likes of Woody and Buzz. We wonder who would be if we were toys,” said Hanks. “There’s this great logic that John Lasseter (Toy Story and Toy Story 2 director, Toy Story 3 executive producer) and Lee (Unkrich, Toy Story 3 director) and Darla (K. Anderson, Toy Story 3 executive producer) and all the writers adhere to that makes moviegoers just kind of relax and let themselves be transported to this magical place and time. When you can do that with a movie, it’s amazing. With Toy Story 3, you come back to a lovely, familiar, and happy place.”