If you've been hiding under a rock this weekend, you must've missed the news: Toy Story 3 is the greatest movie of all time! Not actually—my extremely positive but not perfect review can be found here—but both audiences and critics ate the film up.
As I predicted in my post yesterday, NY Press critic Armond White was one of three critics to give the film a negative review. He writes, "“The Toy Story franchise isn’t for children and adults, it’s for non-thinking children and adults. When a movie is this formulaic, it’s no longer a toy because it does all the work for you. It’s a sap’s story.” Responding to a comment in my post, I will reiterate my thoughts on Armond White quickly. He is an excellent writer, even if his taste is specifically lashing out toward fanboys and critics. I think he might genuinely like trash cinema because it isn't pretending to be something its not. Also, when he is with the consensus, he never gets credit. And as Guy Lodge wrote wonderfully in his column over at InContention, does it matter that much? Movies are for our enjoyment; why should we let his opinion bother our own?
In other Toy Story 3 madness news, the film snatched up a bofo $110 million at the box office. This is the 11th #1 opener for Pixar, which is pretty good when you consider that ALL ELEVEN of their films have opened at #1. The great news for them however, is that it is also their highest opening ever, by $40 million (The Incredibles opened with $70 million). In a sign of the times, the film has finally succeeded after a number of summer films have flopped for one reason and one reason only: people like going to good, original films, and even if Toy Story 3 is a sequel, its not a rehash as much as it is a genuinely inventive film.
Finally, a couple Easter eggs. Lots-O Huggin Bear, the film's central new character, is adorable, and Pixar went as far to make two excellent viral videos: one an 80s commercial for Lots-O, and one from Japan. Enjoy!
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