I was in kindergarten when I first watched Toy Story, the first CGI picture ever made. I spoke virtually no English at the time, but I guess entertainment speaks a universal language, especially one that’s as beautifully made as this Pixar creation. I immediately fell so in love with the story and the characters that when I go to the laser disc rental, it was the only movie I wanted to rent.
The obsession didn’t stop there — going to McDonald’s, I asked my mom to buy me a Happy Meal so I could have the glow-in-the-dark Bo Peep. Finding out that my grandparents were going to America, I asked them to buy me all other Andy’s toys, and so I got them: Slinky, Etch-a-Sketch, Mr. Potato Head, the green Pizza Planet alien, Buzz Lightyear, and without a doubt, Sheriff Woody himself. Playing the then-popular Sega console, my favourite game was… yes, you guessed it.
Four years later, Toy Story 2 came out and I was an elementary school student this time. Huge laser discs were replaced by compact-sized VCDs, and it was good news for me because it meant I could buy and own the movie instead of just renting and eventually having to return it. When my grandparents visited America again, I only asked them to buy me Jessie and Bullseye because I thought they would be great companions for my cowboy doll. The Evil Emperor Zurg was, well, too evil, and so was Prospector, so I didn’t feel the need to add them to my collection. Besides, I wasn’t that crazy about getting those toys anymore. Don’t get me wrong — I love the sequel as much as I did the original, but, I guess, I was growing up…
…which is a process that leads to today, and will still continue on and on.
Today, I am seventeen years old, which is coincidentally the same age as the just-out Toy Story 3‘s Andy. Me and him, we share a lot in common. We are leaving for college soon; most of our childhood toys are mostly broken, somehow gone, or donated; and we sure prefer sitting in front of our laptops than listening to our moms or tidying up our rooms.
Therefore, even if you haven’t watched this newest one yet, you should know after reading the previous paragraph that this one is about a nightmare since its written from the toys’ point of view. You’re right — it’s full of panic, escape attempts, escape failures, shady bureaucrats, and a swirling inferno. A coming of age tale, this is probably the darkest installment compared to the first two. Although it is about a familiar theme, it screams to us more loudly that change is inevitable, nothing is forever, and that good or bad, all things have an end.
For me, who has been a big fan since I was little, watching Toy Story 3 initially felt like a bittersweet experience. Where are all the other toys — Ms. Peep and her sheep, Rocky, Lenny the Binoculars, RC… and what happened to the young, lively Buster without saggy skin? I was unsure whether it would’ve been better if I didn’t see it so I could just assume they all lived happily ever after with an ageless Andy, just like other fairytales.
And that’s when I found out that, that’s the point. This movie does what cartoons don’t usually do; it tries to open your eyes a little to reality. Therefore yes, it’s about what I mentioned above, the change is inevitable, nothing is forever, blah-blah-blah part. But it’s also about how an end is a new beginning. How real friendships can only be separated by death. How change feels a bit weird at first, but it doesn’t necessarily mean bad. And even if it turns out to be a change for the worse, you could always try to make another change, this time aiming for the better.
You know what, I’ve never cried after watching an animated movie before. God bless the dark cinema and those 3D glasses.

My old Pizza Planet alien toy and my new tumbler which I bought from the cinema today <3