Toy Story 3

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Saturday night, Lady Steed and I went to Pixar and watched Toy Story 3 and now I understand all the frustrated ShoWest reviews --- people desperate to explain just how great the movie was and yet unable to share any proof. Now, I've not been required to keep mum, but the parts I reeelly want to talk about I should not lest I ruin the experience and, baby, this movie is an experience.

First, a brief note: Although the first three quarters of the movie were very good with excellent moments and big laughs, it was a rather typical caper/escape/adventure/comedy film in a Toy Story shell. Perfectly enjoyable but unremarkable.

Then comes the end of the movie, starting with the villain proving just how villainous he could be --- a moment I hoped would happen but doubted. That scene is the immediate precursor of one of The Greatest Scenes in Film History. I'll call it the orange scene. You'll recognize it. This scene I bought 100% and from the beginning of that scene to the end of the film I could not stop crying. I've never cried so many movie tears in my life.

Brilliant, brilliant movie. Don't miss it. I know I'll definitely see it again. Though I'm not sure about taking my kids. This is one intense --- and at times genuinely scary --- film.

I also need to see it again to figure out a couple things that confused me: Hey, Lee --- how did Slink get down? for instance.

But if I have one complaint it's that we didn't see more of Bonnie's toys because they were easy to love.

One question that'll up for debate is whether they "left it open" for a TS4. I suppose the answer is yes, but only if Pixar becomes Dreamworks. The three movies taken together make one full arc, so a fourth movie? Hard to imagine it being anything other than superfluous.

That said, I would be happy to take a job engineering TS4 if, you know, Pixar wants to offer me a job.

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A commentary on the whole getting-a-job-at-Pixar thing:

Longtime readers of Thutopia know that we have a running gag here, viz: Open letters to Pixar muckymucks like John and Andrew in which Theric acts like he's on a firstname basis and casually mentions that he is hireable and would be happy to start up at Pixar.

I stopped making those jokes when I got a Pixar-working neighbor who lets me do things like see WALL-E before its release date because, should he happen to see such a joke, he might feel used.

Besides, disregarding my innate awesomeness, why would Pixar hire me? Pixar, as you know, is an unprecedentedly perfect studio with nary a misfire to their credit. With that perfection has come audience love and barrels of cash and the ability to hire anyone they want. So why hire me, even if I am a skilled storyguy, when you could instead hire your brother-in-law or a Pulitzer-Prize winner or that animator down the hall who also has wicked story chops? The nature of six billion humans is that there'll always be someone who rivals my skills, so when skills are all I have, how can I compete with someone who has skills plus Something Else?

But that doesn't mean I wouldn't change my current plans to work for Pixar.

Here at Thutopia we're going to keep not making jokey pitches, but! I'm still available, Pixar! I'm already local, I wouldn't be offended by a trial period, I have lots of storytelling experience (outside of film) and I love sharing the story-creation process with groups of minds. I'm also nice, ask anybody), but I'm a terrible yesman. And while Pixar has avoided the Curse of the Yesman so far (by their fruits, etc), yesmen are the always pressing disaster of any successful creative enterprise. So know that I Theric am very good at saying things suck.

Hmm. What else? I have a few book projects moving forward right now, my teaching's coming to an end with the school year, and I have a year before I intend to make any big life changes. So you have time. Think it over. Then shoot me a line.

(He said to the cavernous empty room.)