Toy Story 3
Blu-ray/DVD Combo | DVD
Directed by Lee Unkrich
Starring Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton, Ned Beatty
Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: November 2, 2010

I’m a Pixar fanatic through and through and yet I’m not in love with the Toy Story franchise. My mind often wonders how that is possible. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly appreciate the series and the first movie, in particular, for its historical significance. I also feel the current crop of 3D animated films owe their existence to Woody, Buzz, Slinky Dog, and the rest, but I’ve always found the first two entries in the series to be of a different time in Pixar’s life. I find myself much more engaged by more recent outings like Wall-E and Up than I do from older films like A Bug’s Life and Toy Story.

That being said, I think Toy Story 3 just might be my favorite film in the franchise. I don’t know if it’s just because it’s the most recent and it’s fresh in my mind, but I had a lot of fun with this third part of the trilogy. The film benefits greatly from computer technology that is a decade ahead of the previous Toy Story films and looks amazing (especially on Blu-ray). This can be found in the level of sophistication in not only the toys and humans, but in the backgrounds and environments as well. The opening dream sequence really shows off what I feel like the filmmakers have been trying to show us since the first movie but were limited by the technology of the day.

Tonight was Preview Night at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con, and yes, the Geeks of Doom crew was there in full-force.

Below are a bunch of photos we took from the convention floor.

Of note was the Marvel booth, a massive area for sure, half taken up by a recreation of Odin’s Throne in Asgard from their upcoming film Thor (see the Thor movie still of Odin’s Throne HERE).

There’s also a few shots of the Legendary Pictures booth, which showed off some costumes and props from The Dark Knight and Inception, as well as The Hangover (the pic from the latter film is truly a must-see).

A show-stopper at the Con was definitely the areas set up for The Walking Dead TV show, coming soon to AMC, which had a house filled with bloodied corpses in it. Pretty cool.

Toy Story 3 – ***1/2
Directed by Lee Unkrich
Starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty
Release date: June 18, 2010

It is wonderful to capture memories. We all do it one way or another. Video recorders are typically used for it, be it either for capturing celebrations, parties, talent shows, sporting events, or even sorrowful ones that cause us to be emotionally saddened. Years go by when we return to them again finding bliss and a moment out of time that is impossible to explain; an unfathomable remembrance of things past.

Toy Story 3 begins magnificently with old videos of Andy playing with his toys — a time when he kept reality at bay and possessed nothing but joy, caring very little from what was transpiring outside of his fantasy world abundantly full of train robberies and spacemen saving the day from evil. We all have to move on, and Toy Story 3 finds grievance in this stark realization and employs it throughout the movie within characters like Andy who is now going away to college, his mother struggling to deal with that, and his entire chest of toys who are facing being either shipped to the attic, donated to Sunnyside daycare, or thrown in the trash because Andy has grown up.

Toy Story: The Return of Buzz Lightyear
TPB
Writer: Jesse Blaze Snider
Art: Nathan Watson
BOOM! Studios
Release date: May 5, 2010

What’s the most exciting return going on in comics today? The Return of Bruce Wayne? No, the Return of Buzz Lightyear!

You know, as I am being exposed to more and more kid-friendly comics, I find myself truly appreciating their appeal. Lighthearted humor mixed with a small dose of drama to propel a storyline is the perfect combination to make a successful all-ages and family-friendly story, whether it be traditional prose, television, film, or comics, and this Toy Story series from BOOM! Kids definitely meets the criteria.

With a story based on the popular Disney/Pixar franchise, the Toy Story comic book truly expands the universe of Andy’s Room. In Toy Story: The Return of Buzz Lightyear, Andy mistakenly receives a gift of another Buzz Lightyear who is so determined to stay in Andy’s Room and claim the title of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, that he fights and places our Buzz Lightyear into the new toy’s package and has him returned to the Toy Store.

Toy Story #3
Written by Jesse Blaze Snider
Art by Nathan Wilson and Mike DeCarlo
Colors by Mickey Clausen and Eric Cobain
Letters by Deron Bennett
BOOM! Studios
Price: $2.99
Release date: April 14, 2010

Toy Story #3 continues the ongoing series with part four of The Return of Buzz Lightyear. This storyline started with Andy receiving a new Buzz Lightyear toy. When they found out that Andy was going to return the new Buzz Lightyear for a different toy, we see the new Buzz force the old Buzz, or ‘Sally’, into the box so he doesn’t have to return to the shelf of the store. This spurs a rescue mission with the new Buzz and the recently purchased Booster. In the last issue, new Buzz and Sally are in a race to see who should go back to Andy and the new Buzz cheats by releasing a display of bouncing balls to stop Sally from winning the race. In this issue, we see the conclusion of the race and a lot of the backstory of the new Buzz and the end of his adventure.