You've got a friend in me...

On Monday evening I was lucky enough to have the chance (by lucky enough I mean had enough money for tickets) to see Disney and Pixar's latest collaborative effort with the highly anticipated Toy Story 3. The film was shown using the currently popular Digital 3D technology, which meant that the tickets cost extra and plastic glasses were to be worn, although said glasses have been kept as it will save money to reuse them. The glasses did come in handy during the showing however, as they did hide the teary eyes of everybody in the audience. That's right, I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed a tear of two during the film. I would like to make it clear that I have never to my memory cried at a film before, and that this was the first time.

This truly is a testament to Pixar's storytelling powers, as I am one of those people that despite becoming gripped to a good plot and somewhat attached to characters, will always turn around and say 'It's just a film, it's not real'. I can watch any film shot with real actors and any character can go thought the greatest of emotional traumas and my eyes will remain dry even if I do feel awfully bad for that character. This also applies to real life, I haven't been much of a crier since I was a kid. Yet, you take some computer animated toys, put them in any kind of jeopardy and that's it, I'm trying as hard as possible to fight back the tears. The reason for this is that Pixar over the years have become masters of cinematic storytelling and use this to toy (pun not intended but appreciated) with the audience's own emotions. The last time previous to Toy Story 3 that I became in any way choked up at a film was during last year's Up, which was also a Disney Pixar production. If you haven't had the chance to watch Up yet I strongly suggest that you track it down! To give you an idea of what it is all about, just watch the opening montage...

To get the full effect of that clip, you really do need to see the whole movie, although I do hope that you at least see what I am getting at there. If not then all I can say is that you must have a heart made from the coldest and hardest of stone!

Up, didn't actually bring tears pouring, or even trickling from my eyes, it merely produced a lump in my throat. Toy Story 3 on the other hand did produce salty liquid from beneath my eyelids. The reason for this I feel is that in its third edition, an edition that has taken over a decade to reach us, the Toy Story franchise is one that I have grown up with. I was five when the first film was released at the cinema, nine or ten when I went with my family to see the second one, and now at twenty-one I have been reunited with Woody, Buzz and the gang. In a sense, I guess that part of me felt that those were the toys that defined my childhood, causing me to be much more emotionally invested in their well being.

I'll leave you now, and do hope that you'll all see both films that I've mentioned in this here blog of mine. If neither of them causes any emotional reaction from you, then it's either because you're an uncaring monster, or because I've become girly when it comes to Pixar films. Either way, I enjoy watching them because of the memorable characters, great storytelling, and because of the emotions involved, as these films also cause laughter, gasps, and smiles throughout.

To infinity... and BEYOND!