“Toy Story 3”
Trailer Rating: 4 ½ bites [out of 5]
Ken: “Love your legwarmers.”
Barbie: “Nice…ascot.”
Ah, I love this trailer. Seriously, is there any way the Pixar geniuses could mess this up? It’s always risky to do a third film in a series, let alone one that boasts one of the very best sequels of all time. Toy Story 2 is that rare film—it not only holds up to the original, but it actually improves upon it with more mature themes, bigger laughs, and perhaps most importantly, an even greater dose of heart (who didn’t feel for Woody as he feared being abandoned and forgotten as Andy got older? Or Jessie, for that matter, who was completely tossed aside as her girl grew out of playing with dolls). But I have absolute faith in Pixar, the hit-making machine that just keeps getting better and better with each new film. Plus, this film is also buoyed by phenomenal word of mouth from an early screening at ShoWest (would we expect anything less?). All the pieces in this trailer suggest a worthy final chapter for Woody, Buzz, Rex, Slinkie, and all the rest (great to see Joan Cusack’s Jessie the Cowgirl come back too). Best of all, the central idea this time around – of Andy leaving for college, and possibly leaving all his toys behind – not only leads to fantastic comic potential with the pre-school “monsters” and the Great Escape-inspired journey back to Andy, but also a poignant exploration of how our attitudes change toward the things we adored as kids (come on, we all had that favorite toy, who, like the Brave Little Toaster, seemed to have a special meaning to us, a personality underneath that plastic coating). I could’ve lived without the “log” joke, but that’s just nitpicking – even that has a pretty funny payoff in the end of the trailer. Oh, and looks like Barbie and Ken (voiced by the always-great Michael Keaton) will steal the show! And the toy dinosaur flirting killed me too. And can’t forget Mr. Potato Head’s “manly” toy rival… Ugh, is it May 23 already? Here’s hoping this will top The Incredibles as my all-time favorite Pixar film!
“Shrek Forever After”
Trailer Rating: 2 ½ bites [out of 5]
Speaking of great sequels, I thought Shrek 2 was another case when a follow-up actually outshone the original; I might be in the minority, but I found the second Shrek adventure more moving, heartfelt, and, frankly, wittier and far sharper than its predecessor. The Hollywood-like city of Far, Far, Away (with two Starbucks-es!), the dim-witted Prince Charming, Donkey getting competition for his position of Annoying, Talking Animal, and, really, what could beat Shrek’s lovely character arc, where he cared for Fiona so much he was willing to sacrifice everything to make her happy? Oh, yeah, and it had Puss n’ Boots too! Antonio Banderas stole that entire film, and, if nothing else, I’m glad it exists just for Puss’s “innocent” eyes and his angry rants in Spanish.
But then the filmmakers had to make a third film. That, to me, felt like an unfinished draft of what could have been a good script. There were some solid ideas in there (Shrek’s growing fears about being a father, the idea of settling down and giving up all of his charmingly awful and grungy ogre ways), but it never came together in the final film. It felt rushed and, with the exception of a few fun sequences (more Puss-n-Boots, Camelot-as-high school, complete with a John Krasinski-voiced douchebag Lancelot), pretty useless. And I’m now a little worried that this fourth film won’t be much better. The “what if” scenario always felt like a last-resort screenwriting trick to me, and I can’t see much in this trailer to make it look like the right direction for this final Shrek outing. Striking a deal with the mischievous Rumpelstilskin, Shrek has to navigate an alternate universe where Donkey doesn’t know him, Fiona is hunted by peasants and is a member of an ogre resistance team (featuring Mad Men’s Jon Hamm as the chiseled ogre…and possible romantic rival?), and lots of other quirky changes. Maybe I’m maxed out on alternate timelines thanks to Lost, or there’s still a sour taste left over from Shrek the Third, but I didn’t find this trailer all that funny. Nor do I think there’s really much story left to tell, since Shrek seemed to finish his emotional journey (the angry loner transformed to kind, loving – but still proudly dirty! – family man) in the last film. Still, you never know, it could surprise me. And the fat Puss n’ Boots is pretty brilliant—that Garfield-ish pot belly should be good for some guaranteed laughs.
I know there’s a lot of money to be made from Shrek and his pals—it’s a giant franchise from Dreamworks, and I don’t really blame them for trying to milk it for more stories. It’s just a little disheartening to see it devolve from “must-see” to “maybe it’ll be pleasant and watchable”. I’ll see this anyway; although, at this point, I’ll come in with my expectation in check.
All in all, it looks like it will be Pixar for the win in terms of best summer sequel!
What do you guys think of the trailers?
Trailers courtesy of Trailer Addict.
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