Ever since Toy Story 3 was announced (way back in 2007), I’ve been cautious about it. The prospect that there would be a second sequel to one of my favorite childhood films was disconcerting; there are rarely any good third films of a franchise (Return of the King as the exception.) Some information coming from animator Angus MacLane, director of the short “Burn-E” and one of the head animator’s on “Wall-E”, has calmed my fears:
“I feel like we’ve grown up making these movies, and each of the films represents where the filmmakers were at the time of making the films,” MacLane said in an exclusive interview in Burbank, Calif. “Certainly we’re approaching this film 10 years later, so I think we’re sort of coming at it from the standpoint of [Andy] has grown up, and we’ve grown up with these toys, and we have a reverence for them, but we also have different things as a priority.”
MacLane assured fans that he and his Pixar colleagues take Toy Story 3 seriously. They would not make a cheap knock-off sequel (ahem, Disney). And he said the new installment will mark the true conclusion of a trilogy.
The exciting themes about this film, like tackling the idea of adulthood and growing out of childhood, have sparked my interest. Also, their promise of a serious conclusion to a series as great as “Toy Story” has set my expectations high, even for a Pixar film. I’m predicting that it’ll be my film of 2010.