Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2010

What happens to toys when their owner grows up? Will they be stored away in the attic or tossed out in the garbage? That’s the fate facing the characters in Toy Story 3, the latest animated feature from Pixar. The film, directed by Lee Unkrich and co-written by Unkrich, Pixar chief John Lasseter and WALL-E director Andrew Stanton, opens in theaters this week.

Unkrich goes way back with Pixar, having co-directed Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo. During a recent visit to Tokyo with producer Darla K. Anderson, he said his priority for the third installment was not to deviate too much from the world created by the first two Toy Story films.

“I had to be careful to stay true to the characters in the series who have been around for 15 years,” he said. “They’ve become like family to me.”

Once again, the “family” is voiced by Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusack (cowgirl Jessie), Wallace Shawn (dinosaur Rex) and Don Rickles (Mr Potato Head). After being discarded by their owner, the toys end up in a daycare center—much to their delight. After all, children play with you all day, and there will always be new kids coming through. Seems like heaven… or is it?

Unkrich said that the central conceit of the Toy Story series—that playthings have a rich, complex life when people aren’t around—still resonates after all these years.

“When we made the first film, we had no idea this would go on to become such a huge series and franchise,” he said. “Toy Story 3 is no exception.”
Working at Pixar, the director said, is about more than just entertainment.

“Everyone involved holds themselves to really high standards. We all strive to raise the bar with each film and improve ourselves in the process. To work at Pixar, you need to be a team player—no one person is the star of the show.”

Japanese fans of the series will be amused to see a brief cameo by famed animator Hayao Miyazaki’s Totoro, a catlike creature that has become a household name in Japan.

“Studio Ghibli and Pixar have a long history together,” explained Anderson. “We wanted to include one of his characters as an homage to his work, and he gave us the green light for Totoro.”

Continuing a recent trend for big-budget Hollywood films, Toy Story 3 will be released in 3D format.

“We thought long and hard about it,” said Unkrich. “We didn’t want it to just be a gimmick. If people leave theaters just saying ‘The 3D was cool,’ then we’ve failed. Like the previous Pixar film, Up, we used 3D as a window into this fictional world so viewers can experience everything in depth. With any film, 3D or not, our first priority is to make a good movie.” He added that with the technology available to moviemakers, there are almost no limits to what can be put on the screen. “Since young people bear the burden of our future, we think it’s important to show kids that anything is possible.”

One group of kids in Japan certainly didn’t need to be convinced: AKB48 singers Sae Miyazawa, Minami Takahashi, Rie Kitahara and Miho Miyazaki jumped at the opportunity to attend a “teach-in” held by Unkrich and Anderson at Ebisu Garden Hall. The four girls said they were huge fans of the animated film series and asked Unkrich to cast them in a movie.

“Finish school first, and then you’re hired,” Unkrich joked.

Chris Betros is the editor of Japan Today (www.japantoday.com).