The End Of An Era? Toy Story 3 at the Esquire IMAX Theater
By John Benton
Staff Writer
June 18, 2010 saw the release of the next installment of the widely  popular Pixar Films franchise: Toy Story 3. Since November of 1995, the Toy Story franchise has been capturing hearts and filling our minds with wonder. What do our toys do when we aren’t looking? Do they communicate with one another, play, and love? Do they even know that they are toys?
Toy Story 3 brought back many of our favorite characters. Jessie (Joan Cusack), Mrs. and Mr. Potato Head (Estelle Harris and Don Rickles), Slinky Dog (Blake Clark), Hamm (the comical piggy bank voiced by John Ratzenberger), and the adorably non-violent Tyrannosaurus Rex (Wallace Shawn) were joined by other familiar faces and voices. Of course, the two main characters, Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen), were at the forefront of the plot this time around. As Andy, their owner, has grown, he prepares to leave home and move away to college. As all young adults must do, Andy has to make some tough decisions about what has been important to him in the past. What should he take to college with him? What should he have his parents store in the attic for later? What, if anything, should be donated to be used by others?
The toys find themselves exposed to a new environment called Sunnyside Daycare. Excited by the prospect of being played with by scores of new children, Woody, Buzz, and the crew begin a friendship with some new toys, led by the huggable, purple bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty). Barbie meets a new friend as well, Ken (Michael Keaton). These new friendships don’t all turn out to be positive, which leads to new adventures and excitement.
Pixar Studios, located in Emeryville, Ca., had its humble beginnings in 1979. As part of Lucasfilm in the Computer Division, the Graphics Group was obtained by Steve Jobs of Apple in 1986 and dubbed “Pixar.” Their first digital short film was called Luxo Jr., and premiered in 1986. After numerous short films, commercials, and awards, including an Academy Award in 1989 for Tin Toy in the Best Animated Short Film, Pixar goes public with 6,900,000 shares, raising $140 million. Shortly thereafter, Pixar released its first full-length, computer-animated feature film, Toy Story. The highest grossing film in 1995, Toy Story brings in $192 million domestically and $362 million worldwide.
After the success of Toy Story, Pixar has brought other family favorites to the big screen such as A Bug’s Life, Monster’s Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles. Toy Story 2 also came out in 1999, right after the huge success of A Bug’s Life in 1998. Woody and Buzz were also invited to the stage of the 68th Academy Awards in 1996, the year Toy Story was released on home video. 2006 saw big changes for the company of Pixar. Not only was the feature film Cars released, on January 24th Pixar signed an agreement to join with The Walt Disney Company, which became effective on May 5th. In 2007, Pixar released Ratatouille, followed in 1008 by Wall-E. Pixar has become the leader in fully computer-animated, family friendly entertainment. With rides and exhibits featuring many of the stories and characters of Pixar’s favorite films, California’s Disneyland and Florida’s Walt Disney World give children of all ages the opportunity to meet and enjoy their favorites in interactive ways.
Toy Story 3 is an amazing third chapter in the series. Like the first two, it is filled with tender moments, exciting battles, and heroism, the likes of which only Pixar has brought to the big screen for audiences young and old alike. The IMAX version in 3D makes the story even more immersive by bringing the audience members into the action. A six-story tall and eighty-foot wide screen, impressive surround sound with 12,000 watts of power, and stadium seating, makes the Esquire IMAX Theater the perfect place to see this incredibly touching movie. There is room for four hundred viewers in the theater, and a concession stand which offers all types of delicious treats.
Not only is the Esquire IMAX Theater a terrific place to watch full-length feature films in 3D, it is also a terrific place to see shorter IMAX documentaries or host a corporate event, making use of the huge screen, amazing sound system, stage, and concessions stand. Playing at the theater right now is IMAX Hubble 3D, a journey through the galaxies showing the amazingly beautiful sights of space and the activities of the space-walking astronauts as they work on/with NASA’s equipment. Also continuing is Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Oceans 3D. This documentary by Jean-Michel Cousteau explores the ocean’s wonders from the Bahamas to the Kingdom of Tonga, following the magical mammals of these waters.
Please visit http://www.imax.com/sacramento for more information about Esquire IMAX Theater’s accommodations and upcoming films. Call (916) 443-4629, or visit them at 1211 K Street, downtown Sacramento. For more information about Pixar Studios, please visit http://www.pixar.com/index.html
Tickets available at:
http://imaxtixs.easytixs.com/ImaxSacramento/TicketingStartPage.aspx?
634125982425021250
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