NORWALK, CT – Woody & Buzz bring the most acclaimed movie of 2010 to the biggest screen in Connecticut beginning Aug. 13 when “Toy Story 3” debuts in the 2D IMAX format at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.
Digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience®, this final episode in the “Toy Story” saga will play at 4 & 6:30 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and at 4 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays through Labor Day. “Toy Story 3” also will show at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 7-9 and at 3:30 & 5:30 p.m. Sept. 10-12. (Always confirm show times online at www.maritimeaquarium.org, by calling 203-852-0700, or texting “TMA” to 71297.)
“‘Toy Story 3’ has the highest average rating from critics of any movie released this year,” said Chris Loynd, the Aquarium’s marketing director. “If you’ve seen it at the local cinema, come see it again on IMAX and see things you didn’t notice on the small screen. If you haven’t seen it yet, see it in IMAX. But be prepared, because the tense moments and the bittersweet emotions will be as enormous as the six-story screen.”
Like many who have seen this latest Pixar/Disney release, Colin Covert, a critic for The Minneapolis Star Tribune, admitted to crying at the sweet ending.
“I'd like to thank the folks at Pixar for ending ‘Toy Story 3’ with a nice long gag reel alongside the final credits. It gave me time to blot away my tears before entering the lobby,” Covert wrote. “Once again, the wizards of Pixar have turned a gaggle of old playthings into some of the most captivating, fully realized and touching characters onscreen today.”
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine called the film “a joy to behold. It hits every button from laughter to tears and lifts you up on waves of visual dazzlement. And you don't need to take a kid along to appreciate it. … Tag it as one of the year's best.”
Fifteen years after “Toy Story” introduced us to little Andy and his favorite toys – led by the unflappable cowboy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and the space ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) – “Toy Story 3” opens with Andy all grown up and on the verge of leaving home for college. One final task: deciding what to do with those forgotten toys in the bin.
A series of mistakes and misunderstandings lands the toys at the Sunnyside Day Care Center, which initially seems – to all but loyal Woody – like a better alternative than Andy’s attic or the trash. But Sunnyside has its dark side, and “Toy Story 3” becomes a comical prison-break film where the toys must outwit the likes of a strawberry-scented teddy bear and a cymbal-crashing monkey.
New characters keep things light, including a fashion-vulnerable Ken doll (Michael Keaton) and a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton).
The toys’ escape, incredibly rendered by the Pixar artists, leads to a wistful resolution – for the toys, for Andy and for the audience.
Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly magazine wrote, “… even with the bar raised high, ‘Toy Story 3’ enchanted and moved me so deeply that I was flabbergasted that a digitally animated comedy about plastic playthings could have this effect.”
“Toy Story 3” also features the voices of Joan Cusack, Jodi Benson, John Ratzenberger, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris and Ned Beatty. It’s rated G and is suitable for all ages.
Tickets for “Toy Story 3” on the Aquarium’s IMAX screen are $11.50 for adults, $10.50 for seniors 65+ and $9.50 for children 2-12. Maritime Aquarium members receive $1 discounts.
Also playing daily through Aug. 31 on The Maritime Aquarium’s IMAX screen are “Hubble” (11 a.m. & 1 p.m.) and “The Living Sea” (noon, 2 & 3 p.m.).
Tickets can be purchased in advance on the Aquarium’s website: www.MaritimeAquarium.org.
For more information about The Maritime Aquarium’s IMAX movies, exhibits and other offerings this summer, call (203) 852-0700 or go online to www.MaritimeAquarium.org.
