Outdoor Movie Idea: Toy Story 3
If you haven’t yet screened Toy Story 3 as an outdoor movie, it makes a great pick for your next flick under the stars! Whether you’re at home with your family and your CineBox Home system, or with your entire community and a 30’ Elite screen, Toy Story 3 is a great choice for a number of reasons. The film is the third chapter of a series that changed the animation industry forever — and Toy Story 3 takes it to another level, released in 3D! Now all your favorite characters come to life like never before — and if you can pool the resources, why not screen it in 3D as an outdoor movie, as some venues have done with 3D outdoor screenings?
Toy Story 3 has all the characters your family has grown to love: Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Joan Cusack as Jessie, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Wallace Shawn as Rex, John Ratzenberger as Hamm, and Jodi Benson as Barbie, among others. The toys’ owner, Andy, is now 17 and heading off to college. Tasked with clearing out his old toys, he takes Woody with him but leaves his favorite toys in a bag for his mom to store in the attic. His mom mistakenly thinks he wants them thrown away and puts the bag on the front sidewalk to be taken as trash. The toys are heartbroken! They wonder why Andy would desert them, but quickly snap into survival mode and relocate to a box headed for the local day care, figuring at least they’ll be played with.
They quickly realize day care is crazier than they thought, as they’re abused and roughed up by small children. Meanwhile, Woody sets out to free his friends and get them back to Andy, knowing the whole thing was a big mistake. In an effort to reset Buzz Lightyear, he’s switched into Spanish-speaking mode (a timely bit of social commentary), after which he salsa dances and creates a handful of mischief. Like its predecessors, Toy Story 3 is a fun film for the entire family, with enjoyment for parents and children alike. The animation is top-notch as usual, representing the best talent as Disney/Pixar take it to another level.
Toy Story 3 presents some great opportunities for your community beyond just screening the film! You could do a three-week series with each of the Toy Story films, culminating with number three in 3D. Costume contests are always a great idea, especially as we approach the Halloween season. You could invite the children in your community to bring their favorite Toy Story toys and spread a blanket out on the grass. There’s nothing they’d love more than to have their favorite toys with them while watching their favorite film on the big screen. We’ve even seen communities encourage families to bring cardboard boxes to build “forts” to watch the movie from. The opportunities are endless!
As with any Disney film, make sure to plan ahead with your film licensing, as Disney has specific dates when you can publicly screen its movies. Contact Swank Motion Pictures to find out more about obtaining licensing for a Disney film (and many other films as well). As usual, if anyone has screened this film as an outdoor movie, please share your story by posting it in the comments section below! We’d love to hear what you’ve been up to.