Tarantino Declares Toy Story 3 as the Second Best Film of This Century: ‘Nearly a Flawless Movie’

      Quentin Tarantino has stated that Toy Story 3 is his second favorite film of the 21st century, describing it as “almost a perfect movie.”

      “The last five minutes completely tore my heart out,” Tarantino remarked during the latest episode of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, where he shared his top 10 films of this century. “If I try to describe the ending, I will begin to cry and feel emotional. ... I can’t even express it.”

      Tarantino joined Ellis for the two latest episodes of the podcast to talk about his 20 favorite films from the 21st century, starting with numbers 20 to 11, which he revealed last week.

      In that episode, he mentioned laughing often at the extreme violence of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, which ranked No. 15 on his list.

      This week’s episode is one of the best podcast installments you will ever hear if you have any interest in Bret Easton Ellis, Quentin Tarantino, or contemporary cinema. We appreciate all three.

      Tarantino discusses a lineup that includes a brilliant Woody Allen film, several war films, and a movie made by one of his former partners, leading to an emotionally charged conversation between the author of American Psycho and the director of Inglourious Basterds about Toy Story 3 from 2010.

      Quentin Tarantino and Bret Easton Ellis on the Brilliance of Toy Story 3

      Credit: C/O

      Ellis found Toy Story 3 just as impactful as Tarantino did.

      “I can hardly believe the genius of the filmmakers who managed to evoke that level of emotion from us. It was brilliant,” Ellis expressed.

      Ellis recalls that when he watched the film in a theater during its 2010 release, “the person I was with looked at me with concern because I was crying.”

      Both Tarantino and Ellis are not alone in their adoration for Toy Story 3: The film was recognized as one of the top films of 2010 by the National Board of Review, the American Film Institute, and Cahiers du Cinéma, among others, and won Oscars for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

      However, not everyone ranks it as highly as Tarantino and Ellis do; for instance, it does not appear on The New York Times’ list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century, which included several of Tarantino’s own films and named Parasite as No. 1.

      The director of Pulp Fiction also praised how the Pixar team accomplished the rare achievement of creating a great third installment in a series.

      “They usually fail at the third film of a trilogy. The only exception I think is The Good, The Bad and the Ugly,” Tarantino stated, referencing the final film in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy. “To me, this is the animated equivalent of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. This, along with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, offers the greatest conclusion to a trilogy.”

      Of course, there are more than three Toy Story films, with Toy Story 5 set to release next year. Tarantino mentioned that he has not watched Toy Story 4 because he believes the third film provided a perfect resolution to the story.

      The first three Toy Story films follow a boy named Andy as he grows up with his favorite toys, including Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen).

      Toy Story 3 is directed by Lee Unkrich, who co-wrote the story with John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton. Michael Arndt received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay and had previously won for Little Miss Sunshine.

      In the film, Andy is preparing to head off to college, and he no longer plays with his toys. Most have been put away in the attic until a series of misunderstandings leads them to a new home at Sunnyside Daycare. Initially, their new environment appears perfect.

      "There’s something truly heartbreaking about how the toys emotionally react to their circumstances,” noted Ellis. “They seek love. All the toys desire is love. ... I’m sorry. I'm getting emotional.”

      Ellis and Tarantino commend the film for both its comedic and emotional peaks — including a very intense furnace scene, one of the darkest moments in any Pixar film.

      The two men agreed that despite their love for the movie, they have no desire to watch it again, as they don’t believe their experience could be improved.

      “It was a perfect experience,” Tarantino explained.

      Unlike Tarantino, Ellis has seen the 2019 sequel Toy Story 4, describing it as “okay.”

      At this point, you might be curious about Quentin Tarantino’s No. 1 movie of this century. For that information — along with the rest of his list — we encourage you to listen to the podcast. However, it’s Ridley Scott’s 2001 war film Black Hawk Down.

      Main image: Toy Story