BOTTOM LINE: "Toy Story 3" is just as good as its excellent predecessors, delivering an endearing and fun story despite being somewhat darker in tone to the previous two films.
THE GOOD: Animation studio Pixar has done it again with this third entry in the "Toy Story" franchise. This time out, the filmmakers have tackled the inevitable story of what happens to the toys once their owner has grown up and no longer wants to play with them. Through a series of unfortunate mishaps while Andy and his family are cleaning out his room in preparation for him going to college, Woody (Hanks), Buzz (Allen) and the toys end up being donated to a day care centre. Although seeming to be a great place for them to go where kids will play with them non-stop, the centre turns out to be a nightmare with toddlers that bash them around, and the centre unofficially run by the imposing teddy bear toy "Lotso" who rules the toys with an iron fist and ensures that only he and his clan get the 'good' children. Wanting to save his toy friends while simultaneously getting back to Andy, Woody sets out on a journey to break the toys out of the day care centre.
The film hits a lot of comedic points, particularly with its jail break-esque sequence where the toys break out of the centre and Buzz's subplot where he is re-set and his 'Spanish' mode is switched on. But as with all of Pixar's films, and despite them being one hundred percent computer-animated, the strength of this film lies in its great characters, the moments they are given, and the emotional connection they generate. Aside from their interactions with each other, the toys also have their own moments, particularly Woody who ultimately makes an important decision at the end of the story on their fate which sees them in the arms of another child who will play with them the way they are meant to be. In the climax, there is an extended moment where you think the toys are going to be destroyed; it is a testament to the filmmakers here that you really feel on the edge of your seat, hoping they won't get melted. "Toy Story 3" is a lot of fun with great characters and story; a worthy addition to an already great franchise.
THE BAD: This is more of a muted rather than an out-right bad point; the film is surprisingly dark in some places, particularly as this is a film directed at children and has many comedic moments that directly contrast with it. The Lotso character is in essence gangster-like, and the filmmakers exploit this by having the requisite scenes to match. Lotso's side kick in the baby toy is also a little unsettling (when you think of some of the doll horror films that have been made in the past!). The finale in particular is quite dramatic as the toys descend in to a fiery pit after ending up in landfill. Although these points do not take away from the film's ability to entertain, they do make the experience of watching the film a bit heavier than the previous two films. As a result of this, the film does feel a bit slower in some points, whereas the previous two films were lighter and breezier to sit through.
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