Toy Story 3. Let's be kids again...

Rating: 8/10 (13 June 2010)

I am a 21 year old male. I watched the first Toy Story in theaters when I was 7 years old and the second Toy Story when I was 11. These films are a part of my childhood and I can assure you anyone between the ages of 18-30 have a special connection like I do for them. I personally have been waiting for this movie for 10 years now, since the ending sequences in Toy Story 2. Ten long years later, I finally received my wish.
Toy Story 3 is the story of our classic and new favorite characters Woody, Buzz, Slinky, Ham, Rex and friends as they try to cope with the fact that Andy is going off to college. They haven't been played with in years and they're becoming restless. As much as they want to believe Andy will save them and keep them in the attic as Woody predicts, our beloved toys start to question his motives as college day is coming and Andy's old room is starting to deteriorate into a trash hold. Which will Andy decide upon? The plot for this movie at first glance made me very satisfied, seeing as Pixar and the writers are trying to follow the time frame we are accustomed to. Back in 1999 when Andy found his new toys Jesse and Bullseye, he was still a child with imagination and joy to play with these toys. Ten years later, he is no longer a child but grown into a graduating senior who is ready to venture off the college for the first time. This plot is a classic scenario that new-bound college teens deal with on their moving date: whether or not to give up hold on our childish bonds. It's time to grow up sometime. This plot grabbed me in easily.
As the rest of the movie continued, Pixar led us on a classic Toy Story adventure, much like the opening scene in Toy Story where the Army men move downstairs to find what Andy receives in his birthday presents, or the scene in Toy Story 2 where the gang try to manage their way to the toy store across the highway. These very simple and drawn out scenes are what grab our attention because of the detail with every move, every instant that our friends are in peril. They also help a child who is watching to use their mind to follow along, from one frame to another, as Woody jumps from floor to toilet seat to toilet paper roll and nearly falls creating applause, up to the stall to the ledge and out the window for freedom. These actions take a lot from a child to stay along, which helps develop brain activity in problem solving. Step 1 to Step 6 leads to success, and this is a positive attribute to teach to our children.
This movie is a little longer than most child films, close to 2 hours, which is a perfectly acceptable time frame for a movie so anticipated. Having it be under 90 minutes would have been a little selfish for the animators seeing as they knew how long we waited for this. If you are seeing this in 3D (which I believe is a must) you will be drawn in very easily and your attention will be kept throughout. With introductions of new characters and vigorous imagery, it is hard to lose track of what's going on. The animation was flawless as usual, storyline close to perfection, characters are lovable... I truly see no reason to dislike this film.
Overall I gave it an 8 out of 10. This movie lives up to the first 2 in the series, not so sure about being better than the original. Close but undecided. You can make your own judgment call. If you are between the ages of 18-30 or you have children of your own, this film is one of the better ones you will see all year. Be a kid again, it won't hurt for 2 hours.