It's been a great ride

Rating: 8/10 (30 May 2011)

An animated movie about plastic toys really shouldn't make a grown man cry. But with Toy Story 3 the good folks at Pixar make that possible. Your level of weepiness may vary but if this film's final act doesn't at least induce a sniffle or two you may want to place your hand on your chest to make sure that you do actually have a heart. A three-film journey is complete and what a ride it's been. And after three films full of great entertainment, adventure, comedy and thrills the saga of our favorite plastic playthings ends with some raw, heartfelt emotion. It's hard to say goodbye to our toys.
In many ways you know going in what you're going to get from a Toy Story film. First off, you know it's going to look fantastic. The animation revolution which the first Toy Story film began is in full bloom now. There's some truly breathtaking looking stuff. You'll hear that familiar and beloved song, You've Got a Friend in Me, with a new twist and Randy Newman will have some great new music for you too. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen will once again brilliantly bring our heroes, Woody and Buzz, to life. And most of your other old favorite voices will be back too. Could we really have a Toy Story movie without Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Wallace Shawn as Rex or John Ratzenberger as Hamm? Of course new friends introduced into the Toy Story universe in Toy Story 2 will be back as well, notably Joan Cusack's Jessie, Jodi Benson's Barbie and Estelle Harris's Mrs. Potato Head. And then you toss in the new toys. There are some real gems in the new bunch. Ned Beatty has the most significant new role, that of Lotso the hugging bear. Timothy Dalton is a treat as thespian hedgehog Mr. Pricklepants. And Barbie needs her Ken. Enter Michael Keaton who is perfect in the role of the guy who, despite all his protestations, is totally a girl's toy.
So the gang's all here, old friends and new. The story begins with Andy, owner of all our favorite toys, now grown up and about to head off to college. The toys end up, after a few misunderstandings and contrivances, being donated to a daycare center. Most of the toys seem happy with their new fate. But ever-loyal Woody knows he must get back to Andy. And the rest of the toys soon get a cold splash of reality. Life at Sunnyside daycare isn't so sunny after all. They've gotta get out. In Toy Story 2 the other toys set out to rescue Woody. This time Woody sets out to rescue the other toys. There are moments where it does seem a little too familiar and repetitive. But there are more than enough great moments, and certainly enough great characters, to keep the movie chugging along. And ultimately there will be great drama, danger and peril. Forget little kids, even adults might be covering their eyes. There's a lot of scary stuff our beloved toys go through. Amazingly this animated movie about a bunch of toys manages to put your heart right in your throat. A wonderfully exciting climax to this great three-movie ride. And then, right at the end, the serious heartstring-tugging begins. A beautiful, heartfelt, poignant end to the great Toy Story saga. A terrific and fitting ending which, over the course of three beloved films, these toys and the Pixar geniuses who created them have certainly earned.