As Andy grows up so does the Toy Story franchise.

Rating: 9/10 (13 July 2010)

What troubled me the most about this film was it felt like it was the same story (Andy leaves the room, Toys get lost or in trouble, Toys need to work together to get home, Antagonist makes life tough for Toys, etc), but as the film unravels you remember the real reason you are here. To see Pixar animation come to life, beautifully I might add, and to be entertained for an hour and a half. All our returning friends are back, minus a few, but now Andy is 17 and moving onto college and the fates of the Toys are sealed. The characters who are gone are replaced by some new and exciting characters. The film also opens up with a new adventure in the beginning that is exciting too. This part was never done in the other two films either and gave a new dimension to this film. It obviously is an adventure that is generated by the ideas found in Andy's head but the Pixar team gives it to you like it was totally real. The interesting thing about the story is the parallel lines between Andy's situation and the mood the film will eventually take that catapults it into being one of the best films of this summer. As Andy grows up so does the Toy Story franchise. This film takes a startling, but welcoming turn towards the mature side of things and dishes out a dark side and a violent side that tells us that the Toy Story world has grown up. I don't want to say what happens, but it is jarring. Some highlights are Potato Head as a tortilla shell, Barbie & Ken, Michael Keaton expertly handling the voice of Ken and an homage to the now classic theme song "You Got a Friend in Me" in Spanish. In my opinion it still isn't as good as the original, but damn close. It is a fond farewell (hopefully not the last).