Fantastic end to a fantastic trilogy

Rating: 10/10 (31 July 2014)

How many times have you cried at a movie aimed at kids? There are only a few notable examples with Bambi perhaps being the most popular. Well now you can add Toy Story 3 to that list. Pixar's third and, most likely, final outing for Woody, Buzz and co. has all the hallmarks of a Pixar movie. Eye meltingly beautiful animation, silly jokes aimed at kids, clever jokes aimed at adults and a surprising amount of adult content hidden in the subtext.
It had been 12 years since the second movie when Toy Story 3 was released but the folks at Pixar haven't missed a beat. Fittingly, we join Woody and the gang as they reach the end of their 'careers' as Andy's toys. Andy is now 17 and heading off to college, leading the toys to the realisation that they are no longer needed. A mix up with the garbage leads to the toys being sent to Sunnyside day care – a child's nursery which shares more than a passing resemblance to a retirement community.
It sounds a little depressing but this couldn't be further from the truth, as Woody and co. meet some of Pixar's most memorable characters to date, with Micheal Keaton's Ken doll being a particular highlight. The plot plays like a toy version of The Great Escape as the toys realise everything is not as rosy as it appears and must subsequently engineer an escape. There are some truly inspired scenes which take advantage of the central premise of toys coming to life; such as a group of toys playing poker inside a vending machine, a traumatic pre-school playtime at Sunnyside and a spectacular ending inside a trash compactor.
The subtext of retirement lends the film an emotional undercurrent not normally found in a kid's movie and you may find yourself complaining of something in your eye on more than one occasion; but you will be doing so with a huge smile on your face.
A masterpiece of animation from a company at the very top of its game. Toy Story 3 builds on the successes of its predecessors to deliver an emotionally charged, hilarious ending to the trilogy. A must see.