Yet another masterpiece (!)

Rating: 10/10 (18 June 2010)

This film is a masterpiece. Truly. It is easily the best film of the year of any genre and will definitely take it's place alongside Bambi, Snow White, Fantasia and (insert other Pixar title here) in the Pantheon of immortal animated classics.
TS3 is hilarious, touching, thought-provoking and relentlessly entertaining. The film is also very deep, even in comparison to the last three Pixar films (Ratatouille, Wall-E and Up).
Between the high and low brow gags, TS3 manages to be a profound morality study on the purpose of life, connection and disconnection, consumerism, the transition into adulthood, the wonder of imagination, and on death and renewal. As that wasn't enough, there is a brief (but profound) dissertation on the origins of political power (borrowed directly from the great philosophers of the Enlightenment), given by the most unlikely character (I'll let you find out who, but it left me howling with laughter.)
The comedy content is razor-sharp. Spanish Buzz is a scene-stealer and the gender-identity confused Ken is pure gold. However TS3 is certainly darker in theme and content that its predecessors and I sincerely question the G rating (If "The Incredibles" was PG then this certainly must be).
But Pixar don't issue the ratings and regardless, there are moments of such aching beauty that your heart will damn near burst. Pixar kindly provided some delightful sequences over the end credits to let grown men such as myself wipe away the tears before entering the lobby.
Does it have a flaw? Yes - it is at least an hour too short(!) I wanted more of the familiar characters and much, much more of the new ones, particularly Bonnie's toys. (BTW - Look out for a delightful homage to Hayao Miyazaki at Bonnie's place).
But ignoring my pettiness, all I can say is this is a triumph in every regard. It is easily the best of the Toy Story series (an astonishing achievement in itself) and many will declare it Pixar's finest effort to date. A clear candidate for a Best Picture nod and a strong contender for the screenplay Oscar.