A long running franchise still manages to pull another fantastic cat out of the bag

Rating: 10/10 (30 September 2010)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of the toy gang still reside in Andy's bedroom in his old home...but he's grown up now and ready to move out to college, and the time has come for some of the toys to head up to the attic...and some to head to the trash! The gang find themselves, by default, in the ownership of a day care centre, which is in the grip of the seemingly kindly Lotso Lovin' Bear (Ned Beatty) who secretly runs a tyrannical control over everything there. Woody, Buzz and his love interest Jessie (Joan Cusack), must work together to save the day and say goodbye to Andy before it's too late.
All good things seem to come in threes, and certainly, it would seem the best film franchises need to have a perfect three o to make themselves complete- Terminator, Godfather, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (?!?)...some even spoil it by veering into foursies- Lethal Weapon, Alien, Rambo...but three, as De La Soul once said, certainly seems to be the magic number. And, the third part to Toy Story has certainly kept a novelty in the bag...by making it a 3D experience, with the chance to see it in 3D glasses that hardly bring everything out right in front of your eyes, but illuminate it enough so that it stands out from any of the other films. Luckily, though, the more superficial stuff like that doesn't override the same charm and good writing that made the last two as bearable for adults as fun for kids.
Not a massive lot really stands out, formula wise, from the other two films, other than perhaps a slightly veering slant towards less of a happy ending than a conclusion to what could either be a brilliant trilogy or a never-ending, soulless stream of sequels. As it does, it goes for a more darker, human edge to the characters and story, drawing us towards a genuinely thrilling, seat edge conclusion, that at first seems a cheeky homage to Arnie's demise at the end of Terminator 2, but in fact comes to stand alone perfectly as it's own great ending, before a sentimental, gushy final part that if it doesn't round the story off, at least sets it in stead for a new chapter.
It goes without saying that the animation/graphics are all brilliant as ever, and that the geniuses at Disney/Pixar have done their thing to great effect once again. Truly, whatever they've already done and whatever they will do in the future, the Toy Story series will stand alone as one of, if not their best, achievement ever. *****