This actually is Pixar's best. Seriously.

Rating: 10/10 (25 August 2010)

Whether you like, love or detest Pixar's films, the fact is, that they are very good story tellers and globally, their films will always receive rave reviews, as did this potentially final instalment of the film that first made them famous. The expectations were high and though they have never made a dud film, I feel that since the Incredibles, Pixar films have lacked in the entertainment department, if only so slightly.
What works for this film is that it has all the lovable characters we've come to enjoy on the big screen. From Woody, Buzz, Rex and Mr. Potato to Bulls-Eye, Jessie and Buster, there are a whole host of them to enjoy and of course we are introduced to a bundle of fantastic new characters, the picks of which are Ken, Big Baby and Lots-O-Huggin' Bear.
Andy has grown now and is on his way to college. He hasn't played with his toys in a very long time and the toys themselves are feeling neglected. When he begins to clear his room and stumbles upon them, he decides to put them all in the attic except Woody, who he is taking to college with him. But as one thing leads to another, Andy's mom, accidentally thinking it's a bag filled with garbage, throws the plastic bin liner out for the garbage truck. Though the toys escape, they believe that Andy was going to get rid of them so the toys, much to Woody's dismay, end up going to a day care centre where they meet up with other toys.
Firstly, lets congratulate Pixar on coming up with a very unique storyline. This could have been a really terrible film and a money-making scheme gone wrong, as so many sequels usually are. But right from the very start, the team have put together a strong film with lots of emotional content.
The animation is obviously incredible and the expression on each and every single toy is too good to describe. Every emotion is captured so perfectly that it is as though the toys are actually alive and you can feel everything they convey, Woody being particularly exquisite.
Another plus point for this film, visually and emotionally aside is the mood of the film. Yes, there is emotion, which I will come to in a moment, but there is also huge amounts of laughter and it allows the film, which has lots of dark moments, to be broken up nicely. Ken's clothes show and Buzz's Spanish session are two moments that stand out immensely.
My four year old son loved Toy Story 1 and 2, yet there were times when his mind wondered because the story gets so deep at times that there are portions where the action lacks, and this is unfortunate for children under six. But that is not a bad thing. Especially when you consider that the previous two instalments had a lot of mature contents in them too.
This film is definitely darker as well, which proves that Pixar are very bold and daring. They've given us a lot to ponder over in the past but Toy Story 3 gives us much more to think about. Not only is this film very sinister (my son jumped twice) but like I mentioned before, it has a very emotional message to it, and when the final credits begin to roll, you cannot help but feel sad, and that in itself is impressive for an animated film about toys.
The actors are obviously excellent and the new additions, Michael Keaton's Ken and Ned Betty's Bear especially are superb additions to an array of fantastic characters. Some of these however have very little to do and if it wasn't for a little bit of research, I may not have known who the voices belonged to; Whoopi Goldberg and Bonnie Hunt being two big names that had little to say.
There are moments of predictability in this, but that is expected, otherwise the film may have been far too complicated for many youngsters to follow. The more I think about the film however, the more I realise how good it is. Yes, to compare oneself to any of the previous two Toy Story films is not an easy thing to do, but after careful consideration, I will be brave enough to say that this is the best in the trilogy and possibly Pixar's best film of all time.
BEST SCENE: The entire finale; I honestly couldn't predict if they were going to succeed in their mission or be betrayed or fail or a number of things. Shiver.
FINAL VERDICT: There is no other possible way this could have concluded. Emotional, dark and riveting, Toy Story 3 surpasses both its predecessors in almost every way. This is definitely a fantastic film and now it's a fantastic trilogy.
10/10 – Un-miss-able