Just as good as the other two Toy Story films, and that's saying a lot!

Rating: 10/10 (18 June 2010)

Since Pixar made the first Toy Story film in 1995, they have been consistently making beautiful and deep animated pictures, but in the last three or so years, they've really hit their stride. They've gotten down the emotion and the humor better than ever and Toy Story 3 just shows how brilliant the team at Pixar is, and how they've learned from their very few mistakes. Really a brilliant film company, and a lovely animated feature.
Andy is now seventeen, and the toys are being neglected. In order to still be loved, all of them but Woody decide to be donated to day care. Woody escapes and ends up in a little girl's room, while the rest of the gang is tormented by the horrors of daycare and the scrutiny of the very evil ruler, Lotso Bear. A crime prison flick ensues.
This movie, more so than any other Pixar film, jumps from genre to genre so flawlessly, and humorously. Drama, to comedy, to horror, and for a large chunk it was a prison escape film, and it was just as gripping and suspenseful as any live action prison escape film I've seen. Along with amusing dialogue and a captivating plot, the seamless genre jumping that Pixar knows how to work with makes their films never boring. And this film is really good at playing on every emotion. When it wants to be funny, it's funny, when it wants to be action packed and suspenseful, it is. The drama is on high too when it wants to be, and though this may not be as tear inducing as Pixar's last two outings, it'll choke you up all the same.
The direction on this thing is fantastic. Each shot seems to be so expertly laid out, and depending on what the shot is, the scene is played a different way. Obviously this is true with any competent film, but it's noticeable here. To go with the direction, the animation is fantastic and the 3-D, which normally just adds a level of gimmickry, instead makes the animation all the more vibrant and the danger in the film all the more real seeming.
Climaxes are always a difficult aspect of the film, because some people will feel it's too light a climax, some might feel the characters were never in any danger. This movie has a fantastic climax, where the danger feels as real as in any other film. The emotions are high, and the animation again makes this scene so beautiful, in both the surroundings and the character acting.
Overall, Pixar has yet again made a masterpiece. They are so experienced at playing on real emotions and making things sad without being hokey, along with being funny and pacing a film. This is one more notch on their belt of perfection, and yet another destined classic!
My rating: **** out of ****. 109 mins. Rated G.