A really touching family film for those who are new to the toy box and for those who are ready to open it again for one last time

Rating: 9/10 (3 July 2010)

Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the other toys have noticed that over time a lot of their friends have gone missing. Most of them have been thrown out because their owner Andy is now grown up and ready to leave home so he can attend college. He must make the difficult decision of deciding what to do with his toys. He contemplates taking Woody with him and leaving the rest of the toys in the attic. After almost being throwing out in the trash however, the toys end up at a day-care center where everything seems blissful and welcoming. Woody realises the realities of the day-care center and is too loyal to Andy to stay behind. He escapes, hoping to get back before his owner can leave for college. The rest of the toys are met by an old teddy bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty) who wants to keep them in line so that they will endure the reckless playtime of the infants who are too young to know how to treat the toys properly. Woody decides that he must return to the day-care center to help his friends escape once again.
Pixar are undeniably the leaders in animated pictures and they remain a marvel to behold. Amidst Hollywood's tired fixation on sequels, reboots and remakes, Pixar holds a refreshing attitude towards storytelling. They respect the intelligence of their viewers to appreciate their films for more than just CGI wizardry. They must values their reputation as the pinnacle of animated films because their films have consistently delivered on their expectations for strong narratives, exciting action sequences and touching characters. The Toy Story series, which started back in 1996, is arguably Pixar's most popular franchise and it epitomises this attitude towards storytelling. Despite the inclusion of a new director for each Toy Story film the quality of each feature has remained particularly high. Toy Story 3 was directed by Lee Unkrich and it delivers what fans have come to expect from these films in terms of both content and quality. The latest addition takes us through familiar climaxes and similar themes as the previous efforts. We have certainly been on this rescue mission before. This is not so much a criticism because it is joyous territory to revisit once more and unlike Shrek Forever After the messages here feel relevant rather than tiresome, complimenting the film as a fitting end to the popular trilogy.
At its core Toy Story 3 is a film about the falsity of preservation, with the toys having to realise that not everything is always going to stay the same and not everything is always what it seems at first glance. These mature themes are delivered again with maturity, sweetness and humour. There is a beautiful closing sequence at the end of the film which in particular speaks volumes about generational change and has resonated very strongly with audiences. Throughout their very best films like Up and Toy Story, Pixar have inspired our belief in the humanity of their CGI characters. The regularly funny dialogue and strongly developed characterisation give a unique personality and emotional depth to each character. Woody is again driven here by old fashioned values and ideas of loyalty and camaraderie. Through motives such as these our beliefs in the toys grow and allow us to care more about them in the action sequences. Even after three films it is still surprising how tense some of these sequences are, purely because of how much we care for the wellbeing of the toys. Toy Story 3 has been released in both 2D and 3D but even in the standard, cheaper format the film looks fantastic. It's colourful and dynamic, beautifully animated and designed. The most subtle shots, like a close-up on Woody's face, provide the audience with an emotional reaction, usually more common in live action films.
Toy Story 3 offers a lot of the same elements as it predecessors, which is an almost entirely positive comment. The story and its messages might be familiar to audiences but there is no denying the timelessness of the themes and their significance to all ages. The amount of heart that is projected by these computer generated characters and how much we care about them is testimony to the quality of the writing here. This is a really touching family film for those who are new to the toy box and for those who are ready to open it again for one last time.