Does not quite live up to the hype...

Rating: 7/10 (4 December 2010)

As a true fan of the first Toy Story, but a reluctant foe of the second, I had a few doubts when I saw the Superbowl previews for Toy Story 3. First of all, why did they wait so long to continue the franchise? And what kind of a story could they pull out when Andy goes to college? (Spoilers are below, folks, just a heads up!)
I decided early on that I would wait it out until the movie was available to purchase and view at home. So, I watched as the world gasped in awe of this supposed masterpiece. As the months went by, I was more and more excited to finally see what all the hype was about.
Even after seeing it, I'm still not sure.
Okay, it had some deep themes. Nonetheless, I've always cared deeply for my own toys, so the whole idea of them all sticking together through fire and flames (literally) apparently didn't blow me away as much it did for others. The best part of the movie for me was the very end. We all saw a side of Andy that had been tucked away somewhere in his soul for God knows how long, and I teared up a bit. I wish more scenes in the movie would have portrayed as much raw emotion, of any emotion, as the end did.
I also loved the cinematography. Some of the best from Pixar I've seen yet. Oh, and the Barbie and Ken scenes made me laugh out LOUD.
My main issue was that I felt that there was something lacking in the main villain. Given, I am a HUGE fan of antagonists. Their stories often touch me more than those of the protagonists. I'm glad we was given a backstory, but I'm still a little confused as to why Lotso had to fulfill his need to become a dictator after he was replaced. Was he just born (or made, rather) that egotistical? Something didn't add up for me, even though I'm glad Pixar developed him as a psycho when Woody saved him and then still intended to kill him. I would have also liked to see more development as to HOW he transformed Sunnyside.
There wasn't much else that was outright WRONG with this movie. I just didn't see why people acted like it was the freaking Mona Lisa of animated films. I mean, nothing made it a bad movie at all. It was just... not quite reaching the next level of raw emotion. Pixar reached it with Wall-E and even Finding Nemo, but not quite with this. Heck, even How to Train Your Dragon was up there. Never thought I'd say it, but Dreamworks outshined Pixar this year.
So, I give it a 7/10 for beautifully executed cinematography, lovable characters, but with a villain and situation that lacked a certain gleam of pure evil and a bit of underdevelopment in some parts. I recommend at least renting it, but I would personally just rent it and leave it at that. When I watch it with my friends again soon maybe I'll like it better. That tends to happen with me for some reason lol.