a beautifully realized story about friendship

Rating: 9/10 (26 January 2011)

Lee Unkrich's "Toy Story 3" plays a little like an expanded version of "Puff the Magic Dragon" crossed with Rankin/Bass' "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" - with a bit of "Stalag 17" and "The Great Escape" thrown in for good measure.
It's eleven years since we last checked in on Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and all the other occupants of little Andy's toy box. Only little Andy ain't so little anymore, and as he embarks on a new life in college, his once-beloved companions fret over what is to become of them now that they'll no longer be getting the kind of attention and affection all toys need to be happy (actually they haven't been getting much play time at all for the past few years of Andy's adolescence). Woody insists that they must stay loyal to Andy, but the others fear it may be time to move on to friendlier, more kid-centric territory or face an ignominious end, thrown to the curb so some giant garbage truck can scoop them up and mash them into plastic pulp. Instead, through a series of crazy misunderstandings, they all wind up in the local daycare-center-from-hell (sort of a more sinister version of the Island of Misfit Toys), where they are placed at the mercy of both a band of overexcited toddlers and a bunch of sadistic playthings who rule the place with an iron fist. Only Woody manages to escape their evil clutches and, like the true cowboy hero of old, he comes up with a plan to rescue his desperate compadres from this virtual armed camp, ironically named Sunnyside.
It seems redundant at this point to keep heaping praise on these Pixar productions, so let me just say that "Toy Story 3" is a true crowd-pleasing delight, a witty, endlessly inventive, and visually stunning animated movie that works equally well for youngsters who are still playing with their toys and old folks who might well become inspired to head up to that old attic and dust off some long-forgotten buddies of their own. The voice work by Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, Estelle Harris, et.al., brings each and every one of these charmingly diverse and beautifully differentiated characters to vivid life. We're so familiar with them ourselves at this point that they almost feel like they came out of OUR toy boxes. It's also fun watching the movie make villains out of some seemingly innocuous, even cuddly, toys like the embittered, strawberry-scented teddy bear who runs the joint and a diaper-clad baby doll that serves as his loyal henchman.
In addition to high comedy, Michael Arndt's script provides a careful balance of breath-bating suspense and heartbreaking sentiment (believe me, there won't be a dry eye in the house at the end), as it explores the universal themes of camaraderie, friendship and the importance of working together in a common cause.
Whether young or old, 2-D or 3-D, at "Toy Story 3," everyone can be a kid again.