Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010): USA

Reviewed by Byron Potau. Viewed at Edwards Cinemas in Santa Maria, CA.

Pixar returns to its flagship series with Woody, Buzz, and the gang in Toy Story 3 and adds yet another impressive, clever, and fun film to this series and the entire Pixar collection.

This time around Andy (John Morris) is grown up and ready to leave for college. The toys, who are desperate to be played with again, fear their destiny. Andy makes clear his intentions to take Woody (Tom Hanks) to college with him out of sentiment, but it’s the attic for the rest of them. However, a misunderstanding has the new toys almost thrown in the trash and they decide to let themselves be donated to a day care that they soon find out is run by a bitter stuffed bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty) who puts the new toys in with the younger and more out of control children who tend to play too rough. Once again it’s up to Woody to get them out and get the toys back to Andy’s house.

Though the back story has changed, this time with Andy too old to play with his toys and about to leave for college, but the basic plot remains the same. The toys get themselves in a jam and have to escape and get back to Andy’s house. Some will find familiarity elsewhere. Lotso is very similar to the prospector character from Toy Story 2 and even sounds the same. At first he appears friendly, but soon shows his true colors. And yes, there are chases and last minute rescues, however, these similarities don’t make the film any less fun. The laughs are still fresh and inventive, escapes and chases are inspired and well conceived, there are very touching moments, and there are a few new characters not familiar and expertly voiced as is everyone else.

This time around there seems to be a little more exposure for the toys’ owners Andy and a shy little girl named Bonnie (Emily Hahn). Andy isn’t just relegated to scenes of playing with his toys, but is given more depth in his character for the first time in the series. It is his scene with Bonnie that will most likely have audiences in tears.

As with all Pixar films so far the animation is incredible (seen in 2D) and the film is just as enjoyable to adults as it is to children. But, perhaps, the best thing about the film is that it lives up to that impossibly high standard set by its predecessors. Some may even find it difficult to pick their favorite film of the series which is how a trilogy should be.