Toy Story 3 - Third Time Charming  
| I would argue that the folks at Pixar have been moving farther and farther away from making "kids" movies and have for quite some time been making some of the most mature Hollywood films of the past decade. Their signature piece, the Toy Story series is a prime example of this. Watching Toy Story 3, with its themes of fidelity, loss, inter generational change and social justice, one can clearly see once again these artists have outdone themselves and made a sequel which deepens, enriches and fairly completes one of the most significant film series in recent history.
Toy Story 3 really is as good as that. I know for many, seeing the pathos in a film about "toys" will be a challenge, but honestly, if you have a heart, you will this is a film of incredible emotion, touching places that aren't necessarily easy or comfortable but are quite universal and very human. The Toy Story films have been Pixar's most accessible yet they have also managed to be very insightful and 3 may be the most profound and moving yet. It is a triumph.
Toy Story 3 works on so many levels. First of all there is the way it will move you. Then there is the way it will excite you. As usual, the toys' adventures are great summer entertainment. This is the kind of film that will make you want to hold it cause you can't tear yourself away for a few moments to run off the bathroom. Don't buy the big soda as you won't want to take your eyes off it.
It's a beautiful film, done in the characteristic bright and colourful way Pixar has done the Toy films. The 3D is used very wisely to create a real world for the toys to be in instead of to do tricks like making things fly out at you. The whole experience is rich and wonderful.
As a sequel it does everything right. This is a film that manages to stand on it's own - one could clearly enjoy this film without having seen 1 or 2 - and yet also take the story built in the first 2 films to new levels of meaning. There are references all the way through to the first films that fans will love, including the usual Pixar easter eggs that we all look for. Plus, it sets a very satisfying ending for these characters if we want it. I would be very happy to see this journey end here but I would also be very happy to have another adventure with Woody and Buzz. Perfection.
And I dare any human to survive the last 20 minutes of the film without a tear welling up in their eye. Like the opening sequence to Up the denouement to Toy Story 3 is touching and beautiful in an honest and uncompromising way. Pixar has not disappointed. They have delivered another modern masterpiece.
ps. If you miss Toy Story 3 on the big screen (and possibly on DVD when it is released) you may miss what may be the best film of 2010 - no word of a lie. I found the Pixar short Day and Night, shown before the feature film, to be remarkably powerful and artful. It resonated with me in a way I did not expect and may be my favourite thing I have seen on the screen so far this year.
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