Review: Toy Story 3

logan j. fowler reviews pixar’s latest …

Eleven years after the events of Toy Story 2, Woody, Buzz and company are back at it again. This time, they are facing their worst fear: Their owner, Andy, is now moving off to college, and his mom demands that he choose which ones go to the attic, which ones go to the trash, and which ones join him at school.

After a slight mix-up, the crew winds up at Sunnyside Daycare Center, where they meet a bunch of toys who invite them in with friendly faces, but really are not all what they seem. The standout is Ken (Michael Keaton), who fashion obsession and personality steals every scene.

I won’t reveal more than that for the story, but let me be honest with you: Toy Story 3 made me tear up. While I would say it’s the funniest of the Toy Story franchise, it is also the the darkest. If you have younger children, keep in mind that there are some intense scenes that may frighten them.

Also, I will mention that out of the whole series, Toy Story 3 is probably my favorite. It is a threequel that stands strongly along its predecessors, and giving it a nice long 11 years probably didn’t hurt. Pixar wrote an amazing story for their flagship movie characters — Woody, Buzz, and the other toys have never been better.

The movie’s theme is not pretty, though. The fear of abandonment runs strongly throughout, and while the film is lighthearted at times, it makes you wonder what will really happen to these characters.

But if you had any concern about the third entry falling behind those that came before it, let me ask you one question: Would you ever doubt Pixar? No, I didn’t think so.

Toy Story 3 is a great movie. It’s an amazing movie. It is a movie I’m proud to review.

It is the (more than) fitting end to what I would consider the greatest trilogy of all time.