Today I finally have no doubt in my mind that Pixar sold their souls to the devil in exchange for exceptional talent. The studio has constantly put out great movie after great movie with even their weakest film (Cars) being above many of the animated films out there. Now they venture back into the toy box to the one that started it all.
Toy Story now enters a truly rare territory. A second sequel that is on par if not above the first two. The third one usually never is too great. Sometimes you get Ewoks or a crap load of endings. Toy Story 3 is a beautiful & fitting end to the series.
Eleven years have passed since Toy Story 2 & Andy Davis is now 17 years old and getting ready to depart for college. His surviving toys (not saying who, but many have come & gone) have been put away in a trunk in his room for many years now. As his departure date gets closer, his mother leaves him with the choice to either throw them away, put them in the attic, or donate them to a daycare. Andy decides for the attic but has chosen to take Woody with him to college. After a series of incidents that almost landed them in the back of the garbage truck, they decided they’d rather find a new home in daycare. Daycare sounds like it would be heaven for the toys right? Well, to keep this as spoiler free as possible,things quickly go sour & the toys now must find a way to escape & get back to Andy before he leaves.
The film is certainly much darker than the first two & much more intense. It’s also the most emotional & heartwarming of the three. In the end though,Toy Story 3 hits all the right buttons and instead of being an unnecessary sequel,it is a welcome return and fitting goodbye. I dare you to not leave the theater smiling. I dare you.
