"Toy Story 3" Review

“Toy Story 3” whisks by at a brisk pace, entertaining and charming its audience at every turn. While the film does not reach the level of some of Pixar’s recent work (“Ratatouille,” “Wall-E”), it makes for solid entertainment, thanks to its fun characters and endless creativity.

The film picks up several years after the last one ended. Andy, now seventeen, is heading off for college. This causes much uncertainty for his batch of favorite toys. Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Mr. Potato Head and the gang are all worried whether they will be put in the garbage, taken to the attic, or donated to a day care center. Eventually, the toys end up at Sunnyside day care center. While there, they meet the mysterious Lotso, a stuffed bear that is in charge of all the toys at the day care. While Lotso appears friendly on the outside, the toys eventually see his true colors and make plans to escape.

“Toy Story 3” once again proves that Pixar is the most creative movie studio in the business. Instead of filling the film with run-of-the-mill action set pieces, director Lee Unkrich and his team pay homage to several different genres. One action sequence feels like it was lifted straight out of a western. Another mimics a “Mission Impossible”-like spy film. One, which takes place in a garbage dump, looks like a sequence from a dystopic science fiction film. Unlike the “Shrek” series, “Toy Story 3” does not use blunt pop culture references to elicit laughs. It instead plays on different genres to provide the audience with an entertaining movie experience. Not to mention, it’s really funny. While a few of the jokes wear thin, the film, for the most part, displays perfect comic timing.

While the film’s last few scenes try to speak eloquently on themes of loss and change, the film does not quite earn it due to the mostly fun, action-heavy sequences which preceded it. And when the film’s final scene attempts to tug at your heartstrings, it is only partially successful due to the scene’s length and forced sentimentality

Other than that, “Toy Story 3” succeeds at being an entertaining summer movie. Displaying near perfect wit, a plethora of creative details, and inventive action set pieces, it makes for a fitting conclusion to the “Toy Story” series.

B