Toy Story 3 (2010)

Pixar have always managed to come up trumps in terms of animation, and when it comes to the third instalment of what could be considered to be their flagship series, it is top-notch once again. Of course the Toy Story animation was always amazing, but no doubt a comparison of TS3 with the original TS would show an enormous difference. In terms of stories Pixar have generally been very good, being able to engage many different age groups (personally I don’t think that you can beat Monsters Inc), and TS3 is no different.

It is finally time for Andy to leave home and go to college. Of course he doesn’t want to take all of his toys with him, so he chooses to keep them at home in the loft; apart from Woody who will go with him to college. However, there is a mix up, and instead of spending their twilight years in the attic, the gang are taken to a nursery where the toddlers beat the shit out of all their toys! It turns out that the nursery toys are ruled with the iron fist of a large pink teddy bear, and Ken (of Barbie & Ken fame). Woody then has various adventures trying to rescue all the other toys, which of course he does. Eventually, Andy finds his box of toys and donates them to a neighbour's younger daughter, and the film ends with the two of them playing together.

As I said, the animation is all fantastic and the voices are once again perfect. This all makes TS3 very enjoyable, perhaps not so much as TS2, but then I saw that at the cinema so maybe it left more of an impression on me. I was expecting to be blubbing by the end from what I had heard, but I didn't shed a tear. I found it far more emotional when all the toys were sliding down into an enormous furnace at a land-fill site. There was a moment when they finally accepted their fate and all held hands; and that was the point I became all choked-up.

So, another right-rollicking installment from the chaps at Pixar, with never a dull moment (despite my wife falling asleep and missing more than half the film!). It will be interesting to see if the Pixar magic works just as well with live action; John Carter, we’ll be seeing you (probably).