Review - Matt Mungle

   

Toy Story 3 is destined to be the money maker of the summer. There is no way it can fail. Since the release of Toy Story in 1995 you have families who have watched their kids grow up with these loveable characters. Now, 15 years later, parents are sending their own kids off to college along with Andy. So with that comes an emotional attachment that for many will make this even more sentimental and heart warming.

Buzz, Woody and the gang find themselves with two options now that Andy is heading off to college; the attic or the curb. Little do they realize that a third option awaits them and one that may be the answer to all their problems; donated to Day Care. Over the years Andy outgrew his desire to make the toys a part of his imaginative life and so they long for someone to play with them again. Daycare seems like a trip to heaven. Rooms full of kids who want to do nothing but play. What could be better? But of course not everything is as it seems.

Full of action, humor and heart tugging moments Toy Story 3 brilliantly delivers a film for all ages. One moment you will be laughing so hard that you feel like you will pass out. The next wondering why in the world you are sobbing over a silly animated character! The inclusion of a wide range of new toys that many adults grew up with makes for a walk down memory lane as well as some unique and funny lines. Ken and Barbie are begging to be made fun of and are used here with humor that is in no way mean spirited but still takes a poke at the obvious.

Like the first two films this one is rooted in the power of loyalty to friends and family. Even though Andy has stopped giving them any attention Woody is dead set on staying true. He keeps telling the others that they are “Andy’s toys” and that is who they need to be with. It is up to the others to try and encourage him to move on. And like the earlier films when one toy is in trouble the others are quick to rally a rescue. Even for an animated kids film there are some edge of your seat moments that utilize the incredible animation skills that make Pixar unbeatable.

Toy Story 3 is rated G and totally safe and fun for the entire family. There is the perfect balance of humor to tickle any funny bone regardless of how old the body is that it is attached to. I seriously had tears streaming down my face from laughing at certain characters. At the same time there is that heartbeat that pumped through the originals and made them so emotionally bonding. It easily gets 5 out of 5 lazy eyes. I can’t think of another animated series that has attached itself to family’s lives in such a profound way and this installment goes even deeper. So says Matt Mungle.