| Toy Story 3 | |
 Trilogies are a notoriously tricky thing. From Star Wars to Lord of The Rings, it has been universally acknowledged that a weak point creeps in somewhere. With Toy Story having two incredibly successful strings to its bow already, there is bound to be great pressure on director Lee Unkrich to deliver on the third installment.The story with which Unkrich is working here bodes well. It's a perfect Pixar fit that embodies all that has worked so far, both in previous Toy Story outings and in other films from the studio. Beginning with Andy all grown up and heading to college, the Toys are in a pickle. Sensing danger ahead, he army guys flee the toy box. Andy, Buzz and the gang of familiar faces remain certain that Andy won't abandon them, however, and go for one last gambit to get his attention once more. Sadly, they are forced to realise that he is grown up, and they are to suffer from one of three fates: joining him at college, being stored in the attic, or, horror-of-horrors, be thrown away like common rubbish. Luckily for us eager audience members, if not the toys, matters are very quickly complicated as a third option emerges, and is instituted: being donated to a daycare centre. Naturally the place is not all it's cracked up to be, and Pixar piles in the thrills, spills and heart-wrenching moments in creating an escape movie to be reckoned with. Among the many positive attributes of this film is its continued dedication to the themes  of the series, and of Pixar in general. The characters continue to explore and exemplify the imaginative drama that develops between every child and his toys, and as that relationship approaches its end it becomes its most poignant. It is no surprise therefore that, amidst the warm, fuzzy characteristic of loyalty, fun and imagination which Andy's toys stand for, there are some beautifully moving moments of change, growing up and separation that will have the most hardened film fan welling up.As to more standard concerns for a new outing in a trilogy, these are all amply dealt with here too. New characters are never anywhere close to Ewok-grade lameness, in fact there are some stonkers in there. Lotso is a huggable bear with a few surprises p his sleeve, Big Baby is an amazingly nuanced portrait of toy tragedy, and Ken is a perfect satire of a toy that has to live with the status of a mere accessory his whole life. They're a fantastic bunch that do a credit to Toy Story, and that's saying something. There's really not much more to say about this film, or the series really. It's funny, it's clever, it's heartwarming, it's accessible to all ages. In short, it may well be the best trilogy of all time. Rating: ***** Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton Director: Lee Unkrich Release date: 19th July 2010 Run time: 103 mins Certificate: US G | UK U Review by Michael Edwards |
