Rating of
3.5/4
Still Got a Friend in Me
Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/27/10
In a year of disappointing films, Toy Story 3 finally delivers - it has heart, it has a clever story and, for a film aimed at kids, has a lot of character.
Unlike Shrek Goes Fourth, this doesn't feel like a cash-in sequel. Toy Story 3 simply feels right - the little boy from the first film is all grown up and ready for college - his toys long forgotten in his toy box. But Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the rest of the crew aren't ready to throw in the towel yet. However, all their plans come to an unintended conclusion when they wind donated to a day care.
Here is where this film shines - the new characters never seem out of place. The strawberry-smelling dictator, Lotso - played with perfection by Ned Beatty, along with Ken, a free-wheeling Michael Keaton, fit right in with everyone else. Supporting characters from the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Kind and Timothy Dalton add to the fun.
While most of the crew is stuck in the deadly caterpillar room at the day care, where the youngest children make quick work at destroying new toys, Woody finds himself at the home of Bonnie, and must figure out how to get his friends out of their new prison, and in one piece. Don Rickles is a treat as the oft-neglected Mr. Potato Head, or in some cases Tortilla-head and Pickle-head, wile Buzz is reset to his original settings and then to Spanish mode, much to the delight of Jessie.
There isn't a scene that feels unnecessary or out of place. There is always something exciting or fun happening. As the end draws near, it even gets pretty tense. Once again, I'll state as a film aimed at children, it doesn't hold back on some intense scenes.
Yet it ends on a happy, poignant note. Plus it leaves it open for more of our favorite toys, old and new, to make another appearance. It may have taken over ten years to see the characters again, but the wait was certainly worth it.
