Toy Story 3

I have a confession to make. I had never seen any of the Toy Story movies before this. Don’t judge me; I don’t have kids so watching kids’ movies isn’t a top priority. I kept meaning to watch them, but never seemed to work it into my busy, adult schedule. So I carved out a Sunday and watched all three in a row. It was the most enjoyable Sunday I have had in weeks.

In Toy Story 3 we find the incredibly lovable toys bemoaning the fact that Andy, their owner is leaving for college and leaving his childhood, including his toys, behind. Even worse than being abandoned, is the prospect of being thrown away because the toy would no longer have a purpose. Toys, like people need to have a purpose in life.

Andy’s mother demands he clean out his room before leaving for school and asks him to divide his things into piles for trash and storage. Surprising no one, he decides to take Woody with him to college and puts all his other toys in a trash bag to be stored in the attic. Even though he is growing up, he isn’t ready to let go of his friends.

Through a series of misunderstandings, the toys end up being donated to a day care center. They are thrilled at the prospect of being loved and enjoyed by eager children. And they seem to be welcomed into the fraternity of toys at the center, but when they meet the children at the center, they realize that life has not improved. These are LITTLE kids who play a bit too rough. The toys try to transfer to the bigger kids’ room and find the day care center is run like a Nazi stalag by a scented teddy bear named Lotso.

Woody makes his way to the day care and manages to help his beleaguered friends. It’s a surprising dark movie and I wonder how little kids handle it. I won’t give away the ending, in case you haven’t seen it, but it’s exactly what you would expect from Pixar; it’s warm and life fulfilling. Normally, that stuff makes me gag, but I actually choked up at the ending.

I give Toy Story 3 four and a half stars. Even though it’s a kid’s movie, the writing is sharp and the tone is dark enough that it doesn’t seem “cutesy.” I loved the animation and was surprised by the level of character development. Even if you are a grown-up like me, I think will enjoy Toy Story 3.

Michelle D. Kieffaber