After an 11-year hiatus, this generation’s most recognizable toys are back. Woody, Buzz and the gang are rounding up “”Toy Story”” lovers for their third and much-anticipated return to the big screen.
Andy, their owner, is ready to leave for college. The toys, who haven’t been played with in a while, still reside in Andy’s room, waiting for him to play with them again. But when Andy’s mom makes him clean out his room before he leaves, he places them in trash bags destined for the attic. However, in a twist of fate, things go awry and the toys are left on the curb.
Feeling abandoned, the toys get themselves to Sunnyside — a daycare where they will always be needed and played with — where they meet a few new characters like Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear and Ken, of “”Barbie & Ken”” fame. Overbearing toy conspiracies and nightmarish toddlers await them.
Pixar did great justice to the franchise — “”Toy Story 3″” will keep everyone’s attention. The movie is full of laugh-out-loud moments bringing back old characters people have grown to love. The inevitable Barbie-Ken relationship comes into play hilariously, complete with a pink Corvette and matching outfits.
The last movie really touches on all the themes created throughout the trilogy. Through these playthings who live to make children happy and create stories through imagination, the movie lets audiences feed for the last time on their love of these characters.
Although nostalgic and full of loss and rebirth, the ending is heartfelt and deals with something everyone has to face sooner or later — people lose their childhood innocence and learn to move on. It’s emotional yet ties up all loose ends.
You may find yourself shedding a tear or five, but don’t worry about being the only person in the theater crying. Chances are the person next to you, in front of you and behind you are doing the same thing. It’s the end of an era most of us have grown up with and it’s sad it’s finally over.
Lovers of the franchise can thank Pixar for creating a trilogy that people actually wanted to watch after the first movie. This third film really pays homage to the die-hard Toy-Storyers — a great way to close out a 15-year-old talking-toy series.
Final Grade: A
