Salt Lake Tribune Review

It’s been 11 years since we last visited Sheriff Woody, the pull-string cowboy; Buzz Lightyear, the plastic Space Ranger; and the rest of Andy’s toys.
Is it too corny to say that I’ve missed them?

Things have changed a lot in Andy’s room, and it’s the nature of change — how we deal with it and how we remain true to ourselves as it happens — that makes “Toy Story 3” a welcome new chapter to the Disney/Pixar saga.
Andy is packing up for college, and it’s a time of transition for the playthings that have languished for years in his toy box. Will Andy take some toys along to college? Will he stash them in the attic? Will he donate them to charity? Or will he just toss them out with the trash?

The toys themselves face this uncertainty in different ways. Hamm, the piggy bank (voiced by Pixar stalwart John Ratzenberger), cynically suggests, “Let’s go see what we’re selling for on eBay.” Cowgirl Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack) starts having a panic attack and thinks of her previous owner: “This is Emily all over again.” For the toy-box leaders, Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and Buzz (voiced by Tim Allen), a long friendship hangs in the balance.

One of the joys of “Toy Story 3” is in discovering how our old friends handle their new situation, so I won’t give away too much. Here’s what I will say: Most of the toys end up at a preschool, where they meet a bunch of new toys — such as the avuncular Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear (voiced by Ned Beatty) and an ascot-wearing Ken doll (voiced by Michael Keaton) — and face challenges that are as momentous and life-changing as anything experienced by Andy (voiced by John Morris, who voiced Andy as a kid in the first two films).

Director Lee Unkrich, a Pixar veteran who was an editor on the first two “Toy Story” films (and co-director of “Toy Story 2”), creates the most action-packed and fast-paced entry in the trilogy. But he makes sure the action stays true to these characters —after all, he is as invested in Woody, Buzz, et al., as we are.

Technically, the Pixar computer-animation wizards still have some tricks up their sleeves. The human characters are the most lifelike Pixar has ever realized, and there are moments of creative whimsy that only work because the animation is executed so perfectly. (And for pure technical amazement, the short film “Day & Night” is an astonishing blend of Pixar’s trademark 3-D animation with old-school 2-D hand-drawn work that’s a pure delight.)

The toughest trick, and one that “Toy Story 3” pulls off effortlessly, is to create a story that kids will love and the kids-at-heart who first met Andy’s toys in 1995 will still enjoy. The eternal questions that the first two movies raised, about what happens to toys when playtime is over, are answered in ways that are both surprising and gently comforting. If this is Woody’s last ride, it’s a great way to go.

-- Sean P. Means

Toy Story 3: Tops the other two

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