Toy Story 3 Review

This Toy Story 3 Review DOES NOT contain spoilers, so you won't have to worry about anything revealed if you haven't seen the movie yet.

Eagerly my son and I waited for the lights to go down in the theater as we held on to our 3D glasses in anticipation for Pixar’s 11th feature film, Toy Story 3.

The first to show was the traditional Pixar short film Day & Night. The characters are a couple of two-dimensional figures with three-dimensional scenery inside their bodies. As with most Pixar shorts, there was no narration, however, there was plenty of emotion, tension and resolution through music and character expression. The visual was really stunning, like peeking through a window from a 2D cartoon world into a 3D computer animated world and the contrast was really cool.

The Toy Story 3 Review

Then Toy Story 3 begins with an exciting action sequence and I was stunned by the visuals. Pixar did well with the 3D element; however, I could tell this was not made specifically to be a 3D movie. It was more subtle than that, so you’re not missing anything spectacular if you choose to see it in the traditional format.

The movie is action-packed, moving smoothly from one scene to the next, yet the pace is not hurried. It keeps kids’ attention but doesn’t have that herky, jerky frenzied speed we sometimes see on kid shows. The theater easily had more adults without children, too, and they weren’t disappointed. Pixar pays close attention to adult humor, placing subtle funnies throughout the film that kids don’t catch.

We get to find out what happens to some of the minor characters from the first two films who are missing in Toy Story 3 and while we got to meet all the new characters during the months leading up to the film, it was surprising to see them within the context of the story. One character in particular was almost being promoted as a bad guy, where in the story he turns out to be helpful. So twists like that keep fans on their toes; I like surprises like that.

There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and on the edge of your seat tense moments. My favorite scene was with Buzz Lightyear being a suave Spanish-speaking hero. My son liked a tense, frightening moment at the garbage dump. Parents with more timid children might be aware of a scene with a monkey who is a watchman over a bank of security camera feeds. The monkey is a bit frightening and I asked my five-year-old if he was scared during that part. He said no, but I can see it being that way for younger or more timid kids.

Memorable moments and superb character development has slated Toy Story 3 to be an instant classic, along with the first two Toy Story movies. The end wraps up this trilogy beautifully and you walk away with a glad feeling, knowing that since there will be no more, it’s good it concluded the way it did. I hope you agree with my Toy Story 3 review, that this is a must-have movie to see again and again (once the DVD comes out, that is!).

Whether you've seen Toy Story 3 yet or not, you'll want to watch this FANTASTIC video by SoundWorks as they take you behind-the-scenes and discuss the sound of Toy Story 3.