Toy Story - 4 smiles

In “Toy Story 3,” a worthy follow-up to Toy Story 1 and 2, everything works from the excellent voice cast and the creative story to the laugh-out-loud sequences and deeply emotional themes. As with all Pixar films, the child in you will love it and the adult will be touched by its heartfelt messages. Andy, the boy who played with cowboy Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and astronaut Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), is off to college and the toys are concerned. He has outgrown his playthings, including cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack), piggy bank Hamm (John Ratzenberger), dinosaur Rex (Wallace Shawn), and the Potatoheads (Don Rickles and Estelle Harris). Although Andy plans to take Woody to college, he puts the others in a trash bag to take to the attic. Unfortunately, the toys in the trash bag, along with Andy’s sister’s Barbie doll (Jodi Benson) end up at the curb, awaiting the garbage truck. With Woody’s intervention, the toys avert the dump and make it to the Sunnyside Day Care Center, where they meet new toys, such as Big Baby and Lots-o’-Huggin’-Bear (Ned Beatty) and Barbie hooks up with Ken (Michael Keaton). At first, Sunnyside seems like an answer to discarded toys’ prayers, but not everything is as it seems and soon escape becomes the priority.

TS 3 introduces us to new characters, including Bonnie, whose mother works at the day-care center and who has a wonderful imagination. Her group of toys include a ditzy triceratops Trixie (Kristen Schaal) and a Shakespeare-spouting hedgehog, Mr. Picklepants (Timothy Dalton). And it’s impossible not to laugh when Buzz shifts into his Spanish-language mode. The best scenes, however, go to Ken and Barbie, especially when Ken models a few selections from his uber- fashionable wardrobe. The poignant ending goes to the heart of friendship, loyalty, growing up and moving on with life. The Pixar wizards have come up with another exceptional film (although my all-time favorite is still Up), one you won’t want to miss. 6/18/10