Toy Story 3 is the third in a trilogy of movies about animated toys who take on distinct personalities when their owners leave the room. Beginning in 1995 with Toy Story and 1999 with Toy Story 2, viewers have watched a boy named Andy grow up with his toys, unaware of the chicanery and drama that takes place behind his back. In this installment Andy is a high school graduate who is confronted with the perplexing choice of what to do with his childhood toys when he leaves for college. Through a series of miscues his toys end up in a daycare where they are unfortunately placed in the toddler room. The toys are not age appropriate for toddlers and find themselves beaten senselessly on a daily basis. They request a tranfer from the mob boss of the toy world, Lotso the teddy bear, who informs them that they will be imprisoned there permanently so that toys with more "seniority" can avoid being abused by the toddlers. The rest of the movie chronicles their creative attempt to escape the security measures Lotso has put in place and return to Andy.
This movie is one of a series by Pixar and Disney which centers on the theme of loyalty. This theme is central to other productions of theirs such as Up, Finding Nemo, Lilo and Stitch, Ratatouille, and Toy Story 2, just to name a few. While loyalty is certainly an important virtue that parents want to instill in their children, one has to wonder why Disney and Pixar continue to hammer away at it in film after film. One has to wonder if they've simply run out of interesting things to say to children. My guess is that loyalty is a safe theme that most everyone can appreciate. Safe themes make for safe investments by movie studios. But I don't go to movie to see something safe, and neither do most children. The best films are those that challenge the viewer to see the world in a different way. This film doesn't. It's an attempt by the studios to breathe life into an old idea without having much new to say. The fact that they are offering it in 3-D adds something more to its appeal. Your children will love the movie, don't get me wrong. But adults who go with them will most likely experience deja vu all over again. I give it three stars out of five.