'Toy Story 3' review

"Toy Story 3" (Credit: Disney/Pixar)

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Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the gang feel abandoned as their owner Andy (John Morris) grows up and gets ready for college. Instead of exile in the attic—or worse, the garbage—they form a plan to donate themselves to a local day care center. But Sunnyside Daycare isn't the paradise it first appears and the toys need to work together to pull off a great escape.

The buzz: In the works since 2004, "Toy Story 3" once seemed headed direct to DVD until Pixar rescued the project from a quick Disney cash-in. Director Lee Unkrich, a longtime editor and co-director of Pixar projects, takes over from "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" director John Lasseter, and the script comes from "Little Miss Sunshine" writer Michael Arndt. All the returning favorites are joined by numerous new characters and voice actors, most notably Michael Keaton as Barbie's love interest Ken.

The verdict: "Toy Story 3" is exactly what this bummer of a summer needs—a creative, intelligent, heartfelt slice of immensely satisfying entertainment. The movie doesn't achieve the artistic highs of recent Pixar greats "Ratatouille" or "WALL-E," aiming instead for the broadest audience possible and proving that a commitment to fun and respect for well-drawn continuing characters leads to its own kind of greatness. Any doubts about the necessity for a third "Toy Story" immediately vanish after the movie's opening sequence, an exciting and amusing action fantasy that sets the tone for the rollicking adventure to come. Everything loveable and unique about the characters comes flooding back and the film wisely plays out as a true ensemble effort. All the familiar favorites get their due and some, including Barbie, take on welcome new dimensions. The new additions, particularly Keaton's fashion fanatic Ken, Timothy Dalton's thespian porcupine Mr. Pricklepants and Ned Beatty's grandfatherly Lots-O'-Huggin' Bear, are uniformly strong. I had a few quibbles—does the sentiment need to be pushed so hard? is there one action climax too many?—but upon reflection I don't really care. There are so many surprises and so much fun to be had in "Toy Story 3" that all I want is to see it again.

Did you know? In keeping with Pixar tradition, "Toy Story 3" is preceded by a short from the studio, "Day & Night." The short's director, Teddy Newton, also voices a new "Toy Story" character, the Chatter Telephone.