Much to S's chagrin, I wasn't able to find the 3d version playing, but we decided to settle on the old school version anyway. I'm glad we did!
This is a new movie, and I try not to spoil anything that's less than a year old. This means I'll mostly "ooh and ahh" and encourage you to see it.
I always enjoy trilogies with consistent casting and believable story lines. This doesn't always happen with cartoons (okay - Pixar), which would have shot TS3 in the foot with such iconic voices as Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, and Joan Cusack in the past casts. Fortunately, everyone returned and new gems like Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton, and Laurie Metcalf joined the ranks.
The rest of the movie was just as flawlessly completed as the casting. All that Pixar can achieve is easy to undervalue, and I think Disney realizes that. Do you remember when you watched the first Toy Story? How amazed you were by the crispness of the image, the believability of the characters, and the intriguing story line? There has to be more to draw you in, time after time after time.
Disney has a way of doing that. The story line shifted just enough to draw everyone in. The basic premise: Andy's going to college, and the toys aren't coming with. What happens to our childhood when we move away from it?
I also loved how approachable the movie was to all ages. The children were laughing, I was laughing, the grandparents were laughing. And then there were these surprising moments where you got choked up, or were reminded of a page in your life that turned, of the importance of belonging to something bigger than yourself, of being committed.
Any time a movie surprises me I enjoy it. I think you will too! I give this two high fives, and encourage you to give it a gander - even if you don't have awesome nephews like I do.
