TOY STORY 3

2010, Pixar

Animated

Rating: G

Approx. 103 mins.

THE STORY:

With Andy off to college, Woody and the gang find themselves at a crossroads: will they end up trash, stored treasures in the attic or donations for another generation of kids to play with? 

The answer turns out to be more convoluted than it should, and the toys find themselves at a daycare. At first this seems a salvation for toys longing to be played with, but first impressions are deceiving. The daycare is run by a totalitarian bear called Lotso (Ned Beatty) who keeps order through terror and threats. The gang decide to break out and adventures ensue.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• imbecile
• dummy
• idiot
• stupid

VIOLENCE:

• No overt physical violence
• Scary and threatening scenes

TEACHING POINTS:

• Dealing with adversity through teamwork is the best way to proceed
• Democracy trumps dictatorship- all rights should be respected equally
• Change is scary, but can lead to happiness

THE UPSHOT:

That my 4 year-old does not find this movie terrifying is a mystery as great to me as who built Stonehenge. The story is very dark at its core and some scenes—particularly one in which the toys prepare themselves to be dramatically incinerated—hardly seem kid-friendly. Several of the characters—Big Baby and Monkey spring to mind—completely gave me the creeps. Nonetheless, kids love it.

Like the other two films in the series, Toy Story 3 throws plenty of bones to the adults in the audience, stand outs being the Ken character (Michael Keaton) and the film noir style of Chuckles the clown (Bud Luckey).   

4/5