Toy Story 3 Double Play Blu Ray – Tim Allen, Joan Cusack

Third instalment in the Pixar/Disney CGI-animated series, filmed for theatrical release using Disney Digital 3D. When their owner, Andy (voiced by John Morris), clears out his bedroom in preparation for starting college, Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the rest of the toy-box gang are dumped in the donations box at a local nursery school and find themselves at the mercy of a horde of wild, sticky-fingered toddlers. As they struggle to stay together while coping with the chaos, the gang meet a new bunch of toys led by pink teddy bear Lotso (Ned Beatty), while Barbie (Jodie Benson) is at last united with her male counterpart, Ken (Michael Keaton). The yearning to return home cannot be ignored, however, and many comical adventures ensue as the toys make a series of elaborate escape attempts. The film won Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature Film and Music (Original Song).

What made the original Toy Story so great, besides its significant achievement as the first-ever feature-length computer animated film, was its ability to instantly transport viewers into a magical world where it seemed completely plausible that toys were living, thinking beings who sprang to life the minute they were alone and wanted nothing more than to be loved and played with by their children. Toy Story 3 absolutely succeeds in the very same thing–adults and children alike, whether they’ve seen the original film or not, find themselves immediately immersed in a world in which Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head (Don Rickles and Estelle Harris), Ham (John Ratzenberger), Rex (Wallace Shawn), the aliens, and the rest of Andy’s toys remain completely devoted to Andy (John Morris) even as he’s getting ready to pack up and leave for college. Woody scoffs at the other toys’ worries that they’ll end up in the garbage, assuring them that they’ve earned a spot of honor in the attic, but when the toys are mistakenly donated to Sunnyside Daycare, Woody is the only toy whose devotion to Andy outweighs the promise of getting played with each and every day. Woody sets off toward home alone while the other toys settle in for some daycare fun, but things don’t turn out quite as expected at the daycare thanks to the scheming, strawberry-scented old-timer bear Lots-o’-Huggin’ (Ned Beatty). Eventually, Woody rejoins his friends and they all attempt a daring escape from the daycare, which could destroy them all. The pacing of the film is impeccable at this point, although the sense of peril may prove almost too intense for a few young viewers. Pixar’s 3-D computer animation is top-notch as always and the voice talent in this film is tremendous, but in the end, it’s Pixar’s uncanny ability to combine drama, action, and humour in a way that irresistibly draws viewers into the world of the film that makes Toy Story 3 such great family entertainment. (Ages 7 and older) –Tami Horiuchi