I’m going to step out on a limb here, folks. Toy Story 3 may be the best Pixar film ever made. Allow that to marinate for a bit. While The Incredibles was, well, incredible, and WALL-E was breathtakingly sweet, Toy Story 3 has the hidden perk of nostalgia to go along with its impeccable storytelling, beautiful animation, and wonderful voice acting. While that robot flick fell apart once we reached the human space station and Up crumbled once old men started fighting with their teeth, Toy Story 3 is insanely solid through and through. It is so much more than a child’s film, which is ironic considering it’s a  movie about children’s playthings (Woody’s words, not mine)—it’s a cinematic feat that will likely touch the hearts and imaginations of all the adults in the audience while still entertaining the kiddos. Be prepared, though; you might even shed a tear or two…

Read more about the cinematic quality of Toy Story 3 AFTER the jump.

In a summer of rather ho hum sequels, Toy Story 3 is a very welcome change. Unlike the Shrek franchise, Pixar films have always catered to both adults and children without succumbing to the lowest common denominator of fart and poop jokes. That’s what makes Pixar so wonderful. Their films are imaginative and creative with a heavy dose of whimsy. Toy Story 3 still captures all of these adjectives; however, what makes the film so great is that it also dives into the realism of this world. These toys face heavy emotions of abandonment, imprisonment, and longing. For an adult, the film can be a little bit heavy in addition to all of the shenanigans of Woody and his gang.

Toy Story 3 is the tale of Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) as they prepare their ragtag team of lovable toys for the departure of their kid Andy, who’s off to college. Faced with the realization they will either be thrown away or hidden in the attic for years, the gang makes their way to daycare instead in hopes of a new life with children to play with them every single day. However, due to a bogus hierarchy in place by Lots-o’-Huggin’-Bear and his Big Baby zombie-esque minion, Buzz, Jessie, Bullseye, Rex, and Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head all end up in the dreaded Caterpillar Room, where they are played with rather violently by hyperactive toddlers who drool on them and use them as hammers. It’s a rough existence. Woody decides to try to save his friends in order to reunite them all for Andy.

The 3-D doesn’t really add much to the film considering how impressive Pixar animation has already been in the past, but the level of depth perception is fairly incredible. This is one film where spending the extra couple bucks to wear the funny glasses doesn’t matter all too much. The real draw here is the story. Watching Toy Story 3 isn’t like watching a mere child’s movie. While I immensely enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon, that film was definitely a movie for children with some adult stuff peppered in. Toy Story 3 felt like a cinematic experience. There was depth, humanity, and touching moments that almost brought tears to my eyes. It’s a moving film full of imagination, wonder, and complexity.

Kids will love Toy Story 3, but they might not get the full grasp of just how poignant this film truly is, which is saying something, considering it’s a movie about plastic playthings.

--Darcie Duttweiler