'Toy Story 3'

'Toy Story 3' (G) (3 stars)

Writer: Michael Arndt
Director: Lee Unkrich
Starring the Voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, Michael Keaton, Jodi Benson, Laurie Metcalf, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Blake Clark, Ned Beatty

"Toy Story 3" lives up to the original two movie's spirit, warmth and charm. It is nowhere as good as the first two movies but it is better than most third movies and beats the hell out of the "Shrek" films. It is a joyful, warm, funny and endearing movie with a heartfelt and uplifting ending. It is exciting, still has most of the charm of the other movies and it will give you a huge smile coming out of the theatre. Little Andy has grown up and is about to go to college (Man I feel old!) and is about to leave his toys behind. They include Woody, Buzz Lightyear, the potato heads and a cowgirl. You know these toys from the first two movies so it is no time at all before they are back and you feel familiar with them. We love these toys and when we see them after so many years we get a big grin on our face. The toys are either going to be put in the attic or thrown away. They end up in a day care center and introduced to new toys that are just as funny and cool as the originals. The best part of the movie belongs to Barbie and her new acquaintance Ken voiced by the great Michael Keaton. Ken and Barbie are hilarious together and generate the biggest laughs. In my opinion Buzz is my favorite toy and Tim Allen is perfect again and the funniest joke belongs to Buzz and the crowd couldn't stop laughing. The movie has action and a lot of witty humor and at the end I was strangely touched and that is what the first two movies did to us and why they are classics. "Toy Story 3" is not as good as those first two, it is too busy and too cluttered sometimes, but it is a lot of fun and for a second sequel compared to others it is pleasure to sit through.

P.S. The state of family movies is garbage to me but with "Karate Kid" and "Toy Story 3" this summer so far so good.