Toy Story 3

In director Lee Unkrich's clever and delightful third episode of Disney/Pixar's Toy Story franchise, Sheriff Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) once again team up with other beloved animated characters. Andy (John Morris) is heading off to college, and instead of being stored in the attic, his long-ignored toys accidentally wind up at Sunnyside Daycare Center. At first, Hamm the piggy bank (John Ratzenberger), Jessie the cowgirl (Joan Cusack), Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head (Don Rickles, Estelle Harris), Slinky Dog (Blake Clark), and Dinosaur Rex (Wallace Shawn) are excited, since they will be played with again. Adding to the excitement, Andy's sister's discarded Barbie (Jodi Benson) meets Ken (Michael Keaton). But then reality sets in: the screaming toddlers are abusive and destructive, while a pink bear named Lotso Huggin' (Ned Beatty) rules the nursery school domain like a dictator, so it's up to Woody and Buzz to devise a daring prison break. Pixar's animation is characteristically glorious, while Randy Newman's music enhances this loving, heartfelt film that combines poignant humor with a stirring sense of adventure. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla Anderson, “The Gang's All Here” cast featurette (11 min.), a “Toys” characters featurette (7 min.), the Pixar original short “Day & Night” (6 min.), the production featurettes “Paths to Pixar” on editing (5 min.) and “Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: The Science of Adventure” on science experiments in space (5 min.), the “Studio Stories” animated production segments “Clean Start” (3 min.), “Where's Gordon?” (2 min.), and “Cereal Bar” (2 min.), plus trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a “Cine-Explore” picture-in-picture commentary feature with Unkrich and Anderson, a second “Beyond the Toybox” commentary (with various crew members), a “Beginnings: Setting a Story in Motion” script featurette (8 min.), a “Goodbye Andy” featurette on creating the character (8 min.), behind-the-scenes segments on “Bonnie's Playtime: Story Roundtable” (7 min.) and “Life of a Shot” (7 min.), “A Toy's Eye View: Creating a Whole New Land” on the theme park attractions (6 min.), “Roundin' Up a Western Opening” on the credits (6 min.), “Accidental Toymakers” on real toy creations (4 min.), an epilogue (5 min.), a “making-of” the “Day & Night” short (2 min.), a “Toy Story Trivia Dash” game, a publicity section featuring trailers, character intros, test motion footage, and various clips (27 min. total), a poster gallery, bonus DVD and digital copies of the film, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a whopping extras package—especially on Blu-ray—for this winner in the beloved franchise.] (S. Granger)