Please, spare me your feigned surprise when I declare that Toy Story 3 is beyond brilliant. We’re dealing with Disney Pixar here — that seemingly infallible animation studio behind masterstrokes such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. and Wall-E — so I know you already guessed as much.  It’s got to the point now that there isn’t a single superlative left in the English language that hasn’t been copiously used to describe Pixar’s films. After all, there’s only so many ways to say “it’s bloody good!” before you start sounding like you’re on Disney’s payroll.

But dammit, Toy Story 3 is bloody good. One sequence alone has more heart, humour, intellect and hair-raising thrills than most films – live-action or animated – have overall.  This sequence doesn’t occur until late in the film so I won’t reveal the specifics, but just know that it ends with the most emotional moment in cinema I’ve seen since, well, that opening montage in Pixar’s previous feat Up. I admit, it had this bitter cynic on the verge of tears. And I certainly wasn’t alone.

Fittingly for a belated entry into to a franchise now in its teens, Toy Story 3 cleverly explores the terrifying inevitability of growing up and moving on. This is what returning heroes Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and their fellow toy box companions struggle to come to terms with when their beloved owner Andy (John Morris), now 17 years old, sets his sights for college. Desperate to relive the good ol’ days where Andy would constantly play with them in colourfully imagined worlds, the toys make their way to Sunnyside day-care centre in a hope that the toddlers there will give them some much needed attention. They get attention all right; the kind where they’re stretched, pulled, chewed and lodged up noses. Playtime at Sunnyside ain’t what it’s cracked up to be, and as hastily as they came in, the toys want out. But that’s easier said than done when the place is locked down like a prison at night, with a tyrannical group of toys patrolling both the halls and walls. If Woody and co. want to escape, they’ll have to do it Steve McQueen style.

At the hands of director Lee Unkrich (Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc.), the ensuing adventure is what you wish every cinema-going experience was like. The screenplay by Michael Arndt and John Lasseter is arguably one of the more ambitious Pixar storylines in terms of the number of focal characters and the shifting direction of the plot, which is perhaps a little risky for a 100 minute children’s film. Still, it all comes together beautifully; no character feels underutilized, every scene reaches its full potential and the well-structured story never ceases to engage. This isn’t a mere rehash of the first two films in fandangle new 3D  — which, by the way, isn’t as complimentary to the experience as it was with Up – it’s a fitting conclusion to the Toy Story trilogy that embodies both the maturation of its characters, its audience and its creators. As such, expect more tender moments than spontaneous witticisms. It’s still A-grade entertainment for all ages, but those who grew up with the characters and can appreciate the mature themes will be the most rewarded.

The returning vocal talent of Tim Allen (Buzz), Tom Hanks (Woody), Joan Cusack (Jessie), Don Rickles (Mr. Potato Head), Estelle Harris (Mrs. Potato Head), Wallace Shawn (Rex), John Ratzenberger (Hamm) and Blake Clark (Slinky) as the core toys remains one of the more memorable ensemble casts because of their distinctive, personable characterizations. New cast members include Jodie Benson and Michael Keaton as the famed Barbie and Ken, the source of a much of the film’s humour (perhaps too much of it), while Ned Beatty lends his deep baritones to Lotso the strawberry scented bear, a brilliantly construed antagonist whose grandfatherly one minute, devilish the next. Such profound personalities are a result of Pixar’s top-tier character animation, the pinnacle of which is without a doubt Buzz Lightyear’s hilarious Spanish alter-ego. Just observe the careful timing and nuance of Spanish Buzz’s movements and you will witness, firsthand, why Pixar are the best in the business.

One of these days, Pixar is going to make a bad film. In keeping with the laws of the known universe, this simply must happen. They might want to get it out of the way soon, too, if the old adage “the higher the climb, the harder the fall” are words to live by.  Besides, we need some kind of proof that the holier than thou animation studio is actually run by fallible human beings and not some army of perfectionist cyborgs. Cause I’m starting to get mighty suspicious…

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Note: It’s worth mentioning that Day and Night, the Pixar short preceding the film, is a stroke of genius that is worth the price of admission alone. No really, it’s that brilliant it makes me ANGRY someone could possibly be that creative.

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