“Toy Story 3” Reviewed 26 June 2010 by Ted Faraone 2 ½ stars out of Five; $6.50 ticket on a scale of $0 to $13.00 3-D IS A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY The “Toy Story” franchise is now on its third leg for Disney and Pixar. Your critic supposes that kids will like it, so there is at least an economic excuse for continuing. “Toy Story 3” is show in 3-D. It’s the newest studio gimmick, and it is alleged to be coming soon to our TV screens. Your critic hopes that it derails on the way. It adds nothing to the movie. Plot can be dispensed with quickly. Toy-owner Andy is now 17 and off to college. His anthropomorphic toys have to deal with it. It’s donation, the attic, or trash. They barely escape the incinerator. Despite all that, this animated feature is a feel-good pic. It is also beyond boring for adults. If they take the kids, it is a test of parental love. Your critic would flunk. Technically, “Toy Story 3” excels. Animation is excellent. Sound recording is superior -- especially since it was recorded in a sound booth, not live. It’s not overly long at 103 minutes, but it feels as if it is about an hour longer to an adult. “Toy Story 3” is a pic for kids who will grow up to be hoarders. They’ll be contestants for the cable TV show. A word to the unwise: Don’t get so attached to your toys. They are just stuff. That said, it is the toys, not the people, who are pic’s stars. And what stars they are. Voiced by some of the top talent in the biz, toys virtually come alive. The voices are so good that they are not immediately recognizable to a professional screening audience. Among them are Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Wallace Shawn, Michael Keaton, and the legendary Don Rickles (as Mr. Potato Head). Lee Unkrich (who also gets screenwriter credit) directs with a firm hand. He and co-writers Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, and Andrew Stanton crafted a fairly tight screenplay that benefits from economical editing. It’s a G-rated pic. Children will love it. Their parents can catch up on their Zs. Disney has come a long way from Mickey Mouse interrupting Leopold Stokowski in “Fantasia.” While “Toy Story 3” is not even in the same galaxy as Walt Disney’s 1940 effort, it will at least entertain children without vulgarity. --30--
