SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: TOY STORY 3

"TOY STORY 3"
(2010) (voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen) (G)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
None	Minor	Heavy	Heavy	Mild

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Heavy	None	Extreme	Minor	None

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Minor	None	Minor	Moderate	Mild

QUICK TAKE:: Animated Comedy: Various toys, which come to life whenever humans aren't around, must contend with the repercussions of ending up at a daycare facility when their owner heads off to college.

PLOT:

It's been years since high school graduate Andy Davis (voice of JOHN MORRIS) played with any of his childhood toys, yet he's kept many of them in his bedroom chest. Now that he's headed off to college, though, he's faced with a dilemma when his mom tells him he must throw out those he doesn't want to take with him or put into the attic for storage. He opts to take his lifelong favorite, Woody (voice of TOM HANKS) the cowboy toy, with him but bags the rest for attic exile.

They include Space Ranger toy Buzz Lightyear (voice of TIM ALLEN); Mr. Potato Head (voice of DON RICKLES) and Mrs. Potato Head (voice of ESTELLE HARRIS); Slinky Dog (voice of BLAKE CLARK), Rex the Tyrannosaurus (voice of WALLACE SHAWN); Hamm the piggy bank (voice of JOHN RATZENGERGER) and Jessie the cowgirl (voice of JOAN CUSACK), while his kid sister's Barbie (voice of JODI BENSON), gets thrown in with them. After a misunderstanding nearly results in them being taken off in a trash truck and making all but Woody think Andy doesn't want them anymore, they all climb into a box headed for the Sunnyside Daycare facility.

Woody thinks they're all making a huge mistake as they're supposed to serve Andy, but the rest see a bright future of constantly being played with by kids, a point reiterated by the grandfatherly bear toy Lots-o-Huggin-Bear, a.k.a. Lotso (voice of NED BEATTY), who tells them they'll never be abandoned. Woody leaves but ends up in the possession of young Bonnie (voice of EMILY HAHN) and her toys, including the dramatic Mr. Pricklepants (voice of TIMOTHY DALTON) and more rational Molly (voice of BEATRICE MILLER), while the rest quickly realize they've made a huge error in judgment.

And that's because Lotso, along with his hulking and non-talking baby doll toy enforcer, Big Baby, along with the handsome Ken doll (voice of MICHAEL KEATON) relegate the newcomers to the Caterpillar Room. There, rather than being gently loved by the older kids, rambunctious toddlers terrorize and physically manhandle them. Yet, with Lotso and his minions holding them like prisoners, they don't see a way out. That is, until Woody shows up again, sets out to free his friends, and tries to get back to Andy before the high school graduate leaves for college.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Most of them undoubtedly will.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G: Presumably for not containing material to warrant a higher rating.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: It's debatable whether kids view non-human, animated characters as role models, but here's a quick look at the characters' major features.
WOODY is the cowboy toy and unofficial leader of the rest of the toys who thinks they need to be around to serve Andy even if the others believe he's abandoned them. When he realizes the peril the others face at their new daycare home, he sets out to break them out of there, and shows courage doing so.
BUZZ LIGHTYEAR is the space ranger toy who reluctantly believes moving to the daycare facility is the best choice for them. That is, until he understands the reign of Lotso. Captured, he's reset to his original space ranger settings and thus becomes an antagonist toward his former friends, while he also briefly ends up in full Spanish mode where he tries to woo Jessie.
JESSIE is the cowgirl toy who takes a liking to Buzz in his charming and flamboyant Spanish mode.
MR. POTATO HEAD is another toy who's quick with the sarcasm and quips.
MRS. POTATO HEAD is his wife, prone to complaining in a shrill voice.
REX is the T-Rex toy who's constantly nervous and fretting about most any development, and that's exacerbated by what occurs in the daycare facility.
HAMM is the knowledgeable piggy bank toy.
LOTSO is the grandfatherly type stuffed bear toy who's initially kind and friendly toward the new toys, but then turns out to be a tough and mean prison warden of sorts as he imprisons the new toys in a room filled with rambunctious toddlers.
KEN and BARBIE are the familiar toys who are instantly smitten with each other upon first meeting. She's quite shapely and a bit giggly-girl flighty at times, while he's constantly trying to prove he's not a girl's toy despite being a clotheshorse and such. He works for Lotso in imprisoning the new toys, but eventually comes around to their side.
ANDY is the toys' human owner who's now headed off to college and thus must decide what to do with his toys.
SLINKY DOG is the toy with the stretchable coil midsection whose physical attributes help everyone when needed.
MR. PRICKLEPANTS is a hedgehog prone to being overly theatrical and dramatic.
BIG BABY is Lotso's chief enforcer, a non-talking and hulking baby doll.
BONNIE is a young girl who enjoys playing with toys.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a quick look at the content found in this G-rated animated comedy. There's no profanity, but some colorful phrases are present. A plastic but animated Ken doll is seen in just his boxers, while Barbie is shown in usual ultra buxom and shapely form (but nothing explicit).

Some moments of action-based violence and manhandling of characters are present, as is some slapstick style material. Several scenes feature potential peril and could be quite intense, suspenseful and/or scary to younger viewers. Some behavior might be enticing for kids to copy, while several characters sport bad attitudes.

Some crude humor (nothing too gross) is also present. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that from lightning at night, while there's even more of that (like a slow motion strobe) inside a garbage truck as street lights pass by.

For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, we see some shaky handheld camera footage from home movies early in the film.

A short film, "Day & Night," precedes the main movie and contains two transparent, cartoon human type characters, one representing day, and the other night. During this, Day gets up, and we see and hear a thunderstorm through his body as he bends over (presumably meant as a fart), and then a waterfall from his front (presumably meant as urinating). Once Night gets up, the two become antagonistic, with one knocking down the other, followed by shoving, a series of punches, and then both falling off a cliff into a body of water far below. We also see a shapely cartoon woman in a bikini through Day's transparent body, followed by him showing a number of such bikini clad women. In the end, they agree to share their sights and experiences and even trade their day & night qualities.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: None.

BLOOD/GORE: We see Buzz's POV of a toddler's seemingly enormous tongue coming right at him (while being licked), while another kid puts part of Mr. Potato Head up his (the toddler's) nose.
Bonnie rushes off to the bathroom (nothing seen or heard).
About having been in solitary confinement in "the box" (a covered sandbox), Mr. Potato Head complains there was nothing but sand and Lincoln Logs (not seen). Hamm then says he doesn't think those were Lincoln Logs.
Waking up in garbage, Buzz asks (about the smell), "That wasn't me, was it?"
Various body parts fall of Mr. Potato Head and then some small toys scamper out of the flap on his bottom, prompting him to say that he told them to "stay out of my butt."

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: While played for laughs, some viewers could take offense to the effeminate portrayal of Ken (all from the perception that he's a girl's doll rather than a boy's). That includes him being a clotheshorse and upset no one else appreciates that; some posing; and characters mistaking something related to Barbie (one thinking Ken's in a spacesuit when it's her and then reacting in disdain about seeing "him" wearing high heels, and others commenting on Barbie's nice handwriting when it's really his, etc.). That said, he's obviously smitten with Barbie.
Being upset that the others are staying at the daycare and not heeding his beliefs, Woody won't shake Buzz's hand when the two part ways.
Various toys badmouth the new toys (but not in their presence) that have arrived at the daycare facility.
Despite his initial, kind grandfather type disposition, Lotso turns out to be a mean and cruel warden of sorts at the daycare facility and wants to keep the new toys locked up in the toddler's playroom (so they take the physical abuse and not the others). Those who work for Lotso, including Ken, also have bad attitudes.
We see a phone toy that looks bruised and battered from Lotso's thugs presumably beating him up (not seen).
Despite them having saved him from being shredded, Lotso doesn't return the favor and turn off a conveyor belt when he can and thus save Woody and the others from pending doom.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: As with most G-rated films aimed at kids, there's always the possibility that some scenes listed here and/or under "Violence" might be somewhat suspenseful or unsettling to the youngest of them. As always, however, that will greatly depend on a child's age, level of maturity and tolerance for such material.
In what's eventually revealed as just a figment of young Andy's imagination, we see a train car explode, followed by Mr. Potato Head coming out as a robber. Woody uses a whip to knock him down, but Mrs. Potato Head then comes at Woody with what appear to be nunchucks. That backs him up to the edge, and Mrs. Potato Head pushes him off, but Jessie rescues him. The Potato Heads then blow up a bridge with a huge pile of dynamite, thus forcing Woody to get back onto the train and try to brake it before the train reaches the new chasm. Yet, the train doesn't stop in time and falls off that and into the ravine, and Jessie thinks Woody is dead, but then the train is lifted into the air by Buzz. He then uses his laser to cut a car in half, sending the Potato Heads and three aliens tumbling out into the desert. Hamm then flies over in a massive craft that drops a bomb (a barrel of monkeys) that explodes and spreads the simian toys toward Woody, Jessie and Buzz who are overrun and captured by them.
Andy's mom mistakenly thinks he's intended a trash bag full of old toys for the garbage and not the attic, and thus puts that out by the curb. Woody then races to free his toy friends from the bag as the trash truck drives up. He hides from the human and tries cutting the bags open, but appears to fail as the man takes the bags and puts them in the truck that then compacts that trash. That makes Woody think his friends are dead, but he then sees that they previously escaped and are scurrying away to safety.
Woody takes flight using a kite from a roof, but after a smooth trip, a sudden updraft sends him quite high in the sky (we see the view looking down) and then he plummets toward the ground, bumping his way through a tree before his pull-string stops him just short of smashing face-first onto the sidewalk.
Woody and the others try to escape the daycare facility at night, but then encounter Big Baby sitting on a swing, staring at the moon. Some get by him, but Woody and others take cover as Big Baby's head spins around and then he comes lumbering toward them (but they manage to escape).
The toys try to avoid falling trash, including Buzz who rescues Jessie, but throws her aside just as a TV lands on him. He then appears to be dead, but then comes to.
In a several minute sequence that's fairly intense at times, all of the toys are dumped into a landfill and then scooped up and dropped on a sorter conveyor belt. Big metal shredder teeth are down the line, and everyone scrambles to grab some metal and thus be pulled up to the magnetic "ceiling" and out of harm's way. Lotso is trapped, so Woody and then Buzz go back to help, and barely get him out just in the nick of time. They then end up back on the conveyor belt that's now headed toward dumping them into a fiery inferno, so they scramble to help Lotso climb up the wall and hit the emergency stop button. He doesn't and leaves, thus resulting in the group trying to run against the flow but they all end up falling into the pit among trash that's sliding down toward the inferno. Fearing this is the end, they all look scared and hold hands, with a giant claw dropping down and rescuing them just in time.

GUNS/WEAPONS: A whip, nunchucks and some dynamite are used during the imagined introductory action scene at the beginning of the movie (see "Violence" for additional details).

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "Ride like the wind," "To infinity and beyond," "Evil Dr. Pork Chop," "You idiot," "Have you all lost your marbles?" "Sure thing, college boy," "Welcome to the club, toots," "Get it through your vinyl noggin," "Quite the charmer, aren't you?" "Exit, smexit," "Far out," "Holy moly guacamole," "Heck, you don't know me from G.I. Joe," "What the heck?" "Baron von Hush," "Pea-brain," "Negatory," "Zip it, Buck Rogers," "FAO my Schwartz," "Holy cow," "Here's the thing, sweet potato," "Give it back, you furry air freshener," "Missy," "You moron," "You temptress," "Okay, Potsie," "Get rid of that monkey!" "Return of the astro-nut," "Zurg scum," "C'mon El Buzzo," "Oh, you're a sight for detachable eyes," "You imbecile," an incomplete "What the..?" "Darn tootin,'" and "Stay out of my butt."
Some kids may be enticed to try to copy the action, other stunts and behavior that appear in the film.
A bunch of out of control toddlers in the daycare center thrash and bash the toys while playing with them. We also see a kid put part of Mr. Potato Head up his (the toddler's) nose, while others put glue on Hamm and then various things onto that glue and another puts paint on Jessie and then uses her as a brush of sorts.
We see Ken and other toys gambling.
We see that Barbie has Ken tied up in just his boxers while trying to get information out of him (by tearing his beloved clothes).
While in Spanish mode, Buzz does various flamboyant and exaggerated dance moves while trying to woo Jessie.
Big Baby blows a raspberry sound at Lotso.

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): An extreme amount of suspenseful, ominous and some action-oriented music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): A song repeats the lyric, "Freak out."

PROFANITY: None.

SEX/NUDITY: While nothing explicit is shown, Barbie is depicted as being quite shapely (clothed).
Back in original space ranger mode, Buzz doesn't recognize Jessie but comments on her being a "temptress" (for no good reason).
We see Ken shirtless during a clothes montage.
We see that Barbie has Ken tied up in just his boxers while trying to get information out of him.

SMOKING: None.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Andy is a bit put out with his mom telling him that he needs to decide what to do with his toys.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Growing up and moving away from home.
How one's toys have emotional ties to childhood and can bring back memories, etc. from that time in life.
While played for laughs, some viewers could take offense to the effeminate portrayal of Ken (all from the perception that he's a girl's doll rather than a boy's). That includes him being a clotheshorse and upset no one else appreciates that; some posing; and characters mistaking something related to Barbie (one thinking Ken's in a spacesuit when it's her and then reacting in disdain about seeing "him" wearing high heels, and others commenting on Barbie's nice handwriting when it's really his, etc.). That said, he's obviously smitten with Barbie.

VIOLENCE: In what's eventually revealed as just a figment of young Andy's imagination, we see a train car explode, followed by Mr. Potato Head coming out as a robber. Woody uses a whip to knock him down, but Mrs. Potato Head then comes at Woody with what appear to be nunchucks. That backs him up to the edge, and Mrs. Potato Head pushes him off, but Jessie rescues him. The Potato Heads then blow up a bridge with a huge pile of dynamite, thus forcing Woody to get back onto the train and try to brake it before the train reaches the new chasm. Yet, the train doesn't stop in time and falls off that and into the ravine, and Jessie thinks Woody is dead, but then the train is lifted into the air by Buzz. He then uses his laser to cut a car in half, sending the Potato Heads and three aliens tumbling out into the desert. Hamm then flies over in a massive craft that drops a bomb (a barrel of monkeys) that explodes and spreads the simian toys toward Woody, Jessie and Buzz who are overrun and captured by them.
Woody climbs out the window and climbs along the gutter before falling and landing in a hedge.
Woody takes flight using a kite from a roof, but after a smooth trip, a sudden updraft sends him quite high in the sky (we see the view looking down) and then he plummets toward the ground, bumping his way through a tree before his pull-string stops him just short of smashing face-first onto the sidewalk.
A bunch of out of control toddlers in the daycare center thrash and bash the toys while playing with them (viewing them as just toys and not motionless, sentient beings).
After finding him spying on them, we see that Lotso's goons have Buzz tied to a chair. Lotso then lets him go, but then has Big Baby grab, manhandle, and put Buzz back in the chair. He's then held down as a switch on his back is moved to a new position.
Back in original space ranger mode, Buzz grabs and captures all of his former friends.
Jessie strikes two of Lotso's thugs, but is then captured by a toy octopus, and she and her friends are all put into cages (as prison cells) and Mr. Potato Head is taken and put into "the box" (a covered sandbox).
In a flashback, Lotso, Big Baby and another toy fall off the back of a truck and bounce along the road.
Big Baby throws Mr. Potato Head to the floor.
The toddlers thrash the toys again while playing with them.
A monkey toy repeatedly smashes Woody's head with the cymbals attached to its hands until another toy comes to Woody's rescue and we then see they have the monkey toy tied up.
Barbie lands on Ken, pins him to the floor, and then spins his head around 180 degrees. We then see that she has him tied up while tearing his outfits (to try to get him to give up information).
Buzz kicks the container holding him and flips Rex and Hamm (who were on top of that) to the floor. He then tries running off, but is tackled.
Lotso breaks his former owner's locket and then pokes Big Baby with his cane. Big Baby finally has enough and throws Lotso into a dumpster, but moments later Lotso grabs Woody's foot and yanks him inside the dumpster as well.
The toys try to avoid falling trash, including Buzz who rescues Jessie, but throws her aside just as a TV lands on him. He then appears to be dead, but then comes to.

Reviewed June 15, 2010 / Posted June 18, 2010

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