Toy Story 3 is the third instalment in the famous Toy Story franchise. I first saw the movie when I was five years old after having watched the first two movies numerous times. Since that unforgettable cinema experience, I haven't stopped watching the movie. I would estimate that I have seen the movie 10 times at a minimum; at least once every year since the first viewing. And even over ten years later, the movie is still just as enjoyable. In today's re-view, I will argue why Toy Story 3 is the greatest family movie ever.

The earlier Toy Story movies were set inside Andy's bedroom. Andy is a kid who loves his toys (sounds like someone I know), but what he doesn't realise is that while he's away, his toys get up to their own adventures. The first movie is centred around Andy's favourite toy Woody, and a new Buzz Lightyear toy that Andy got for his latest birthday who makes Woody very jealous. Toy Story 2 sees Buzz and the other toys heading out on a rescue mission to save Woody after he is accidentally sold at a yard sale. By the time of the third movie, Andy is all grown up and heading off to college very soon. However, he must decide what to do with all his old toys from a time long ago. Since Toy Story 3, they have made a fourth movie (I'll get to my opinions on that soon), multiple shorts and even a Buzz Lightyear origin story (read my thoughts on that great movie here).

Toy Story 3 opens with an incredibly fun scene; which would likely be my favourite opening scene if it weren't for the fantastic opening scenes of the Jurassic Park movies. Woody and the gang are all trying to stop Evil Doctor Porkchop from taking over the world with a fun train chase scene, puns that are so bad that they're funny and moments that are heavily inspired by other movies and pieces of pop culture. Throughout this scene, we are also spoilt by Disney's animation department which only seems to improve between each movie. Of course, all of this is taking place inside Andy's imagination. But what is so great about this scene is that it is the first time we're seeing Andy's playtime from his imagination. We have seen Andy's playtime numerous times across the other movies but we've never actually seen what Andy is imagining when he's playing with these toys. 

We are then treated with a montage of Andy living his best life, with his toys always by his side. We then have a time jump of about ten years where it is communicated to the audience that Andy is now old, heading off to college soon and is no longer interested in Wild West face-offs against Evil Doctor Porkchop. In a slightly emotional scene, we see how long the toys have not been played with and how desperate they are for just one play session. This is a hint at the emotions that are going to be played with throughout the rest of the movie. I don't want to spoil any part of the movie, but if you aren't sobbing by the end of this movie, you must have a very cold heart. The movie isn't sad like Titanic but instead plays with how the viewer feels. For adults or teens, the movie has a way of drawing out memories from simpler times when they were a kid and had their toys or fun games. It explores how we may not want things to change but this change is impossible to stop and is important. The kids will feel similar emotions about wanting things to stay the same which will be reflected in their own experiences. However, what worked so well with this film is that most of the original young audiences of the first two Toy Story movies would be teens or young adults when Toy Story 3 came out. The movie perfectly reflects this important and emotional time with the themes that carry on throughout the movie. Each time I've watched this movie, I seem to cry more as I get older.

Underscoring this emotional rollercoaster is a great score from Randy Newman who wrote the famous "You've Got a Friend in Me" for the first Toy Story. The score isn't some ground-breaking triumphant Star Wars theme, but it does the job perfectly. The theme mirrors the suspenseful action sequences and the emotional sequences alike. After watching the movie so many times, I can picture what is happening on screen when listening to the album (even getting close to bringing a tear to my eye during those moments). 

As I said at the start of this re-view, I've watched this movie at least ten times. And somehow I never get sick of it. Each time, it is just as enjoyable or I pick up new smaller details that I may have missed in previous viewings. Watching the movie always seems to help me with something that I'm going through in my life. Watching the movie takes no mental energy and is more than just relaxing. While watching the movie, it is nice to know that the hardest thing in life is whether Woody and the gang are going to escape the clutches of Evil Doctor Porkchop.

This re-view is titled "Why Toy Story 3 is the greatest family movie ever". Everything I've talked about in this review has said how good Toy Story 3 is as a movie. But what makes Toy Story 3 a great family movie is how family-friendly it is. Some so-called 'family movies' aren't going to be for everyone but everyone in the family is going to enjoy this movie. Of course, the kids will love it but the parents will similarly enjoy it and even the moody teenagers in the family can find some fun in it. A perfect example of this is the humour. There are many parts of the film which the kids will laugh at, some of which the parents will laugh at as well. However, there are some jokes for the more mature audience. These aren't necessarily inappropriate jokes, but they are certainly aimed at adults to keep them entertained simultaneously.

Of course, as is the case with any sequels that are better than the movie(s) that came before, Toy Story 3 wouldn't be what it is with Toy Story and Toy Story 2. The first two movies are good (in my opinion the second being better than the first) but they don't compare well to Toy Story 3. They don't seem to appeal as well to as broad an audience as Toy Story 3. However, Toy Story 3 takes everything good about those two movies and makes an incredible movie out of it. One of the best parts of Toy Story 3 is how it ends. It ties together three movies perfectly and draws to a close an incredible trilogy. 

But then they went and made a fourth movie because why not?!

Yes, for some strange reason (probably money), they ignored the perfect ending of Toy Story 3 and made Toy Story 4. Toy Story 4 is not inherently a bad movie, it just shouldn't have been made. It has been a while since I saw the movie and I believe I've only seen it twice but I can remember quite enjoying it. I remember it being a fairly decent movie on its own. But it certainly takes away from Toy Story 3 so I tend to ignore that it exists when thinking about the franchise. I certainly think that the small-scale shorts and series should exist and that Lightyear and any potential future spin-offs are perfect additions to the franchise. They just should have left the toys' story where it finished at the end of Toy Story 3.

After ten years of watching the movie, Toy Story 3 would likely be my favourite movie if it weren't for Star Wars and Jurassic Park. The movie is funny, exciting, emotional, uplifting, suspenseful, inspiring, and about every other positive adjective you can think of. The movie isn't just good for the kids (which it is perfect for) but is highly entertaining for everyone in the family. It (originally) wrapped up an already fantastic series of movies and has the great components you would expect from an incredible movie. I've been watching the greatest family movie for a decade and will watch it for decades to come as should you.

Directors: Lee Unkrich

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack

Year released: 2010

Times previously watched: 10+

Re-view rating: 10/10

Review by Tristan Carr

Last edited: 16/10/2022