Review: Yup, "Toy Story 3" is Another Animated Classic

Ken isn't gay.

When preview photos appeared showing that Barbie's famous male counterpart was going to appear in the new movie Toy Story 3, I confess I had a touch of concern that the tired old joke about Ken being gay was going to be part of the movie.

And then when Pixar started releasing pictures of Ken wearing a blue ascot and  colorful clothing, I worried even more. 

It turns out I worried for naught. Ken is straight through-and-through and, in fact, is a pretty funny addition to the old toy gang from the previous two Toy Story movies (although, it must be said, there is a gag involving Ken and a case of mistaken gender-identity that I thought was a cheap shot).

But apart from that small flaw, this is an extraordinary movie — made all the more impressive given that it's the third in a series where each of the previous two movies were also excellent. Has that ever happened before: all three films in a trilogy are works of outright genius?

It was clearly a good thing for the movie that Disney and Pixar famously had a falling out (finally resolved when Disney bought Pixar in 2006), and it took them eleven years to get this thing to screen.

Andy, the owner of the collection of misfit toys from the first two movies, is now all grown up:17-years-old and heading off to college. Despite the toys' noble efforts to attract his interest again, he's clearly outgrown them.

When the toys overhear Andy talking about how they're just a bunch of junk and mistakenly think he wants to throw them away, they head off for "greener pastures" at the playroom at a nearby daycare center — all except for Woody, who remains devoutly faithful to his owner.

I'll keep this review spoiler-free by not revealing what happens at the daycare center, but suffice to say: it's definitely not what it appears to be. It's both hilarious and disturbing.

Truth be told, while I thought Pixar's two most recent movies, Up and WALL-E, had many moments of brilliance, I thought the movies themselves were over-praised. I always appreciate Pixar's artistry and sophistication, and the fact that they always aim for the stands.

But I found the story, themes, and satire in Toy Story 3 to be both more consistent and more coherent.

And since we're talking other animated movies, Dreamworks has obviously set itself apart from Pixar by loading their animated movies up with cheeky, ironic cultural references. Interestingly, unlike past Pixar movies, Toy Story 3 makes lots of cultural references too — mostly of movie stereotypes and hoary story cliches.

But it's (thankfully) far more subtle than most Dreamworks movies — it will go right over the heads of all the kids — and because it's toys enacting out these knowing movie cliches, the references are often bust-a-gut hilarious.

But quite frankly, this is a pretty "dark," intense movie. Incredibly, it's a kid's movie — from Disney, no less! — about the inevitability of change, and the importance of accepting of it. There is even — I kid you not! — a scene about the actual acceptance of death that was as riveting as anything in Schindler's List.

I am certain there will be people who will say that this movie is too dark, that it's not appropriate for children. I just couldn't disagree more. As with the classic fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Mother Goose, children's literature has traditionally been the way uncomfortable truths are communicated to children. The idea that stories must be "sanitized" for kids is a relatively modern idea.

Since there is absolutely nothing exploitative or prurient in Toy Story 3, there is also nothing age-inappropriate here. On the contrary, this is brilliant work of art, flawlessly told, perfect for adults and children alike.