Gosh do I have a lot to say about this one. Much much more than the recent movies I felt were misses. I do recommend you watch the Toy Story movies in order to have the best experience. The movie is also the most emotional and powerful if you grew up with these characters, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it either way
I definitely was crying largely because I saw it in theaters for the first time, so if you can catch a rerun on IMAX, I highly recommend it. 2 didn't move me quite as much because of the visual effects, but there's a very emotional scene towards the end of 3 which was much more emotional on the big screen when I saw it the first time
Toy Story 3 won't be quite as emotional if you didn't watch the first two movies when you were a kid, though. A lot of people my age cried when they saw it in theaters for the first time because we were all little kids when the first one came out, so we relate to Andy (he's like 5-11 in the first movie; he's the kid who owns all the toys who are the main characters). And in this one he's 17 and going off to college, so he hardly ever plays with our friends anymore. Woody is particularly attached to Andy, as you're used to, so this is especially hard for him
My favorite parts of Toy Story 3 besides the emotional hits from two scenes near the end are Bonnie, Lotso, Ken and Barbie (they're funny), and Spanish Buzz (also funny)
Alrighty so a basic synopsis so you know what you're getting into: Toy Story 3 is a children's movie released by Pixar, a studio started by John Lasseter, an animator who used to work at Disney until he got fired for repeatedly trying to make a 3-D movie. Pixar is the incredibly successful fruit of that dream, many hours of blood sweat and tears from Lasseter, Ed Catmull, Andrew Stanton, Brad Bird, many others, and Steve Jobs' money. Jobs had a few other contributions, but the main contribution was saving Pixar from financial ruin
Toy Story is the very first feature-length film from Pixar, and Toy Story 2 was their third. So people are very invested in these movies, having grown up with these stories
Woody is Andy's oldest and/or favorite toy (it depends which movie, but I'd say Woody is his favorite, even over Buzz in the first movie). He's also the de facto leader of all of Andy's toys. This cowboy wrangles the cattle to work together, keep them informed, and always stay faithful to Andy, the boy he absolutely loves
Spoilers from the first two movies, though nothing about the major plot twists or endings:
The basic plot of the first Toy Story is that Andy gets a cool new space toy with flashing lights, a space suit, and wings for his birthday. That toy is Buzz Light-year, an iconic cartoon sensation within the Toy Story cinematic universe, and all Buzz Light-years are born believing they are heroes saving the Galaxy from the Evil Emperor Zurg, even when they (of course) cannot actually fly, shoot lasers, and can breathe regular Earth air without their space suits
Woody is jealous because Andy has a new favorite toy, and other hijinks ensue which are not that important to appreciating TS3
We also meet Slink, Bo Peep, Hamm, Mr. Potato Head, Rex in the first movie. Slink is Woody's right hand man, who Potato Head calls a suck up. He's just supposed to be Woody's dog; obviously your own dog is gonna be sycophantically in love with you more than most people would be. As a utility for the group, Slink can also be tossed around over very great lengths, and will return to his normal size reliably. So he ends up being a ladder a lot of the time
Bo Peep is Woody's love interest and friend, supporting him more than most of the toys do. Tho I guess Potato Head and Buzz are the main toys that come into serious conflict with Woody. She ends up having her feature movie in TS4, and does not show up in 3
Mr. Potato Head is a sarcastic character who has a few funny lines, Hamm is basically the same, but he is a piggy bank instead of a walking, talking potato (voiced by the Pixar-iconic John Ratzenberger, who has a role in every Pixar movie), and Rex is a neurotic cowardly dinosaur who usually just follows what the group wants. In 2, we see Rex obsessed with video games. He is also very funny, but less in a "what a comedian" kind of way and more in a "this guy is a prop for the group and we're laughing at him being funny unintentionally, or because of the situation.
And then in 2, we meet Jessie and Bullseye, who are characters in "Woody's Round Up", an old Western TV show that was popular before Andy was born. Somehow no one in the TSCU recognizes Woody as a character from this cartoon outside of the second movie, whereas plenty of kids recognize Buzz Light-year in various movies
Anyway, I digress; Jessie is the cowgirl and Bullseye is Woody's trusty steed. Bullseye is basically a Slink clone except he's physically a horse and can't talk. He is extremely attached to Woody. Barbie also shows up in this movie and/or 1 as Andy's little sister Molly's toy, though she plays a larger role in this one. She and Ken are funny together, especially the part where she spouts off Constitution / DoI esque language
So at this point in the review, even if you read no further, when you watch 3, you will recognize and appreciate these characters. Again, I recommend watching all of the movies in order, but at least this much synopsis and character description will help you follow this movie
One of my favorites of all time, probably top 10
5.8 / 6 Stars
