3rd time's (still) the charm

It’s not often that the third movie in a trilogy can be arguably the best, but add “Toy Story 3” to a prestigious list that includes such movies as “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” and “The Return of the King.”

Even bearing in mind how great the first two installments of Pixar’s flagship franchise are, the latest (and apparently last) installment of the adventures of sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear takes all the fun of its predecessors and adds the powerful emotional punch that the studio has been honing during the last decade with films like “Ratatouille” and “Up.”

In “Toy Story 3,” the franchise’s main human character, Andy, is preparing to go off to college, and he has to decide what to do with all of his old toys. After a misunderstanding, they end up at Sunnyside, an ostensibly paradisiacal daycare center with a plush bear dictator who runs the place like Guantanamo Bay when the staff goes home.

Through a series of misadventures, Andy’s old toys, and by extension, the audience, are forced to cope with the fact that he’s ready to move on. Two pivotal scenes in the final reel — one taking place in a garbage incinerator, the other in a little girl’s front yard — are bound to inspire teary eyes and heavy hearts.

Pixar has proven once again that kid’s movies don’t have to insult the audience or pander to the lowest common denominator. With almost a total lack of toilet humor and gratuitous injuries to the private parts, “Toy Story 3” is another entry in the production company’s illustrious canon that will entertain children and adults with equal effectiveness, and for generations to come.

One can only hope Dreamworks is taking notes.