Pixar has arguably the most impressive film resume of any other studio of this generation. From monumental films like Toy Story and WALL-E, to other greats like Ratatouille and The Incredibles, you'll be hard pressed to find a bad movie in the bunch. Each film is brimming with humor and a wonderous charm that will have both kids and adults supremely entertained throughout the entirety of the finely crafted film. With Pixar's newest and latest effort in the Toy Story franchise - Toy Story 3 - we see the best of Pixar's efforts put into this one tremendous film.

     Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return to reprise their roles of Woody and Buzz Lightyear, respectively. To put it simply, the voice work is clearly top-notch with a very talented cast from top to bottom. Considering the previous entry, Toy Story 2, was made eleven years ago, it's great to see everyone return to the cast - except one. In the first two films, Slinky Dog was voiced by Jim Varney (of those Ernest Goes To... films). Unfortunately, he passed away in 2000, so in Toy Story 3, he was replaced by Blake Clarke, who was a frequent guest star in the TV show Boy Meets World. As a younger lad, I had always thought Clarke was the actual voice of Slinky Dog, since their voices are so similar, but I had been mistaken, until now. But I digress.

     In this newest film, the once young Andy is now 17 years old and getting ready to go to college, and his beloved toys are still in his toy chest - having gone unplayed for quite some time. Mistakenly, the toys are sent off to a child Daycare center as a bulk donation, only with Woody being intentionally placed in the box to come with Andy to college. However, Woody of course, one of sound moral character, is in close pursuit of his now-donated friends. Anyway, when they all arrive at the Daycare center, they meet up with Lotso the huggable bear, and the plot really moves from there. Not to spoil it in any way, I'll stop there.

     The storyline of the movie only acts as a vehicle for the films' larger and overarching messages. The vital bond of friendship is continuously echoed throughout. The preciousness in the concept of a child's toy is even more profound in the film. Often throughout the film I couldn't help but find myself reflecting upon my own youth and how I would often play with my own toys. Intense sentimentality will flow through you as you watch this film, and it is a welcome feeling. A certain type of nirvana as you watch this incredibly entertaining film.

     Aside from some thematic elements, the humor in the film is wonderful and genuinely funny. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the things I saw. Some hysterical sight gags will have you too yucking it up with genuine pleasure. Some of the funnier moments involve Mr. Potato Head and his wife, also, the new addition of Ken (voiced by Michael Keaton).

     The adventures of Woody and Buzz may have finally come to a close here with Toy Story 3, but you never know if a fourth entry will be released in the future. I would certainly welcome it, but would also be satisfied if it ended on this note. It was a brilliant film with timeless humor that had no age limit. It had spectacular visuals, tremendous voice-acting, and loveable, memorable characters. It was a great exercise in the sentimental, while not over-doing it. It caused you to reflect, but also laugh. And the lasting impression I got from this film, and certainly judging from the films' ending - that no matter what, you'll always be a kid at heart.

-Kurt L.

________________________________________________________

     A delightful film! Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, based on the successful children's book of the same name, is brought to you in 3D computer-generated animation, which has simply become the norm these days for the animated film genre - and that isn't a bad thing! A film version of the visually impressive book would have worked either way in the traditional drawn art, or as it is here in CG. This film has plenty of charm that will surely dazzle the kids and should entertainment the adults as well because it doesn't cater to either crowd specifically, it aims its sights at the entire audience, and brings everyone in on the fun.

     There's a lot of character and life inside the usually gray town of Swallow Falls, later dubbed Chewandswallow when the town becomes the only place on Earth to have food-weather. A lot of the charm and characters derives from the voice actors themselves. Bill Hader, of Saturday Night Live fame, voices the lead protagonist Flint Lockwood, and continues to showcase his great variety of talents with a fine performance here. Anna Faris is wonderful as the female lead, Sam Sparks. James Caan does a terrific job as the lumbering, emotionally shy father, Tim Lockwood. Bruce Campell is funny as the ever so greedy and gluttonous Mayor Shelbourne. Perhaps one of the most dynamic performces is by Mr. T, who provides the voice of the local cop, Earl Devereaux. The dialogue is given a lot of extra punch thanks to the talented cast, and it keeps this animated picture moving and flowly at a fine pace.

     There are plenty of fun sequences in this movie that are sure to be memorable ones. Obviously seeing this book expanded to life on screen is a joy in itself, but to see the hamburgers, pancakes, ice cream snow, torando spigetti and meatballs, and plenty of other foods, is a treat for the eyes. Even some of the quicker moments in the film are memorable as well including a hilarious moment when a pack of gummy bears attack Flint's flying car!

     I reccomend this movie, as it is one of the better animated films of recent years. It's not very long - about 90 minutes - so, it is short and sweet, and to the point. It has fun visuals, lively performances from a well-rounded cast, and some memorable moments. Simply put, the forecast is good, feast yourself on Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs.

-Kurt L.

_______________________________________________________