In November 1995, when the first “Toy Story” movie came out, I was just six years old. Though my memory of that year is no longer as sharp as it used to be, I’m fairly certain it was one of the last movies I saw with my parents alone.

Because parents, like toys, slowly become phased out by friends and technology, gradually sinking into the background as we age, becoming more a part of the landscape than everyday role players.

When the trailers for “Toy Story 3” first appeared on the Internet about a year ago a fire was lit within me, and my desire to see a ‘G’ rated movie hasn’t been so intense since my grade school years. With the summer release date coinciding with my trip home for Fathers’ Day, I saw the perfect opportunity to see a movie with parents.

In good Pixar fashion the movie opened with a dramatic bit of fantasy, immediately recognizable to those of us old enough to remember the original and it’s first sequel. It wasn’t long before the film took a left turn down Nostalgia Avenue.

The home-movie style direction pulled on the heartstrings of my folks and I. The sight of Andy whooshing Buzz around his room, or proudly trotting Woody in front of his über-familiar wallpaper is enough to send the recollection center of my brain into overdrive.

That’s the magic of a Pixar film, the ability to draw in the viewer and set a hook in their attention. The beauty of the film, however, rests deeper and sets an anchor right in the middle of the viewer’s chest, where it rests for the duration, and often well beyond.

After the trip down memory lane concludes, the film returns to current day, to a situation that many ISU students are still quite familiar with: moving day. Andy has grown up, just like his first fans, and is moving to college, leaving his old friends in limbo about their final destination.

Buzz and Woody are missing a few of their old gang, but fortunately retain most of the characters that enchanted viewers in “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2.” The toys find themselves inadvertently sent to Sunnyside Day Care, a superficial Eden for donated toys.

When things go south, once again it is up to the toys to find a way to make a bold escape to return to their one-and-only owner, Andy.

“Toy Story 3” is exemplary of Pixar at their best. The storytelling, as usual for the animation giants, is unparalleled.

The protagonists, while already established among older viewers, are endearing to the umpteenth degree. For instance, Buzz Lightyear, a classic character, is given new layers of personality to enhance his appeal. His machismo “Most Interesting Buzz in the World” personality is hilarious and captivating.

The antagonists are despicable with just the right amount of humanity to inspire sympathy, however slight. There is drama, passion, love and never a dull moment.

I won’t give away any more of the plot, because it’s just too good to ruin. But “Toy Story 3” is everything I expected it to be and more, and I wouldn’t be honest with myself if I didn’t say that the ending got to me.
Flanked by the people to whom I owe everything, who I might not have been as attentive to in recent years, I couldn’t imagine a better pair to see the movie with.

As we walked out of the theater I felt like Andy rediscovering his toys: I was reconnected with my parents and happy to have this experience with them. The film has the ability to entertain while affecting audiences personally. These films, these true classics, such is “Toy Story 3,” are few and far between.