HOT: Toy Story 3

It's very tough for an animated film to come along that can come close to my favorite one of all-time in Toy Story. But, I guess if one was going to get close enough it would be a film featuring those same lovable characters.

Toy Story 3 comes out a full 11 years following Toy Story 2. A lot has changed in those 11 years - as Andy (John Morris) has grown up since we last saw him, and it has been a long time since he has played with the toys we have all come to love.

Andy is just a few days away from heading off to college and his mother is on his case about clearing out his room before he leaves. So, he must decide the fate of his old, favorite toys - put them in the attack, donate them or toss them in the garbage.

As he grabs a garbage bag and tosses many of the familiar toys, Hamm (John Ratzenberger), Jessie (Joan Cusack), Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head (Don Rickles & Estelle Harri), Slinky Dog (Blake Clark), Rex (Wallace Shawn), and Bullseye and those three aliens - he comes across Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen).

He decides to toss Buzz into the garbage bag and Woody into his box for college. As he begins to bring the garbage into the attack for storage - his sister stumbles out of her room with an oversized box for donation, and he leaves the bag on the floor to help her.

Then the real adventure begins. Thinking the bag is for the garbage, Andy's mother takes it down to the curb for trash pickup. Woody, though, does his best to rescue them - but the toys make it out themselves and decide to send themselves to Sunnyside Day Care in the donation box.

Woody tries to get them to reconsider, and he himself gets stuck in the box for donation. Sunnyside, though, proves to be the perfect landing spot for the toys. They are welcomed with open arms by a strawberry-scented bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty) and a metrosexual tour guide Ken (Michael Keaton), who immediately makes a connection with Barbie (Jodi Benson).

After Woody escapes, only to be picked up by Bonnie and taken to her house, the other toys soon to realize that Lotso and Sunnyside isn't all that its cracked up to be.

At Bonnie's house Woody is told by her toys, Buttercup (Jeff Garlin), Dolly (Bonnie Hunt), Trixie (Kristen Schaal) and Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton) inform him how horrible Sunnyside and Lotso are - so Woody heads back to try and break his friends out.

Toy Story 3 was, at the time, what we thought was the perfect sendoff for the toys that we have grown up loving. And, it was done to perfection.

It was funny, exciting, sometimes 'scary' and definitely pulled at your heartstrings in more ways than one. They had done the impossible - created a film as close to perfect as the original Toy Story film.

Now, with Toy Story 4 pretty much a guarantee - I hope they can catch lightning in a bottle for a third time. Although I enjoy Toy Story 2, it isn't up to the standards as the first and third. Hopefully the fourth can buck the trend.

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Toy Story 3

This was one of the few movies that I absolutely had to see in the theater. In fact, this was the first film since our movie theater installed the technology that I saw in 3D.

It was also a pretty good milestone because my son got to see his first full movie inside a movie theater. I say full movie because last year Mrs. Kano took him to see G-Force because they had two free tickets. He liked it, but didn't make it through the entire movie. This time, however, he hardly made a peep and was enthralled the entire time.

Toy Story 3 is not only great for the kiddos, but it is also pretty darn nostalgic for us older kids. The original Toy Story broke a ton of barriers back in 1995, being the very first animated movie to be created entirely through computer animation.

I have to admit that the Toy Story franchise films are pretty much some of my favorite movies and I couldn't wait to go and see this film.

So, on Father's Day Mrs. Kano and I took my son to Toy Story 3 and I have to tell you the Pixar team continues to come through with glorious results.

Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the rest of the gang are back 11 years after we have last seen them. And, things are looking bleak. Their owner, Andy, is on his way to college and the toys' future is up in the air - will they end up in the attic? the garbage? or will Andy take them to college?

As Andy makes the decision, a mix up lands the gang in a box that is being donated to Sunnyside Day Care. At first it appears that this is the nirvana the toys are looking for - constant attention. They meet the leader of the Day Care, Lotso (Ned Beatty), who ushers the new toys into caterpillar room - which turns out to be for the young kids, or those not really old enough to care for the toys.

The rest of the film plays out like a prison break as the toys look to leave Sunnyside and make their way back to Andy's house before he leaves for college. And it is still up in the air what will become of the toys once/and if they do make it back.

The two new main cast members are Lotso and Ken (Michael Keaton), who is pretty darn vain and some how never ran into a Barbie before the toys arrived. I enjoyed all of the new toys and I felt like they each added something great to the film, and the other new toys are mostly background characters that don't get in the way or become a distraction.

Pixar continues to impress, this film is a little darker than the other two films and even gets you a little choked up at times. The action, humor and heart of this film is amazing and is a great addition to the Toy Story franchise.

My lone complaint is the loss of a few characters from the older films - which is mentioned, but their real whereabouts is not truly known - I do hope that if there is a Toy Story 4 that we get to see a few of them again. Small complaint, but their loss was definitely felt.

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25 Days: Jack Frost

Let me put out a disclaimer: I am a Michael Keaton fan.

There I said it. I thought he was an amazing Batman in the original two films, and he of course was born in Pittsburgh - so that helps his cause.

Last night I watched Jack Frost for the 25 Days of Christmas. I could have sworn I had watched this film before, but I could not remember ever seeing it as I watched it last night.

Anyway, Jack Frost stars Michael Keaton as Jack Frost, a husband, father and struggling musician of The Jack Frost Band.

His son, Charlie, is absolutely enamored with his father - despite his father's absence due to constant touring.

After a trip to Denver, Jack returns home and makes a snowman with Charlie and gives him what he calls a 'magic' harmonica. If you blow this harmonica, apparently he would hear it wherever he was and come back.

On this particular Christmas holiday, Jack promises his son that he will make it to his hockey game - despite having to record a demo that same day. Well, he doesn't make it and it appears to be pretty much the last straw with Charlie.

After another promise to take his wife (Kelly Preston) and Charlie to their cabin for Christmas Eve and Christmas, Jack receives a phone call from a record executive, saying he has to perform on Christmas Day to be considered for signing.

This is the last straw for Charlie, as he hands Jack back his harmonica and walks back into the house.

On the way to the gig, Jack gets a change of heart and decides to blow it off and meet his family at the cabin - as he traveled through a snow storm his wipers freeze and he is tossed off of the road and dies.

Here is where things get a little weird.

Fast-forward a year later and Charlie is still struggling with his father's death. He has quit the hockey team, given up on his friends and his grades have slipped.

As he is building a snowman again one night, he finds his 'magic' harmonica and plays it. When this happens - the snowman he has just made becomes alive and is now harboring his father.

A very strange change of events. The first part of the movie was so realistic and interesting, then it sort of went downhill with the introduction of the snowman.

Don't get me wrong, the film was still enjoyable to watch - and I am sure a lot of fun for most people, especially children. But the concept of the family film at the beginning I felt could have been a much better film.

Moving forward, Jack reincarnated helps his son with bullies, teaches him the 'J-shot' for hockey and actually attends a game where his son scores the winning goal.

So, Jack became the father he always should have been after his death a year ago.

The special moment might have come at the conclusion when both Charlie and his mother are able to say good-bye to Jack. Something they weren't able to do the first time around.

Also featured in the film were small roles by Henry Rollins (he plays the team's hockey coach), Ahmet Zappa (Snowplow driver), Dweezil Zappa (John Kaplan, music executive) and a young Andy Lawrence (Tuck Gronic).

One name I was happy to see at the beginning was Mark Addy (he played Mac MacArthur, Jack's best friend and band mate). I am a pretty big fan of Addy's work with his hilarious roles in both The Full Monty and A Knight's Tale. So, I was very much looking forward to his humor in this film - but I was let down. There weren't very many funny scenes that include Addy.

Overall, this is a pretty decent family film. It has a wonderful meaning behind it as most family films do. But I still think it could have been a lot better.

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