Toy Story 3

I'm sure I wrote recently that it's hard to watch a film objectively when it has been given universal praise.

Toy Story 3 is one such film. I'm a big fan of the Pixar guys and, seriously, they haven't made a bad movie - Up was my number one film of last year.

So they return to the Toy Story franchise and I have to say, a shade disappointingly, that the third instalment felt a bit like a retread.

I'm not saying I didn't like it, enjoy it, etc, but it didn't feel like a new movie really, even with the introduction of some new characters.

The basic story is that Andy is heading off to college and as he packs up his room his beloved toys, what's left of them anyway, end up being thrown out as trash.

They avoid the garbage truck and stow away in a box of donated toys to Sunnyside day care centre, where they'll be played with by any number of kids.

Woody (Tom Hanks) was saved from the trash by being chosen to go to college with Andy but, like any animated toy should, he sets out to save his friends.

The day care centre is run by the seemingly cuddly Lotso Hugs bear (Ned Beatty) who ships the new arrivals off to be tortured by kids who aren't age appropriate.

Woody must get them back to Andy before it's too late.

Now, the story is all well and good but again I just felt like it's all been done before. The new characters weren't that great aside from Lotso and a Ken 'I'm not a girl's toy' doll.

Despite feeling a bit stale there were still some excellent moments and great laughs, but it's now time to say farewell to Toy Story. An 8 out of 10, which is still a good score, but it's not a movie of the year contender like I thought it would be.