Delightful addition to the animated franchise in which the
cowboy leader (voice of Tom Hanks) of the familiar gang of toys who come to
life when humans aren't looking becomes the mentor of a homemade doll (voice of
Tony Hale) his kid owner (voice of Madeleine McGraw) fashioned primarily out of
a plastic spork. As he and the group — including the astronaut (voice of Tim
Allen) with whom he once carried on a rivalry — are brought along on a family
vacation, the cattleman also finds traces of a long-lost buddy, a shepherdess
figurine (voice of Annie Potts) from whom he has been separated for nearly a
decade. Director Josh Cooley and screenwriters Andrew Stanton and Stephany
Folsom deftly juggle humor, sentiment and even clever gothic material by way of
the creepy ventriloquist dummies who populate an antiques store. They also
introduce a memorable new character, a 1970s Canadian stuntman toy (voice of
Keanu Reeves).
Watch out for: Characters in
peril, some potentially frightening scenes.
Rated: A-I, general
patronage; MPAA: G
© Arlington Catholic Herald 2019