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