When the first “Toy Story” hit theaters in 1995, the tickets flew out of box offices like candy. No one could get enough of the ultra-creative flick that showed the secret life of all of our favorite toys. It quickly became my favorite movie, and I proudly sported a Buzz Lightyear backpack to my very first day of first grade (along with the action figure securely tucked away in an inside pocket, of course).

So, needless to say I went into “Toy Story 3” with rather high expectations. After all, what was I supposed to do with all my old Toy Story gear if the movie was terrible? I would just have to have thrown it all away in disappointment. But then what would I do once my old action figures sprung to life and had to live out the rest of their days in a junkyard? The movie had to be good.

Thankfully, the movie did not disappoint. It has something for everyone, regardless of whether or not you’ve seen the first two, and the humor is basically ageless.

If you have seen the first two movies, however, watch for understated references. For instance, Sid, the nasty boy from the first movie, makes a comeback as the garbage collector, but this is only obvious if you recognize that he is wearing the same skull and crossbones shirt that he did as a child. And it is this Sid that inadvertently sets the toys on off on their exciting adventure.

Andy is grown up and ready to go off to college. His mother gives him the option of putting his beloved old toys in the attic, donating them to a local daycare, or throwing them away. Andy, reminiscing on the fun he used to have with his old pals, chooses to put them in the attack. But, in a mix up, Andy’s mom grabs the bag that the toys have been stored in and puts it on the curb with the trash. Just before Sid is able to nab them up to throw in the back of his garbage truck, the toys make a hasty escape. Assuming that Andy meant to throw them away, they become angry and stow away in the box of donations headed for the local daycare.

While the movie is definitely humorous, there is a clear undertone of sadness from all of the toys, even the ones Andy’s toys meet at the daycare. Everyone is sick of being left behind by their former owners and they want to be loved and played with again. No one more so than the ring leader of the toys living at the daycare, Lots o’ Hugs Bear, called “Lotso.”

And this is where I become disappointed with the movie. While Lotso is an entertaining character, he is basically an exact replica of Stinky Pete from Toy Story 2. He reels the toys in, making them think that he is there to help, before turning on them and putting them in physical danger. The only difference is that Stinky Pete was a small old man with a pick, and Lotso is a large teddy bear that smells like strawberries.

The plot was also very similar to Toy Story 2. The toys go on an inadvertent adventure, only to embark on the perilous journey back the Andy’s house.  The characters live up to their old personas: Woody is moral and sensible; Buzz is heroic; Jessie is a fun-loving cowgirl who doesn’t grasp the idea of personal boundaries, etc. So, there is very little character depth present that wasn’t already expected, which, in all honestly, was sort of boring.

But, all of that being said, the movie was still a lot of fun. The aliens that Andy pulled out of the vending machine at Pizza Planet all that time ago are still hilarious, and are probably the funniest characters in the entire movie. Their awe over “the claw” is still present, and it comes out in the most interesting of ways. The relationship between Buzz and Jessie is still uncomfortable and funny, just like any good awkward attraction, and the wonder that is Pixar still manages to pull it out in the end so that everyone leaves the theater with some warm fuzzies.

The most interesting part of the movie, though, was actually being able to see the time that had passed since 1995. This isn’t one of those sequels where the director pretends that all the characters are the same age and the plot goes on as if the characters just took a bit of a nap. Andy is 17 and college bound, his little sister is a walking talking pre-teen who is planning her eventual takeover of her older brother’s soon to be vacant room, and Woody and Buzz talk with all of the wisdom that toys can only achieve through years of watching their owner grow into adulthood.

This movie is a definite must-see, and will pull at your heartstrings and make you want to relive your childhood all over again. I might just dust off my Buzz Lightyear backpack and my Mr. Potato Head.