Let’s keep discussion to this thread, but I thought this might serve as a nice snapshot to Dopers’ opinions. Pick the one that best describes your feelings (and if you haven’t seen it but plan to in the theaters, wait until you do so before voting)
I plan to see it a second time in theaters, and am assuming that it will end up topping Finding Nemo as my favorite Pixar.
I liked it better than 1, but not as much as 2. Maybe I’ll change my mind if I see it multiple times, but on first viewing I don’t think it had any moments as great as 1) Woody marveling over all the memorabilia he inspired, 2) the old man fixing him up like new, and 3) “When She Loved Me.”
I’ll have to go back and watch the first two before I can vote. I guess it’s no surprise that 1&2 have “long wait” times in Netfilx now.
The toys holding hands in the inferno, Andy’s passing of the torch to Bonnie, and Mr. Tortilla Head are greater than numbers 1 and 2, and equal number 3. IMO, anyway. 
I voted “Liked it better than 2 but not as much as 1” but that’s probably because the original TS was so unique. TS3 was really good, but I don’t think it can ever match the “awe factor” of seeing the original for the first time – the toy soldiers “rocking” around on their stiff plastic bases, all of the toys going limp every time a human comes into the room, etc. I **LOVE **Pixar!
It’s been too long since I’ve seen the 1st or 2nd to compare but it was thoroughly enjoyable to this daddy and daughter alike. It amazes me how the Toy Story series continues to be entertaining on an innocent and intellectual level at the same time. This 'un was a real tearjerker at time too. Great show.
I saw TS3 immediately after seeing 1 and 2 on DVD. I liked it OK and thought it was good entertainment, but it (and TS2 for that matter) lacked something that Toy Story 1 had in spades and that was conflict between the protagonists. What made TS1 great in my book was that the hero (Woody) had to overcome his own insecurity when dealing with that upstart Buzz Lightyear, who was completely oblivious to the fact they were competing for anything. The conflict between two flawed characters drove the story and consequently their fight to overcome the odds was a lot more rewarding.
TS2 and 3, the “good” toys were all uniformly good and the conflict between them pretty much came from the outside: Big Al and the Prospector in TS2, and Lotso & Company in TS3. I still liked TS2 and 3 quite a bit, but they didn’t have the oomph of the first one.
Original was my favorite, Three close behind, with Two still being pretty close in third.
All were quite good, but the original was just magical.
Great moments for sure, and as I said, I may change my mind as I see TS3 multiple times. They’re all 3 great films, so close in quality it’s hard to choose one over the other anyway. I just really really those 3 moments especially.
Just saw it tonight and we discussed this on the ride home. I simply cannot decide where I rank any of the three movies and I think my opinion of them will vary on my mood at any time. They are all neck and neck and each has some truly strong points.
Right now I think I rank TS2 first and TS3 second based on the emotional impact that TS1 somewhat lacked. In a different mood I might value TS1 first based on originality and diversity of the Toys’ characterizations.
I thought the ending of this one was simply outstanding though. From the moment they ended up in the dump to the end of the credits it was some of the best stuff Pixar has ever done. The holding hands in the incinerator was truly great and I love the Pizza Planet Aliens a ton so their hero moment was awfully satisfying. Woody’s moment of clarity in the College box as he observes the Mom losing it over Andy’s growing up got me all misty. Andy’s “my precious” moment when Bonnie tried to take Woody at the end was incredibly subtle and powerful. Then the pay off of Andy finally having his one last play with the Toys, which was the one thing the Toys wanted most, and the passing of the torch to Bonnie was every bit as emotionally taxing as “When She Loved Me” but it was a more complex mix of bitter and sweet. The epilogue was classic Toy Story laughs and I loved seeing Zerg and Ken’s letter.
You know, after writing that paragraph I’d change my vote to “Best Pixar film of all time” if I could.
Oh, and I almost forgot the awesomeness that was the opening play fantasy (memory?) sequence. Death by Monkeys!
Kids movies and cartoons are not my cup of tea, but it was tolerable. My kids liked, and that’s what mattered to me. I don’t know how to compare it to the others because I don’t remember much about them. To me, these kinds of movies are just DVD’s to put on for the kids. I don’t pay that much attention to them. I don’t even think I saw the second movie. I did see the first one years ago, but barely remember it.
I really liked the “Day and Night” short.
That was, without a doubt, some of the greatest animation I’ve ever seen. Whoever did the tortilla was a genius.
I liked it better than 2, but not as much as 1, or maybe the same as the first. The first and third both had some really great scenes and emotional impact. I don’t really like the second one, and I hate that song “When She Loved Me.”
Alas, there wasn’t a choice for “I loved them all equally”… Each had their share of both hilarious as well as pathos-laden moments.
That, and the Spanish Buzz were both masterpieces of animation.
This movie blew me and my friend away. I was excited to see it because of how much I loved the first two but I was worried that my high expectations would ruin it for me. No. This movie took my expectations and blew them apart. It was amazing. That’s all.
It was terrific. It’s so cliche but so true; Pixar has done it again.
It’s hard to rate it against Toy Story 1 because it’s hard to separate how I felt about TS1 at the time versus how it holds up. It holds up very well, of course, but the thing about TS1 is that there’s way, way, way, way too much Randy Newman. If “I liked them all the same” had been an option I would have picked it.
Each film is magnificent but has one flaw. In TS1, it’s the overuse of Newman’s music and voice. In TS2, the movie is a touch too long. The one problem I thought TS3 had was that it draws on the same plot devices as the previous two just a bit too much. The huggy bear was basically Stinky Pete all over again.
But they’re still better movies than 99.9% of all other movies. It was a joy to watch and was entertaining for all ages.
Ditto that. I just came back from seeing it with my folks, and we loved every minute of it. The scenes at the end had us all sniffling.
I liked it just as much as the others. I don’t know where it fits in the hierarchy just yet, as I only saw it a few days ago, and that tends to colour my perceptions somewhat.
It had a lot more fun adventure in the story, but it wasn’t as funny as the second. So I will tentatively say it’s better than 1 but not as good as 2.