What a wonderful surprise to find that Toy Story 3 is even better than its two predecessors in the franchise. Those of you who don’t believe it could be possible will just have to see it with your own eyes, and if you have children, you’ll be seeing it again and again.

If you can, see it in 3-D. For once, the medium is not a distraction, and adds visual dimension to a film with layers upon layers of emotion. Also, if you live anywhere near Los Angeles or are planning a trip there this summer, see it at Disney’s El Capitan Theater. For $20 you watch the film, sing along to the pre-show Disney organ concert, and access a wonderful Toy Story 3 themed carnival/theme park temporarily built on the Hollywood High athletic field, behind the theater. Kids will be entertained for hours with simple pleasures like rope climbs, a craft tent, a colorful maze, play stations with Legos, Slinky stairs, Mr. Potatoheads and more, along with an adorable Dancing with the Toys show, which is a takeoff on the Disney-owned Dancing with the Stars. It’s all too cute to be missed, and provides a needed bit of levity after the film’s painfully poignant ending.

Even the most curmudgeonly among us will be wiping tears at the end of our toy-heroes’ journey. But before that, they’ll be laughing uproariously at the Pixar knack for making multi-layered jokes that are amusing to both children and adults. The Barbie/Ken dialogue, for example, is hysterical. Look for a one-word reaction from the bookworm to send you rolling in the aisles. All your favorite voices are back: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris and more, to do justice to the fabulous script by Michael Arndt and John Lassater (who also produced). Randy Newman’s score, and Lee Unkrich’s directing (he also co-directed Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc.) are near perfect. You’ll never have a friend like Toy Story 3, to infinity and beyond.

Rated G

—Lisa Johnson Mandell