There's an intrinsic difference between the children's films put out by Pixar and the ones made by Dreamworks. Pixar, to my mind, don't just understand the mentality of the child but of human beings in general. They know exactly which buttons to push and don't tie themselves up aiming certain bits at children and certain bits at adults. The When Somebody Loved Me sequence in Toy Story 2, for example, is among the most moving pieces of cinema - children's cinema or otherwise - ever put together, because it depicts an unavoidable truth: that people change and things end. It hits adults hard because they know it's true, but it doesn't exclude the child by aiming above their heads. It simply exists quite comfortably on both levels.

Then take a film like Shrek 2. It's packaged as a children's story, but clumsily punctuated by as many crass pop culture references as possible, to keep the adults interested. The division between the bits for the kids and the bits for the grown ups is crude and uncomfortable. There aren't many elements of Pixar films that parents would hesitate to articulate to their children, but in Dreamworks films there are several uncomfortable jokes strictly for adults, or references that the children simply wouldn't care about. Oh, how funny, it's the Hawaii Five-0 theme. Never mind, kids; that's for us, not for you. Only funny bit in Madagascar? The Planet Of the Apes joke. Ever tried to get a child interested in Antz? It's a grown up political allegory for Woody Allen fans (and I enjoyed it. But I would: I'm a grown up Woody Allen fan).

The best Pixar films are made with pure love, radiate nothing but warmth and get better and more resonant the more you watch them. (If you have children and the excuse to watch, say, Finding Nemo or The Incredibles repeatedly, my God, you start to realise just how profound they are.) Much of Dreamworks' output just seems like pure cynicism, and has a pixellated heart of stone. I can't wait for Toy Story 3, simply because I trust Pixar that they wouldn't have made it unless they could do a good job. I won't be watching Shrek 4 - I jumped at the second film - because all I can see is an very lucrative horse being relentlessly flogged.

Cars 2 and Monsters Inc 2. Oh and Brave, about a Scottish princess, possibly music by Bono & Edge.

Coming soon.

I was introduced to this by a former paramour with a 4 year old daughter. I was in love with her and the whole domestic set up, the movie kinda mirrored my life at the time - grumpy auld pharte finds redemption and a new life via a woman. It didn't last (of course) and it took me years to get back to watching Shrek again, but it's so well made and realised that any bad memories were soon forgotten. Shrek the 3rd has a pretty lame story and none of the action of the first one, I do hope this fourth one is better.

are very good. I thought the last Shrek was dire but this is a real return to form. Think It's A Wonderful Life with a Scottish accent and you'll be half-way there.

Just went last night with my wife and kids (aged 18 and 15!) We all liked it.

RANDY NEWMAN soundtrack again!

I went to see Toy Story 3 yesterday with my 2 teenage kids. It is one of the most brilliantly crafted movies I have ever seen. The way the story arcs moves and the characters develop are timed just perfectly. Grown men have to mop their eyes at points but by the end of the movie everything is resolved and happy again without it being at all shmaltzy. I loved it.

for Toy Story 3. The first two were marvellous. I have rather lost faith in Shrek. The first one was excellent the the subsequent ones have been poor. Interested to read above that it is a return to form. May persuade me to go see.

with The Boy (5) last weekend. He enjoyed it. Me (43) slightly less so. Do think the Shrek series has been declining. Completely agree about Pixar movies being of a different order of quality. My favourite is Cars.

I feel Toy Story has something there (i.e. an actual well thought about film worth watching) while Shrek has been grabbing the money while it can since the success of the first film.

This is why I will be seeing Toy Story, and not Shrek.

But the Toy Story films are works of genius.

We have to remember, however, that these are films made predominantly for children. Most small people I talk to regard Cars as a work of genius. Not so much in the way that they view it as a work of pre-apocalyptic neo-constructualist anticipation. More that they say "Can we watch Cars?" and know the names of all the characters.