New Toy Story characters to be introduced

The latest Toy Story adventure sees the characters we all know and love land in an entirely unfamiliar setting. While this may be a tad daunting for the likes of Woody, Buzz and co, the team at Pixar have used it as an opportunity to introduce use to a range of new faces.

While many of the personalities are known outside of Toy Story 3, the movie's animation team have themselves devised certain new characters, one of the most prominent of whom is a strawberry-scented teddy by the name of Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear.

Voiced by Ned Beatty, Lotso - as he is known to his friends - is one of the leaders at Sunnyside Daycare, the new home of Buzz Lightyear, Woody and their gang. While little is known about his background, audiences were introduced to Lotso earlier this spring in a commercial appearing to be from the early 80s.

Advertised as being perfect for either a girl or boy, Lotso's appeal is his cuddliness, while his strawberry scent is also likely to make him a few new friends.

The new entries don't stop at Lotso. Far from it - there are 14 new characters to get to know, including the loveable Peas-In-A-Pod; swinging bachelor Ken (who dons some rather skimpy blue shorts); cute unicorn Buttercup and cheery dinosaur Trixie.

We are also introduced to half-man-half-insect Twitch, a fearless warrior no toy would want to mess with; a purple, fun-loving Octopus by the name of Stretch and Sparks, a retro-style robot with flashing red LED eyes.

Cinemagoers will just as equally be anticipating the return of the familiar bunch of toys as they will the new characters. It's not just about their appearance, however, but their voices. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen won rave reviews for their voicing of Woody and Buzz, and the pair return to the roles in the latest outing.

They accepted their returns in slightly unorthodox fashion. Instead of being sent scripts on which to make up their mind, Hanks and Allen were shown a complete story reel in a cinema. Featuring moving storyboards, pre-recorded voices, music and sound effects, the actors were able to commit Toy Story 3 shortly after the showing finished.

So what kind of adventures will the Toy Story characters get up to? Understandably, they're not too happy about being in a toddlers' day centre, while they also miss Andy hugely. Rex, the sensitive dinosaur, almost saw the day when the time to leave Andy's room would come, and his prediction has now come true.

While Toy Story 3 promises to be laugh-out-loud funny, it will also be moving. Many of us can remember the day our children left for university. In Toy Story, it's not just mum and dad who feel the pain, but the toys too. Will they be united with the person they have spent such a long time with? Or are they destined to spend the rest of their days in a playpen occupied by heavy-handed toddlers?