Toy Story of Terror

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source: Toy Story of Terror

For me, a short film needs a lot of depth and meaning packed into it to be appreciated. Sadly, however, I didn't see that in this one. Always enjoyable to see these toys in action (and Bonnie's loving care for them), but I was left a little dissatisfied and disappointed at the end.

A cool little story of our favourite unwanted toys going on a Halloween adventure. It has the usual misadventure, close calls, stealth etc etc. It was a fine little movie/segments for Toy Story Fans. Its nothing serious so no need to be harsh on it. Verdict: To infinity...

Loved this show very much and so did all of my kids. Don't judge it based on the word terror as this is not a scary kids show. Judge it based on the name Toy Story if you must before viewing it. Best way to judge it however is by watching it. My question is how can I see it again. Will it air tonight for Halloween? Is it available for Instant Viewing on VUDU, Amazon, or Netflix? Will it be released on Blu-Ray and DVD by itself or will it be released as a special feature short on Monster's University Combo Pack? I loved being able to view Tangled Ever After on Amazon Instant Video before it was put on the Cinderella Blu-Ray release.

The team are back...if you don't count the numerous cartoons and shorts over the years, but yet they're back. Yes despite my rather cocky introduction there I was pleased to see the toy crew back for more adventures as I'm sure everyone else was too. Much to my pure pleasure this story centres around a horror tale of sorts, admittedly not in the same vain as 'The Simpson's Treehouse of Horror' tales which I was kinda hoping for but its all good. That's not to say this short animated tale is all dark and creepy with elements of Cushing, Lee and Price, alas no (even though the intro does lean that way like its teasing you...damn them!). Its much more straight laced than that and still takes place within the semi real world we all from the films. Gotta be honest this did disappoint me as I really wanted to see a kooky haunted mansion type horror along the lines of 'The Addams Family', I really think that could of been cool. The film does feel a tad tired I can't deny, the plot is the usual toys in trouble affair with the team getting split up and the others having to rescue them. Its not exactly genius but it just about works although the laughs are few and far between in all honesty. It looks good of course, all the characters are present and correct with their original voices by the original stars which is nice. Wasn't too sure about the pet iguana that acts like a dog, yes I know its a kids cartoon essentially but that just seemed too stupid to me, too toonish. The best thing about this new short is easily Combat Carl voiced by Carl Weathers. This character easily equals Buzz in terms of great humorous dialog and his sheer retro design, the classic macho man action figure of the 80's and beyond. I also thought his mini version was a nice touch too, the type of smaller figure that would fit inside an action vehicle...like the small M.A.S.K. figures. Weathers was perfectly cast for this little role he really was, I loved how the action figure was basically a young Weathers probably based on his character in 'Predator'. Then there was the awesome brief appearance of the Transformer type robot toy who comes apart and reassembles when required (looked a bit like Voltron), the fat superhero toy, the Pez dispenser and that Lego type character. End of the day the story is slightly weak I can't lie about that but its the great retro toy characters that keep you entertained. Fun for the kids because its an animated cartoon, and fun for the adults because we can reminisce about all these old toys we used to have. Surely you all remember how cool it was to see plastic soldiers in action in the original huh...am I right? Just don't expect anything as sizzling as the movies. 6.5/10 'can it Pants! life ain't a movie, they're never coming back'

Ah, the Halloween special, a dying pedigree. Every December usually brings one or two new Christmas specials. The Halloween special, however, is a rarer breed. "The Great Pumpkin" gets trotted out every October but new productions are seen far less frequently. Pixar, for the first time, is throwing their hat into the ring with "Toy Story of Terror," basically a slightly-longer, televised version of their already popular "Toy Story" shorts. I'm a fan of the company and the series but would a Disney-owned property be willing to get creepy? Yes and no. "Toy Story of Terror" follow the same batch of toys as always (though Mrs. Potato Head, Slinky-Dog, and Dolly are notably absent), on the road with Bonny and her mom. When their car breaks down, the group has to stop at a spooky hotel. Once inside, the toys wander off, something strange picking them off one-by-one. It's probably a mark of Pixar's quality that even a fluffy TV special has a genuine character arc. "Toy Story of Terror" begins with Jessie falling into a tool box and freaking out. Later on, she ventures out of Boony's bag because it's too confined for her. This is a story of the cowgirl conquering her claustrophobia. The arc is framed as a usual "believe in yourself" kid's movie story but the effort is appreciated. Moreover, Joan Cusack sells her fear honestly. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen have far smaller roles, Cusack, Wallace Shawn, Don Rickles, and Timothy Dalton doing most of the work. Dalton and Shawn are fantastic actually, the parts of Rex and Mr. Pricklepants playing nicely to their strengths. As far as horror-content goes, "Toy Story of Terror" has some fun. The special begins with the toys watching a black-and-white vampire film, which is recreated nicely. Throughout the special, Mr. Pricklepants delivers dialogue about the traditional structure of the genre. After Mr. Potato-Head disappears, the toys investigate the dusty, cobweb-filled sub-flooring of the motel, Buzz' glow-in-the-dark paint casting an eerie green glow on everything. Jesse quickly becomes a final girl, an off-screen monster picking off her friends. She even has a run-in with an ineffectual authority figure, Carl Weathers having hilarious fun as Combat Carl. The second half of the special, after the truth is revealed, the horror elements pretty much disappear. This is disappointing, considering the first half did a good job introducing kids to the rules of the slasher film. That's unexpected for a Disney product. Will "Toy Story of Terror" become a classic like "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown?" It's hard to say but, if this becomes a yearly tradition, I'd probably be okay with that.

I stumbled across this little "Toy Story of Terror" short practically without even knowing it existed. I had a bit of trepidation, however, as the ending of "Toy Story 3" was so incredible that I didn't want things to get "ruined" by tacked-on material that muddies the water. Luckily, "Toy Story of Terror" doesn't try to do too much (a 22-minute runtime pretty much dictates that, I guess), instead providing a fun little adventure that lampoons scary movies in a fun fashion. All your favorite characters are on point, and it even introduces some new blood with Combat Carl (voiced by Carl Weathers), a GI Joe-like toy with a penchant for speaking in the third person. Not too much to analyze here...just a lot of fun with your favorite characters from the film trilogy! I wouldn't pay too much for a 22-minute short, but if you do get a chance to see it I think you'll be cracking smiles throughout.

Am a big fan of Pixar, films and shorts, and the three 'Toy Story' films (the first of which being ground-breaking) are among my favourites from them as far as their feature films go. For me, none of their work is below mediocre (even my least favourite 'Cars 3'), though that is probably not going to be a popular opinion with the post-'Toy Story 3' films getting a lot of hate. Meanwhile their best work is masterpiece level, all three 'Toy Story' films being on that level. Was on one hand quite excited for this television special 'Toy Story of Terror', with it being Pixar, that it has such great characters and some immense talent on board returning. At the same time, part of me was a little worried, with it being an under half an hour television special on a lower budget there was the worry of how it would fare quality-wise and it is hard to not question the point of it. The good news is that 'Toy Story of Terror' was great fun with some creepiness here and there. It is not in the same league as the films, though that was not unexpected, but in no way does it disgrace them or be what people would call a "cash grab". 'Toy Story of Terror' isn't flawless. Do agree with those who deemed it as too short in length. In terms of story, 'Toy Story of Terror' is pretty eventful and it would have leant itself well to feature film. On top of being too short and having quite an eventful story, there is a crammed in feel at times and then it starts to feel rushed. However, the animation is really quite great for an animated television special with the spookier visuals being imaginatively done. Such beautiful attention to detail in the backgrounds and the character designs and the colours are so vibrant. The music more than serves its purpose well, with the right amount of energy and charming orchestration. Loved the writing, which saw some wonderful wit in the dialogue and it was both very funny and emotive. The story maintains all the fun and charm present in the films, and it was great to have more focus on Jessie who is written in a way that makes it easy to root for her. All while retaining a vast majority of the original characters, excepting Bo Peep and Slinky Dog, and staying true to their personalities, nobody is out of character. The new characters make just as big an impression, especially Combat Carl, didn't really mind an awful lot that the villain's motivations were on the derivative side. The voice acting is terrific, especially from Joan Cusack and Carl Weathers as the two most interesting characters here. Summarising, very enjoyable. 8/10

After ending up in a remote motel, Potato Head wants to look for the free stuff and disappears so the gang go an look for him. They get caught by the manager's pet and are to be sold for loads of cash, but they are not going to give up that easily. It's a horror story told in a unique way by one of the toys as they advance in plot, pretty interesting and enjoyable. It's a good short but as predictable and as cliché as it gets so far from a perfect score.