Toy Story of Terror

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.

After missing it the previous two years, I finally got to watch this Pixar/Disney special. While the voices of Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz are back, it's mostly Joan Cusack's as Jessie that serves as the main character in this one as she has to deal with her claustrophobia when she gets involved in a rescue of one of those two I just mentioned. Quite amusing throughout especially when Timothy Dalton voices a character who knows all the horror movie conventions and Carl Weathers does someone based on a character he played in Predator. Maybe it could have used a bit more time to make the plot more enjoyable but overall, Toy Story of Terror did what it was meant to do, entertain.

As a child who grew up on Toy Story, there is a special place for the toys in my heart. To this day I still consider the Toy Story trilogy some of my favorite movies. However, I stand by my original belief that there should not be another Toy Story movie mainly because I felt the movie series had the perfect ending with Toy Story 3. But who am I to turn down a nice 30-minute Halloween special with the toys especially one as good as this?

In this adventure, the toys find themselves in their own little horror movie. As Bonnie and her mom are on a trip they find themselves stopping at a motel to get car repairs. Once there the toys realize that something is making them disappear, one-by-one. In the end, it is up to Jesse to figure out what must be done to save her friends before it is too late.

This was definitely a nice way to see the toys again. After 18 years with the series, this TV special is a nice reminder that there are still plenty of stories for this wonderful world to tell.

I especially loved the focus of the special on Jesse. She has always been one of my favorite characters and she really has a chance to shine in this TV special. We get a deeper look at her fear of enclosed spaces as well as the opportunity for her to overcome her fears. It was very nice to see.

If I had any complaint it would be that it was too short. They could've very easily expanded this story into an hour long TV special and make it just right. Since it was so short, I felt a little robbed of very precious time with the toys. While a movie would be too long and feel unnecessary for this story, an hour long special would be just perfect without feeling unnecessary. If it was longer they would've been able to explore the horror themes a little bit longer as well as make the climax (as wonderful as it was) even more exciting.

However, these couple of complaints pale in comparison to the wonderful reunion viewers are given with the toys. The whole point of this special is to remind you why you fell in love with the toys in the first place (and remind you Jesse is the best cowgirl toy around). It does all of this while playing around with some of the best known horror movie tropes in cinema. It is great fun.

It succeeds on every level by creating a fun, beautifully animated, wonderfully written Halloween special that everybody in the family will enjoy. Toy Story might not feel right for future movies but it definitely feels right for future TV specials. Toy Story is still alive and I'm so happy for it.

Toy Story of Terror (2013)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Made-for-TV short has Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toys staying the night at a hotel when they wonder off and are captured by the desk clerk who plans on selling them over the internet. TOY STORY OF TERROR comes three years after the third film in the series, which was without question a true masterpiece of the genre. This short doesn't come anywhere close to that but fans of the series will find plenty here to enjoy. It's great that the regular voice members are back with Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack doing their usual wonderful work. There's also Don Rickles back as Mr. Potato Head and we even get Carl Weathers and Timothy Dalton for a good time. The animation is wonderful but then again you really wouldn't expect anything less from the gang at Pixar. The film contains some nice excitement as the toys go on their adventure and the finale will certainly have you cheering. Mix in all the great laughs and you're really left with a nice little gem that lives up to the features in the series. New characters like Combat Carl (Weathers) and PezCat just added to all the fun.

A cute Halloween movie to watch with the family. Especially if Jessie is your favorite character. Has a lesson on facing fears.