TOY STORY of TERROR! [2013 / 2014] [Blu-ray + Digital HD Copy] [USA Release]
One Toy Gets Left Behind!
PIXAR and Disney proudly present a wacky new tale featuring all your favourite characters from the TOY STORY films. Join Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie and their pals in a frighteningly fun animated adventure.
What starts out as an exciting road trip for the Toy Story gang takes an unexpected turn for the worse following a detour to a roadside motel. After Mr. Potato Head suddenly disappears, his friends find themselves caught up in a hilarious mystery that must be solved before they suffer the same fate in this thrilling ‘TOY STORY OF TERROR!’
FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 2014 Annie Awards: Win: Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Kureha Yokoo. Win: Outstanding Achievement in Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Angus MacLane. Win: Outstanding Achievement in Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Daniel Chong. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production for JC Tran-Quang-Thieu. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production for David DeVan. Nominated: Outstanding Achievement in Editorial in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Axel Geddes, Chloe Kloezeman and Kathy Graves Toon. Nominated: Best Animated Special Production. 2014 Behind the Voice Actors Awards: Win: BTVA People's Choice Voice Acting Award for Best Male Vocal Performance in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Short for Tim Allen for the voice of "Buzz Lightyear." Win: BTVA People's Choice Voice Acting Award for Best Male Vocal Performance in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Short for Carl Weathers for the voice of "Combat Carl." Nominated: BTVA Special/DVD Voice Acting Award for Best Male Vocal Performance in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Short for Tim Allen for the voice of "Buzz Lightyear." Nominated: BTVA Special/DVD Voice Acting Award for Best Female Vocal Performance in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Short for Joan Cusack for the voice of "Jessie." Nominated: BTVA Special/DVD Voice Acting Award for Best Vocal Ensemble in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Short for Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Carl Weathers, Timothy Dalton, Stephen Tobolowsky, Wallace Shawn, Don Rickles, Kristen Schaal, Kate McKinnon, Lori Alan, Peter Sohn, Dawnn Lewis, Emily Hahn and Ken Marino. 2014 Hollywood Post Alliance, USA: Win: HPA Awards for Outstanding Sound n Television for Tom Myers (sound designer), Gary Summers (re-recording mixer), Michael Silvers (supervising sound editor), Dustin Cawood (sound effects editor), Axel Geddes (film editor), Skywalker Sound and PIXAR Animation Studios. 2014 Visual Effects Society Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Animated Character in a Broadcast Program or Commercial for Andrew Coats, Kiki Mei Kee Poh and Paul Aichele. Nominated: Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in a Commercial or Broadcast Program for Amit Baadkar, Jane Yen, Keith Daniel Klohn and Rogan Griffin. 2015 PGA Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Children's Program.
Voice Cast: Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusack (Jessie), Carl Weathers (Combat Carl / Combat Carl Jr.), Stephen Tobolowsky (Ron the Manager), Timothy Dalton (Mr. Pricklepants), Wallace Shawn (Rex), Don Rickles (Mr. Potato Head), Kristen Schaal (Trixie), Kate McKinnon (PEZ Cat), Lori Alan (Bonnie's Mom), Peter Sohn (Transitron), Emily Hahn (Bonnie), Dawnn Lewis (Delivery Lady), Jason Topolski (Vampire / Tow Truck Guy), Ken Marino (Pocketeer), Christian Roman (Old Timer), Laraine Newman (Betsy), Tara Strong (Computer), Angus MacLane (Officer Wilson), Josh Cooley (Officer Phillips) and Dee Bradley Baker (Mr. Jones)
Director: Angus MacLane
Producers: Andrew Stanton, Galyn Susman and John Lasseter
Screenplay: Angus MacLane (written), Andrew Stanton (characters created) and John Lasseter (characters created)
Composer: Michael Giacchino (music)
Cinematography: Ian Megibben (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English: 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
English: 2.0 Descriptive Audio
French: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Running Time: 22 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: PIXAR Animation Studios / Walt Disney Pictures
Andrew's Blu-ray Review: With the release of ‘TOY STORY of TERROR!’ [2013] I always get super excited and psyched up when a new PIXAR animation film comes out. They've made us laugh, cry, and have even thrilled us on occasion. But rarely have they tried to frighten us, let alone make a horror movie. But for Halloween in 2013 PIXAR released a thirty minute short film, featuring everyone's favourite toys from the 'Toy Story' franchise on US primetime television, but sadly not in the UK. And it certainly did not disappoint everyone in America. Plus, it was so much fun to see what the geniuses over at PIXAR could do with a horror film.
Every toy is back this time around including Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Rex, and Mr. Potato Head, as well as some newcomers. But what really sells this short besides the excellent script and voice acting, are the numerous horror movie references throughout the 22-minute runtime. You can tell that writer/director Angus MacLane [an animator for PIXAR since 'A Bug's Life'], is as huge fan of horror and science fiction movies. With new toys such as Combat Carl (voiced by Carl Weathers of course), Transitron, a PEZ cat, and shape-shifting LEGOs, Angus MacLane uses these new toys to their fullest ability that packs some great laughs and some genuinely creepy moments.
A flat car tyre strands Bonnie [Emily Hahn] and her mother [Lori Alan] at a creepy, small motel for the night, due to the tow truck company not being open until morning. In the car with Bonnie are Woody [Tom Hanks], Buzz [Tim Allen], Jessie [Joan Cusack], Mr. Potato Head [Don Rickles], Rex [Wallace Shawn], Mr. Pricklepants [Timothy Dalton], and Trixie [Kristen Schaal]. As the group locates their room and settles in for the night, the toys come awake and feel like exploring their surroundings. But soon enough some unseen monster starts capturing each toy one by one, until it's just Jessie left to find her friends before morning.
During her search, Jessie meets up with some new toys, one of them being Combat Carl [Carl Weathers], a big GI Joe looking guy with his miniature version Combat Carl Jr., which makes for some excellent comedy. Little does Jessie know that the motel manager is an Ebay seller [Stephen Tobolowsky] who has his pet iguana around him at all times? But now it is up to Jessie and her new friends to save the day and be back in their room before morning. It was a good move to have Jessie the main heroine here. Jessie struggles with her own nightmares and hang-ups in order to save her friends and must overcome her greatest fear to survive.
All children and adults alike will love this film, as there are some laugh out loud moments and some excellent horror movie Easter eggs for the older generation. As always, the voice talent here is top notch, and adding Carl Weathers to the cast is simply perfect. I hope PIXAR continues to release these holiday themed shorts throughout the year with their other franchises, because ‘TOY STORY of TERROR!’ hits all of the right notes 100%.
Blu-ray Image Quality – ‘TOY STORY of TERROR!’ is as every bit of excellent as you've come to expect from a PIXAR/Disney release. It has a glorious 1080p ultra image transfer presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The detail of this animation is perfect. Every inch of screen is completely detailed from the stains on the walls of the seedy motel to the textures on the toys' cloth costumes. Every stitch is crystal clear and vivid. Even in the darker scenes, which this short film has a considerable amount of, looks impressive, and never leaves you in the dark. The edges are very crisp and organic. There are some shots that actually look realistic. It looks that good. The colours simply pop out of screen at all times and are well balanced and bright. The black levels are very deep and inky with no crush whatsoever. There were no instances of any banding or aliasing to speak of, which is difficult to say for an animated film, but PIXAR does it up right. This image presentation is totally amazing and would be even more improved if they had brought it out in 3D?
Blu-ray Audio Quality – The release of ‘TOY STORY of TERROR!’ comes with an impressive lossless 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix that sounds robust, full, and loud. PIXAR uses all of the favoured horror genre sounds here to perfection, which should make you happy. The dialogue is always crystal clear and easy to understand, and is perfectly situated on the centre channel. There is some excellent directionality here as well. The sound effects and creepy voices and noises can be heard from the surrounds nicely, and puts you in the centre of the action. You might even begin to look over your shoulder or around your room to see if that was a real noise or not. These sound effects are life-like and pack a good punch. Ambient noises can be heard too and sound great. The fun and eerie score always adds to the entertainment of the movie and never drowns out any dialogue or sound effect. The surround effects are superb and the dynamic range is very wide here, leaving the audio presentation something to marvel over.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Toy Story Toons: Here you get to view three previous released PIXAR animated Toy Story Toons and they are as follows:
Hawaiian Vacation [2011] [1080p] [1.78:1] [5:53] It is winter time, and winter break for Bonnie, who is going on vacation to Hawaii with her mother for a week. The toys are excited to have a week of relaxation, but Barbie and Ken reveal themselves to have stowed away in Bonnie's backpack, hoping to join her in Hawaii. Bonnie leaves them in her room, however, much to Ken's horror when he realises they are not going to Hawaii. Barbie reveals to Woody that Ken planned to have their first kiss on a beach at sunset, based off of a travel brochure for Hawaii, inspiring Woody, Buzz, and the rest of Bonnie's toys to go all out and recreate Hawaii for the two. After various "adventures" in Hawaii, Ken and Barbie share their first kiss in the snow at sunrise, recreating the scene from the brochure. However, the two end up being buried in snow when they step off the front porch, prompting the toys to come to their rescue by digging them out and releasing them from a block of ice. Audio Commentary with Director Gary Rydstrom, Story Supervisor Jason Katz and Supervising Animator Angus MacLane.
Small Fry [2011] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:06] At a fast food chicken restaurant called "Poultry Palace," Bonnie does not want the electronic Zurg belt buckle that comes with her kid's meal. When she asks for a mini-Buzz Lightyear themed toy, she is told the restaurant's supplies of them have run out. When her mother asks about the one in the display case, she is told that it is for display only. Inside the display, Mini-Buzz Lightyear complains they will never be played with, as they are just the display toys, to Mini-Zurg, who prefers to stay. Bonnie goes on to play in the ball pit with her own toys; when no one is looking, Mini-Buzz secretly climbs in. He pulls the real Buzz Lightyear underneath the balls so that Bonnie's mother ends up picking up Mini-Buzz Lightyear when they leave the restaurant. Once Mini-Buzz Lightyear gets home, he passes himself off as the real Buzz Lightyear, explaining to the other toys that the plastic in the ball pit made him shrink, and proceeds to generally annoy the whole gang, save a gullible Rex with his obvious ruse and his antics. Back at Bonnie's house, the gang restrains Mini-Buzz Lightyear and forces him to give up the real Buzz Lightyear's whereabouts. They begin devising a rescue plan when the real Buzz Lightyear returns. Mini-Buzz Lightyear is brought into the support group mentioning about what he has done with Buzz Lightyear now volunteering as his sponsor. In a post-credits scene, Mini-Zurg is left with the electronic belt buckle as his sole companion much to his delight. Audio Commentary with Director Angus MacLane.
Partysaurus Rex [2012] [1080p] [1.78:1] [6:34] Rex disrupts the other toys blowing soap bubbles, worried they may ruin Bonnie's house. Rex is chastised by the other toys, with Mr. Potato Head calling him "Partypooper Rex." The other toys sense Bonnie approaching, and scatter, leaving Rex alone when Bonnie enters and takes him to play with while she takes a bath. Rex enjoys being played with the other bath toys, but soon Bonnie's mother comes to turn off the bath and take her out. Once alone, the bath toys wish they could continue to have fun, but none of them have arms except Rex and can only function if afloat in the water. Rex initially thinks drawing a new bath is a bad idea, but after recalling Mr. Potato Head's insult, he asserts that he is ‘Partysaurus Rex,’ and helps the bath toys to start a new bath. Finally, he spots the knob on the faucet that stops the flow from the faucet, but realizes too late that this only diverts the water to the shower head. The tub starts to overflow, the other bath toys oblivious to the problem. Outside the bathroom, Woody and the other toys go to see how Rex is doing when suddenly; the bathroom door bursts open and a flood of water pours out. Later, Bonnie's mother is paying to have plumbing repairs done to the house. Audio Commentary with Mark Walsh [Director], Kim Adams [Producer] and Axel Geddes [Editor].
Special Feature: Team of Specialists [2013] [1080p] [1.78:1] [11:53] This day-in-the-life of Angus MacLane soon gives way to a production feature that covers the development of the special, the creation of new TOY STORY characters, animation and effects, and the staff meetings with his team and talks about guide shots from the storyboard stage to editorial. We get to see everything from research, and even a small conversation with Michael Giacchino, the composer of the short’s music and composer of scores for animated films such as ‘UP’ and ‘The Incredibles.’ Contributors include: Angus MacLane [Director], Kim Collins [Production Manager], Galyn Susman [Producer], Michael Fu [Supervising Technical Director], Jonas Jarvers [Character Modelling Artist], Colin Levy [Layout Artist], Nick Lucas [Effects Artist], Jeff Pidgeon [Story Artist], Bill Sheffler [Character Supervisor], Bob Pauley [Production Designer], Andrew Coats [Animator], Dennie Thorper [Foley Artist], Jana Vance [Foley Artist], Tom Myers [Sound Designer] and Michael Giacchino [Composer].
Special Feature: Deleted Scenes [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:23] Here we get to view four separate items, one of them is Editor Intro, which consists of and introduction by Alex Geddes [Film Editor] and the other items features three unfinished deleted scenes, which are as follows: ‘Pencil Topper Trilogy;’ ‘Travel Brochures’ and ‘Road Trip Roulette.’ As usual, you can watch each deleted scene separately or Play All.
Special Feature: D23 Teaser [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [1:04] This is a ‘TOY STORY of TERROR!’ little promo teaser trailer that was shown at the 2013 D23 EXPO in Japan that was held in October 12 – 14, 2013 in the Maihama area at the Tokyo Disney Resort.
Special Feature: Vintage Toy Commercials [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1 / 1.37:1] [2:49] With this special feature we get to view three hilarious vintage commercials which are as follows: ‘Old Timer,’ ‘Combat Carl’ and ‘Transitron.’ But we also get a bonus introduction from Director Angus MacLane who explains in detail why these small adverts were produce in a certain way [0:48]. As usual, you can play each item separately, but you can only play ‘Old Timer’ and ‘Combat Carl’ together.
Finally, ‘TOY STORY of TERROR!’ is quite a jolly fun film, and an excellent addition to the PIXAR and the TOY STORY universe. The references to other horror classics are hilarious and great, and the fact that they used Jessie as the main hero here was fantastic. The video and audio presentations are both demo quality while the extras are all worth watching. And I'm glad that Disney is aware that they are selling a 22-minute film, therefore the price is very reasonable. If you are a fan of PIXAR animation, like I am, then this is one very entertaining short film you will want to add to your Blu-ray collection and the bonus features are also a total MUST! Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
