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The Toy Story That Time Forgot - Blu-ray Review

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4 stars

Being the second holiday-themed adventure for the Toy Story gang, one could easily expect the celebrated spirit of movie one, two, and three to be a bit diminished.  That is, thankfully, not the case with The Toy Story That Time Forgot, last year’s offering on ABC to kickoff the Christmas season of television festivities.  While not as packed with cultural high-kicks, this 22-minute tale is a whole lot of fun for those who still like to hang with Woody and Buzz. 

Featuring a lead performance from Trixie (voiced by Kristen Schaal), the blue dinosaur from the series, The Toy Story That Time Forgot picks up right where we had last left our favorite group of free-thinking toys with their new kid: Bonnie (voiced by Emily Hahn).  This time, though, the gang – including Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Wallace Shawn as Rex, Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, and Joan Cusack as Jessie – are joined by Kevin McKidd and Emma Hudak as new characters Reptillus Maximus and Angel Kitty.  They find themselves unexpectedly caught up in a war of cultures as they try to escape the clutches of dinosaur-themed action figures called The Battlesaurs after Bonnie dumps them in favor of watching her friend Mason (voiced by R.C. Cope) play his new gaming system. 

Depression hits a new low for Trixie as she struggles, two days after Christmas, to find her place in the toy world and, ultimately, discovers that she must - in order for her friends to survive - figure out a way to come to their rescue and somehow get Bonnie AND Mason’s attention away from the video gaming system.  Written and directed by Steve Purcell (creator of Sam & Max, a comic book and video game series about a pair of animal vigilantes and PIs), The Toy Story That Time Forgot is to be praised for its small screen effort to keep that Toy Story spirit alive and intact.  Who'd have thought that something so small could satisfy our craving for more Toy Stories? 

Okay, so it's maybe too brief to live up to its emotionally-charged predecessors but one can hardly fault it for that.  The story goes that this "Holiday" situation was originally conceived to be merely a 6-minute short but was so well-liked that it was immefiately granted a longer running time.  After expanding the story and developing a toy line, the finished product debuted last year to a record audience on ABC.  You must forgive it then if it lacks some of the sentimentality of the original outings; this one is locked-in and on-target and scores for getting us primed for a fourth installment.  

Purcell's script and movie is relatively fearless in the face of its originators and – because it does prove to be a worthwhile entry in the on-going series – comes across as an honest bonus adventure for the beloved gang to embark upon.  You won't want to miss out on this one.

Fans will want to embrace this playful addition to the Toy Story mythos.  It is available on Blu-ray and DVD on November 3, 2015.

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[tab title="Film Details"]

The Toy Story That Time Forgot - Blu-ray Review

MPAA Rating: G for general audiences.
Runtime:
22 mins
Director
: Steve Purcell
Writer:
Steve Purcell
Cast:
Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Kristen Schaal
Genre
: Family | Animated
Tagline:
Toy Story That Time Forgot...
Memorable Movie Quote: "Farewell, Trixie of the Bonn-yee tribe. My heart will burn bright until the moment you return. Thursday around 4:30."
Distributor:
American Broadcasting Company (ABC)
Official Site:
Release Date:
December 2, 2014
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
November 3, 2015
Synopsis: It's a post Christmas play date and the toys have to go up against the fearsome and aggressive new dino toys.

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

The Toy Story That Time Forgot - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - November 3, 2015
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Subtitles
: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio:
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1; English: DTS-HD HR 5.1; English: Dolby Digital 2.0; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps); French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Region Encoding: A

Disney’s 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation is a striking release; full of vibrant colors and dark tones that simply rock the blu-ray experience.  This transfer is up to the usual Pixar standard established so famously by their past releases.  Every bit of detail is here.  In a word: AMAZING.  The audio is also a powerful experience for the auditory senses.  Presented in a bone-crunching DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track, The Toy Story That Time Forgot is definitely not a weak entry.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • Steve Purcell and head of story, Derek Thompson, share the commentary and discuss the process of making the short.

Special Features:

There is a wealth of items considering the fact that this is a simple 22-minute short.  Things start with a behind-the-scenes look at the origins of the Battlesaurs world and culture, and explain the character design and development of its greatest hero, Reptillus Maximus.  Following that is a look at the team’s trip to Comic-Con, a singalong, a 2D animated opening for the fictional animated TV series, "Battlesaurs", and cut scenes.

  • Reptillus! (10 min)
  • Toy Story Goes to Comic-Con (10 min)
  • My Unexpected Friend Sing-Along (10 min)
  • Battlesaurs Animated Opening (3 min)
  • Deleted Scenes with Intros & Outros (10 min)

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