Official Synopsis
Disney•Pixar proudly presents a hilarious new animated “Toy Story” adventure. During one of Bonnie’s post-Christmas play dates, the “Toy Story” crew find themselves in uncharted territory when the coolest set of action figures ever turn out to be dangerously delusional. It’s all up to Trixie, the triceratops, if the gang hopes to ever return to Bonnie’s room. “Toy Story That Time Forgot” is an unforgettable tale packed with family fun and a must-have for every Pixar fan’s collection!
It’s weird seeing a Toy Story feature without Andy’s involvement in the story, but Bonnie is a good replacement.
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Anyway, the story here is pretty simple in structure. Bonnie goes over to a friend’s house with her toys to play and the gang meets a band of reptilian toys. As it was with the first Toy Story film, specifically Buzz, the reptilians don’t know they’re toys and they believe they live in a violent world of gladiator fights and domination. Woody and Buzz, and the gang, end up getting into some deep trouble with them, including battling them for a brief amount of time. Trixie ends up being the difference maker and does her best to bring the main reptilian, Reptiles Maximus, to see the light before it’s too late for her friends.
I typically would break this review up into three acts, but the feature is so incredibly short at 20 minutes, so there isn’t much substance in those acts. Anyway, the feature does have the typical Toy Story structure in it, but sadly it lacks a bit in interesting material. The writing was incredibly bland in this release and didn’t have the charm that typically comes with a Toy Story mini or film.
The joy of a Toy Story film is a long build up that erupts into a crescendo ending. All of the great Toy Story feature films did this beautifully, which is why they’re classics. The mini Toy Story releases fall short of this build. Not to say that there aren’t interesting characters and plot points, but there just isn’t enough time to develop the storyline and enjoy it. The Reptilians could have had their own storyline in a feature film and it would have been brilliant, but they just don’t have enough time to cook in this release. Considering how cool they were in this mini, they have to show up in future releases. At least I hope they do.
On the positive side of things, this release is a firm reminder that there is some interesting life left in the Toy Story franchise. While there is still a few more years to go for the fourth installment of Toy Story, tiny mini releases like this keep the idea of the franchise fresh. When Toy Story 4 finally rolls out, people will still have plenty of interest in it. So, that’s a huge positive for a short story like Toy Story That Time Forgot.
Also, there’s always room at the Toy Story table for new toys. This release does a great job of introducing new characters into the mix, which is a huge plus. Hopefully, those characters will continue with future releases.
Overall, Toy Story That Time Forgot has a strong story foundation, but the time limit really restricts any character development or Toy Story humor/proper entertainment. For fans of the series, you’re going to be happy.
On the Blu-ray side of things the transfer to HD was pretty solid. You get beautiful detail in the animation with absolutely zero artifacts or visual imperfections. Disney and Pixar did a solid job with transferring this sucker to Blu-ray. Of course, I would expect nothing less to be quite honest.
On the special features side of the equation, here’s what you’re getting:
– Reptillus!
– Commentary – Commentary with “Toy Story that Time Forgot” director, Steve Purcell
– Toy Story Goes to Comic-Con
– My Unexpected Friend
– Battlesaurs Animated Opening
– Deleted Scenes with Intros & Outros
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There are some solid features here for a Blu-ray that costs $14.99. Additionally, the features add more minutes to the overall package, which this package desperately needs. Anyway, the features are good and you’ll be entertained with them.