Toy Story of Terror!: Why Your Toys Disappeared On Your Holiday

By Daniela

Year: 2013
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios

Halloween is just around the corner so I thought I'd get a headstart with the spooky posts! The toys are back with an all new adventure in this special that follow the events of Toy Story 3. I'm still getting over that ending. this 21 minute T.V. special is Pixar's way of building on the mega-successful franchise without having to release another full length film. I would also suggest watching the Toy Story shorts like Hawaiian Vacation, Small Fry and Partysaurus Rex. They're cute and still manage to contain everything we loved about the films in just a few minutes.

Car troubles during their road trip force Bonnie and her mother to stay at the Sleep Well Motel for the night and things escalate quickly for the toys. Woody and the gang find themselves in a frightening situation where one-by-one they are captured by a mysterious figure lurking in the motel. Together they must overcome many obstacles to survive the night and hopefully return to Bonnie before she leaves in the morning. And for one toy, the obstacle may just be facing their biggest fears.

Glow in the dark Buzz lights the way for Woody and Jessie

The film opens with a short scene in black and white when the toys are watching a horror movie in the boot of the car. The film takes ideas from these classic horror and thriller films. We even have the toys being picked off one by one. But it pretty much stops there. Part of me wanted a bit more of an ode to these movies and more of the (toned down) horror film cliches. Which is weird because I don't even watch scary movies. My excuse is that I have too good of an imagination that acts as a bridge between those films and reality, But whatever. I understand that an original script had to be scrapped because it was deemed to be too scary for their target audience. It would have been nice to see what that script turned out to be, but oh well.

It's great to see a story that doesn't revolve completely around Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen). Although they are still very prominent characters in the special, it's still very much a Jessie-centric plot. Jessie (Joan Cusack) has always been one of my favourite characters in the Toy Story universe and it's so satisfying to see her development. Even though it's been a long while since she was abandoned by Emily in one of the most gut-wrenching scenes of the franchise, she still carries the demons from the experience to this day, We see her grow and pluck up the courage to overcome her claustrophobia when her friends need her the most. If there's one thing we learn it's that Jessie never gives up, Jessie always finds a way!

DUN DUN DUN!

The first three installments of the Toy Story franchise allowed us to become familiarized with Andy's toys and then Toy Story 3 gave us glimpses of the personalities of Bonnie's toys. Toy Story of Terror gives us a chance to get to know Mr Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton), a thespian hedgehog, and Trixie (Kristen Schall), a triceratops. Trixie is adorable and a technology whiz who the gang definitely need for their endeavours. Mr Pricklepants is a walking monologue. His rivalry with Mr Potatohead is hilarious and I'd love to see a short or special centered around it. We also have Mr Pricklepants to thank for the constant reminders that the toys are living in a horror movie. Wouldn't you want him to narrate your life?

Of all the new characters that were introduced, the incredible, third-person speaking Combat Carl (Carl Weathers) takes the cake! After an encounter with Mr Jones, the motel owner's pet iguana, Carl is let with only his left hand and is on a mission to free the toys and see his owner, Billy again. He acts as Jessie's voice of reason and ultimately his pep talks give Jessie the push to believe in herself and overcome her fears. He may seem intense but keeps the hope alive for the rest of the toys. Let's not forget Carl Jr, who is just as intense but mini-sized. We also meet the other trapped toys like, PEZ Cat, Old Timer, Pocketeer and LEGO Bunny. It still astounds me how Pixar designs all these new toys for the universe. This might be the explanation for their disappearances.

Combat Carl to the rescue!

I've always admired how creative the animators were when it comes to the movements and functions of the toys. These are the people who had to think "how does a tortilla move?"  for Toy Story 3! It's the little things that make it memorable. Like the PEZ Cat vomiting PEZ or how LEGO Bunny deconstructs himself in order for Carl Jr, to have a little staircase. And also the toys learn the most important lesson of all: the importance of paperclips. Paperclips save lives! They'll pick locks and cut you out of sealed boxes. I have the same theory for hairpins. They have saved me in quite a few situations.

Mr. Jones, the iguana is such a loveable "villain" (using the term VERY loosely) that you can't help but think that he must be too cute to be evil. But evil comes in a new form, and this new evil is Ron, the manager. Ron (Stephen Tobolowsky) has been stealing toys from guests and selling them online for large sums of money. Poor Woody and Jessie were this close to being sent away to new homes! Thankfully he gets his just desserts in a slightly awkward end. What a sad old man.

Overall, Toy Story of Terror is a fun special that is full of great characters (new and old) that are the driving forces of this latest installment in the Toy Story saga. It would be unfair to compare it to the full length movies as it is only less than half an hour long. But I still feel like I wanted a bit more. We get the same sort of gung-ho, never give up themes as the other movies except in a smaller package. I guess I expected something that branched out a bit more. Nevertheless, it's still something fun and easy to watch while waiting for those trick-or-treaters to arrive... or in my case, never arrive.

KEEP

7.5/10

Watch the trailer below!