Toy Story 3 (Blu-ray)
Rebeca Surber Swank
November 3rd, 2010
In TOY STORY 3 we reunite with the toys we’ve grown to love from TOY STORY and TOY STORY 2 in a fun and outlandish opening sequence. Getting a glimpse of the toys through Andy’s eleven year old imagination uber fans will delight in the nods to the original TOY STORY playtime. Full of laughs, heart and imagination it is easy to get sucked into the ultimate film in the TOY STORY franchise. From a home video montage of Andy playing with his beloved toys to Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack) and the rest forgotten in a toy chest, your heart will break for the toys desperate for attention after seeing Andy has grown up and is past his toy playing days.
With the looming college move on the horizon, Andy must decide what to do with his toys from childhood: trash, attic or college bound. Through a series of misunderstandings, all of the toys get donated to the Sunnyside Day Care facility. At first look this seems like a good idea but slowly the group learns that they must escape and find a way to get back to Andy before he moves away.
The new locations and characters in this film are great. When first introduced to the day care facility by the plush and strawberry smelling Lots O’ Huggin’ Bear, aka Lotso (Ned Beatty) and Ken (Michael Keaton), it feels too good to be true. Perhaps the same feeling one might have when touring a retirement community – it has all the bells and whistles but what aren’t they telling you? Quickly the toys learn that the room they’ve been assigned is for the toddlers and it is not the type of play time they’re accustomed to having. Lotso as the hardened plush toy is a fantastic villain and the worn, aged feel the animators gave him is perfect. Michael Keaton as Ken is beyond hilarious and the conflict he faces between his love for Barbie and his loyalty to Lotso make him an interesting new addition.
The new non-toy character, Bonnie, is a great part of this film. Her style of playtime is different than that of Andy, but she cares for her toys just the same. What a great imagination she has! I was dying laughing when we first see her play. Meeting her toys Mr. Pricklepants (Timothy Dalton), Dolly (Bonnie Hunt) and Trixie among others are a fun blend from the rough crowd we met at Sunnyside. Mr. Pricklepants is quite hilarious, trying to stay in character and taking playtime very seriously and Trixie is a hoot when helping Woody with his computer skills.
Can Pixar do wrong? With each film I am more and more impressed and involved in the storyline, loving how the movies are smart and funny with amazing visuals and animation. What a dream to come up with all the subtle jokes that work for young and old alike. TOY STORY 3 is no exception; it is in a word, brilliant.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: (1.78:1 Widescreen) It’s Pixar, so the picture is crisp and clean.
Audio: (7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio) Great audio as well.
Disc One:
Movie
Bonus Features:
Day & Night: Theatrical Short (6:05): One of the best Pixar shorts I’ve ever seen. It features two 2d characters with 3d activity inside their cartoonish bodies. I think that might be one of the worst descriptions but trust me when I say watch this short!
Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: The Science of Adventure (4:30): This feels like a mini plug for NASA as we see Buzz educate Hamm and Rex on space travel. If you have kids interested in space this could be a fun watch.
Toys! (6:37): Pixar illustrates what goes into the creation of each toy in the movie and how all of the characters received an updated look thanks to new technology as well as character development backgrounds for some of the characters.
Disney File Digital Copy – Learn How to Take Your Favorite Movies On The Go (1:04): The title of this feature says it all
Sneak Peaks
Disc Two:
Bonus Features:
Family Play:
The Gang’s All Here (10:46): The cast and crew from TOY STORY 3 reminisce on how great it is to be back in the studio which is a lovely, happy and familiar place. We meet the new characters and learn a bit of background on the film and find it is a very emotional end to a wonderful trilogy of films.
Goodbye Andy (8:02): This feature shows the decisions the Pixar team faced with the close of Andy’s chapter with the toys and Bonnie’s beginning with the toys. Animators were able to make the humans feel more human like than in the prior TOY STORY films. Director Lee Unkrich provides a lot of insight into the creative process.
Accidental Toymakers (3:56): As TOY STORY, TOY STORY 2 and TOY STORY 3 have toy characters that did not exist before the movie, the Pixar crew became toy makers on accident. We see how before TOY STORY came out, toy manufacturers passed on making the toys for this story except for one company, Thinkway Toys, who to this day has made over 35 million Buzz Lightyear toys.
A Toy’s Eye View: Creating a Whole New Land (5:19): A plug for the TOY STORY section of Disney Theme parks by showing the creation of the new rides and creating a land where you are the size of the toys. Interesting and really made me want to visit Disney just to experience the rides.
Epilogue (4:23): This is the final scene in TOY STORY 3 that is on when the credits are rolling (but without the credits).
Film Fans:
Cine-Explore (1:42:30) Director and producer provide commentary for the movie. This commentary is interesting in that throughout the commentary in various corners of the screen there are sketches and other footage from the first two films enhancing the commentary that much more.
Beyond the Toybox: An Alternative Commentary Track Featuring Leads from Story, Tech, Art and Animation (1:42:30): Various animators, production designers, story supervisors, etc provide their perspective on various scenes. I like hearing the animator stories and various items that were hard to create and how they are proud of their accomplishments and hard work.
Roundin’ Up A Western Opening (5:42): Director and Producer discuss the opening to the movie, why they wanted it to be a western and how they went from one opening scene to a completely different scene.
Bonnie’s Playtime: A story roundtable (6:26): Pixar discusses how they went about creating the character of Bonnie and how inspiration came from Gilda Radner’s SNL character “Judy Miller Show” and her energy and play imagination. Basically a look into how Bonnie and Andy care fo their toys and play with their toys and their differences and similarities.
Life of a Shot (6:57): For the opening scene of the movie, each person responsible for the various bits and pieces discuss how they came to the choices they did with everything from lighting, animation, sound, and other fascinating details.
Paths to Pixar – Editorial (4:38): The editing crew lets us know where they were before TOY STORY 3 and what their role is on TOY STORY 3. They also discuss all that goes into editing an animated feature.
Setting A Story in Motion (8:15): Michael Arndt, screen writer on TOY STORY 3 illustrates what it takes to create a screen play in several fun and easy to follow steps.
Studio Stories: Where’s Gordon? (2:16): When the Pixar staff moved, each person decorated their office in different ways. Andrew Gordon found an air duct that led to another room and set up a hiding spot in this other room and the results of this ‘other room’ being discovered.
Studio Stories: Cereal Bar (1:36): If you really love to eat cereal, Pixar might be the place for you. One of the highlights on the Pixar tour is the cereal bar. Watch this feature for all the details. Be warned, you might want to have your cereal, bowl, spoon and milk ready. Once this feature is finished you’ll be ready to dig in!
Studio Stories: Clean Start (3:05): The animators decided to shave their beards and heads at the start of the production of TOY STORY 3 and had bets placed that they would not shave until the end of production. Funny to watch.
Making of Day & Night (2:00): The creators got together and reminisced about the film. Even they agree that this is the hardest Pixar short to explain.
Games And Activities
Toy Story Trivia Dash
Publicity
Grab Bag (4:00): A handful of fun clips from TOY STORY, TOY STORY 2 and TOY STORY 3 or clips never used in any of the films. Random fun!
Ken’s Dating Tips (1:30): Oh that Ken! He provides several tips on dating to today’s bachelor.
Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear Commercial 1 (:30): A throwback to 80’s toy commercials. Totally looks like the real deal.
Lots-O’ Huggin’ Bear Commercial 2 (Japan) (:30): Japanese version of this 80’s inspired commercial
Making of the Lots-o-Huggin’ Bear Commercials (1:28): How to make a commercial that looks like it came from the 80’s
“Internet Chat” (1:00): Buzz and Woody chat online
“Security Cam” (1:12): A spoof on the horror/thriller genre of movies showing clips of the escape from Sunnyside Day Care as a commercial for TOY STORY 3.
“Gadgets” (:58): Another commercial for TOY STORY 3 geared toward gadget savvy adults.
“Dancing with The Stars” at Pixar (2:21): Tony and Cheryl , choreographers from Dancing With The Stars choreographed the dance for Buzz and Jessie and animators take notes. This is also a promo for the soundtrack and the movie.
TS3 Silence Trailer( :40): Both PSA on turning your phone off at the movies and a plug for TOY STORY 3.
TS3 Antipiracy Trailer (1:08): Don’t get illegal downloads but do watch TOY STORY 3.
TS3 Teaser Trailer (1:44)
TS3 Trailer 2 (2:21)
TS3 Trailer 3 (2:30)
TS3 Japan Teaser Trailer 1 (1:02)
TS# Japan Trailer 2 (2:44)
Character Intros (2:00): Introducing Ken, Lotso, Trixie and Mr. Pricklepants!
Poster Gallery : 25 posters from TOY STORY
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