Toy Story of Terror! (2013)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good concept, poorly executed.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Woody and the gang are held up at a roadside motel and members of the group start to disappear from everywhere. Woody and set about getting to the bottom of the mystery. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return as Woody and Buzz and the whole rest of the cast is back as well in this 30 minutes short film called "Toy Story of Terror" but the character who we spend more time with is Jessie who tries to pass her fears and she gets a little bit of help from Carl Weathers who plays a character that reminds me a lot of his Dillon character from the movie Predator. Timothy Dalton also makes an appearance and if you loved the previous shorts films you won't be left disappointed.

Toy Story of Terror (2013) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Made-for-TV short has Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toys staying the night at a hotel when they wonder off and are captured by the desk clerk who plans on selling them over the internet. TOY STORY OF TERROR comes three years after the third film in the series, which was without question a true masterpiece of the genre. This short doesn't come anywhere close to that but fans of the series will find plenty here to enjoy. It's great that the regular voice members are back with Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack doing their usual wonderful work. There's also Don Rickles back as Mr. Potato Head and we even get Carl Weathers and Timothy Dalton for a good time. The animation is wonderful but then again you really wouldn't expect anything less from the gang at Pixar. The film contains some nice excitement as the toys go on their adventure and the finale will certainly have you cheering. Mix in all the great laughs and you're really left with a nice little gem that lives up to the features in the series. New characters like Combat Carl (Weathers) and PezCat just added to all the fun.

Review by Matt:The one thing you can count on with Pixar is that you always get quality. Despite some of their weaker efforts ("Cars" "Cars 2" to a lesser extent, "Brave") there always seems to be a silver lining to anything Pixar creates. I may not like "Cars" but I can respect that it looks gorgeous. Sorry "Cars" fans, I just don't find fart jokes spun by a redneck comedian to be very funny.While most Pixar fare is made for the big screen, and evokes such emotion and heart, its nice to see that Disney/Pixar (yes, I'll give Disney their due) created something for the Halloween season, and it very well might be the best thing you'll see this Fall. This of course is the devilishly clever "Toy Story of Terror" a spooky mini adventure starring all of your favorite "Toy Story" pals.The writers at Pixar have to be some of the best writers in the world. They know how to perfectly cater to fans of Disney while at the same time sneaking in little odes and jabs to other films and their appropriate genres and fans. They just get it, simple as that. "Terror" begins at some point after "Toy Story 3" ends. Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the crew are in the care of Bonnie as they head to some undisclosed location on a dark and stormy night. After a flat tire, Bonnie, her mother, and the toys settle into a roadside motel while they wait for the tow truck in the morning. Needless to say, hi-jinks and close-calls ensue and of course there is a happy ending. Like most Pixar films, its not the story that's always compelling, its the actual journey.What I respect the most is that all the voices from the previous "Story" films return, including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Joan Cusack, but there are also a few extra treats along the way, including Ken Marino, or as I like to refer to him as, Louie, the "I WANNA DIP BY BALLS IN IT" guy.Along with Ken Marino, what would a "Toy Story" be without some new characters, and the best has to be Combat Carl, voiced by Carl Weathers. This character is so perfect and I love the subtle reference to "Predator" thrown in as Combat Carl is missing a hand. Those are the things that make me love Pixar. Who would throw in a "Predator" reference into a TV show made for children?Timothy Dalton is also great as Mr. Pricklepants, who's essentially Randy from the "Scream" series. He calls out horror movie clichés at every turn and it's wonderful to see it done in a Shakespearean way. The more I think about "Terror" is that the animation is for the kids, while the dialogue is made for adults who love horror and action films. Maybe Shane Black ghostwrote this entire special?Bottom line, "Toy Story of Terror" is a wonder to behold. The story is perfect for the time allotted, the introduction of new toys now looking for their owner adds a great side story to the entire "Toy Story" mythology, and Pixar and Disney spare no expense to create a standalone story that rivals anything in the Pixar catalog. Hopefully this tradition continues and becomes this generation's "Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin."Check out more reviews @ simplisticreviews.blogspot.com

It's supposed to be a Halloween story, so my daughter and I were expecting a cute moody, eerie, haunted type of story. Maybe a witch's or vampire's castle... something, anything. There would be so many ways for the toys to actually end up somewhere clasically creepy... abandoned funhouse, amusement park, attic of old house. They could've parodied Scooby Doo and solved a mystery.But it was a blatant recycle of the Toy Story 2 plot - lonely, creepy guy with glasses tries to sell the toys and the toys need to work together to get away from him. In a very generic motel. No Halloween mood at all. Not even a Halloween toy. And the mystery was solved halfway into the show, and it became yet another toy trapped in a box, behind the glass in a case, etc. Lame. And what's the with the iguana that acts like a dog? Why not just a dog? Only positive thing is that it was nice to get the A-List actors back together for a short special. And Combat Carl (Carl Weathers) was a slick addition (plus his pint sized friend with the sped up voice), but otherwise... ugh. 5 out of 10. Think Cars 2 quality of craftsmenship on this one. Bad script.