Catangro
After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Keira Brennan
The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.
Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin
The movie really just wants to entertain people.
Blake Rivera
If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.
zkonedog
I stumbled across this little "Toy Story of Terror" short practically without even knowing it existed. I had a bit of trepidation, however, as the ending of "Toy Story 3" was so incredible that I didn't want things to get "ruined" by tacked-on material that muddies the water.Luckily, "Toy Story of Terror" doesn't try to do too much (a 22-minute runtime pretty much dictates that, I guess), instead providing a fun little adventure that lampoons scary movies in a fun fashion. All your favorite characters are on point, and it even introduces some new blood with Combat Carl (voiced by Carl Weathers), a GI Joe-like toy with a penchant for speaking in the third person.Not too much to analyze here...just a lot of fun with your favorite characters from the film trilogy! I wouldn't pay too much for a 22-minute short, but if you do get a chance to see it I think you'll be cracking smiles throughout.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
I don't know what it is, but somehow those "Toy Story" short films really don't do much for me. I hope that if they really shoot a fourth film that this one is gonna be as good as the third movie again. This one here is a short film which runs for roughly 20 minutes and follows the before-mentioned last installment of the series again. There are some horror elements in there, but all in all it is really harmless actually. What i liked most about it was that Jessie was the star this time (great fan of her) and that the film had some interesting horror movie references such as the motel ("Psycho"). And the motel owner is an evil man here as well. Well, he isn't stabbing any toys in the shower, but he steals them from his owners, with the help of a scary lizard, and sells them online afterward. When Woody is in a paperboard box, it's Jessie's turn to save him and bring him back. To do that, she also needs to confront her fears. What we see next is a nice reference about being buried alive ("Kill Bill", "Buried"...) However, this is also pretty much everything positive I can say here. The humor was rarely as good as I am used to from the other "Toy Story" films and the new characters did not add really much either. Combat Carl was still bearable, but that strange robot near the end just served no purpose at all in my opinion apart from including some cool special effects toy. And why didn't they try to take Carl with them in the end. After all, the way he was talking about Jessie it sounded like he'd know her for ages already. Anyway, this was not the first short film by Angus McLane based on the Pixar universe, but I was disappointed here. Not recommended and I hope his next project "Finding Dory", where he is the co-director turns out much better.
Prismark10
In this adventure, the toys find themselves in their own little horror movie. As Bonnie and her mum are on a trip they find themselves stopping at a motel and soon the toys start to disappear one by one. Jessie has to figure out what has happened to her friends and the cowgirl has to overcome her claustrophobia.Woody and Buzz Lightyear have smaller roles, it is Joan Cusack as Jessie who has to sell these Toy Story short aided by Rex and Mr Pricklepants.This television special shows there are still stories to be told in the Toy Story universe although I found part of the motivation of the villain reminiscent of Toy Story 2.It is still a charming animation although you always sense that Pixar and Disney realise that this is still a cash cow that needs milking.
Bonehead-XL
Ah, the Halloween special, a dying pedigree. Every December usually brings one or two new Christmas specials. The Halloween special, however, is a rarer breed. "The Great Pumpkin" gets trotted out every October but new productions are seen far less frequently. Pixar, for the first time, is throwing their hat into the ring with "Toy Story of Terror," basically a slightly-longer, televised version of their already popular "Toy Story" shorts. I'm a fan of the company and the series but would a Disney-owned property be willing to get creepy? Yes and no. "Toy Story of Terror" follow the same batch of toys as always (though Mrs. Potato Head, Slinky-Dog, and Dolly are notably absent), on the road with Bonny and her mom. When their car breaks down, the group has to stop at a spooky hotel. Once inside, the toys wander off, something strange picking them off one-by-one.It's probably a mark of Pixar's quality that even a fluffy TV special has a genuine character arc. "Toy Story of Terror" begins with Jessie falling into a tool box and freaking out. Later on, she ventures out of Boony's bag because it's too confined for her. This is a story of the cowgirl conquering her claustrophobia. The arc is framed as a usual "believe in yourself" kid's movie story but the effort is appreciated. Moreover, Joan Cusack sells her fear honestly. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen have far smaller roles, Cusack, Wallace Shawn, Don Rickles, and Timothy Dalton doing most of the work. Dalton and Shawn are fantastic actually, the parts of Rex and Mr. Pricklepants playing nicely to their strengths.As far as horror-content goes, "Toy Story of Terror" has some fun. The special begins with the toys watching a black-and-white vampire film, which is recreated nicely. Throughout the special, Mr. Pricklepants delivers dialogue about the traditional structure of the genre. After Mr. Potato-Head disappears, the toys investigate the dusty, cobweb-filled sub-flooring of the motel, Buzz' glow-in-the-dark paint casting an eerie green glow on everything. Jesse quickly becomes a final girl, an off-screen monster picking off her friends. She even has a run-in with an ineffectual authority figure, Carl Weathers having hilarious fun as Combat Carl. The second half of the special, after the truth is revealed, the horror elements pretty much disappear. This is disappointing, considering the first half did a good job introducing kids to the rules of the slasher film. That's unexpected for a Disney product. Will "Toy Story of Terror" become a classic like "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown?" It's hard to say but, if this becomes a yearly tradition, I'd probably be okay with that.