Toy Story That Time Forgot

I'm happy to report that the characters of the 'Toy Story' universe are still in top notch shape and show no signs of wear and tear. There have been three excellent feature films and a few short films like this one, including the horror short titled 'Toy Story of Terror'. This new short, which aired almost a year ago is again a 22 minute short that features all of your favorite 'Toy Story' characters, including Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie (Joan Cusack), Rex (Wallace Shawn), and recent toy Trixie (Kristen Schaal).

'Toy Story That Time Forgot' takes place on Christmas, where Bonnie has opened her presents, but still tends to her older toys. Bonnie's parents take her to the house of a friend named Mason, who has received the entire line of Battlesaurs (a mix between robots and dinosaurs) and the new virtual reality video game system, which of course he is playing and has left the Battlesaurs to collect dust on the floor.

Bonnie brings all of the toys to Mason's house to play, but she too, becomes entranced with the video game system, thus Woody, Trixie, Rex, Buzz, and Jessie are left to meet the Battlesaurs. They are pretty nifty indeed, giving Rex long robot arms and Trixie some pretty cool armor. However, the leader of the Battlesaurs, Reptillus Maximus (Kevin McKidd) is a nice guy for sure, but he doesn't know he is just a toy, but instead he thinks he's an actual warrior that runs a "fight-to-the-death' tournament with each toy.

This is where Trixie, Woody, Rex, and Buzz Lightyear have to convince these new toys that they are in fact just toys, before they meet their demise. It's a fun story with a lot of heart and a message that tells kids that your happiest when you figure out who you really are and what you're made to do. In addition to that, there's the whole "play with your action figures rather than a video game" message as well.

'Toy Story That Time Forgot' is on a smaller scale than what the feature films convey, but they still have the same amount of heart and soul, and continues to still be funny, exciting, and thrilling. I hope Pixar never stops making these short films in between the big feature films, because Woody and Buzz Lightyear are always welcome with their new adventures. 

The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

'Toy Story That Time Forgot' comes in a hard blue plastic case with a 25GB Blu-ray disc that is Region A locked, along with a digital download code. The case is housed in a cardboard sleeve that features all the artwork and information about the movie.

'Toy Story That Time Forgot' comes with an excellent 1080p HD transfer presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Even though this wasn't a feature film shown in theaters, the video presentation looks like it was made for a wide release rather that just a run-of-the-mill straight to video release. The detail is highly sharp and vivid throughout. Every scuff mark and imperfection on these animated plastic toys are impressive and can be seen clearly, making each object look fairly realistic.

Every plastic scale on Trixie and Rex looks great and has the plastic and leathery look. Background characters, mostly seen in the Battlesaur's fight also look excellent and never goes soft. Colors are bright and simply pop off screen. Each color is well-balanced and saturated and even provides those different shades that would tell us which toys have been played with more often than not. Black levels are deep and inky as well. There was a small amount of banding, but it's very minor and not worth writing home about, leaving this video presentation with top marks.

This release comes with an impressive lossless DTS-HD MA 7.1 mix and despite the short run time, this soundtrack is fully immersive. Sound effects pack a punch with each sound being well balanced with some great directionality. It's all quite realistic. The surrounds pour with ambient noises of the many Battlesaurs and their sound effects, putting you in the center of the action.

The score adds to the mood to each scene and never drowns out any of the sound effect and dialogue. Speaking of the dialogue, it's perfectly clear and easy to follow, and free of any pops, cracks, hiss, and high shrills. During the bigger action scenes here, the bass has a nice rumble to it as well. The LFE is excellent and the dynamic range is very wide, leaving this short pixar film's audio element with great marks.

Audio Commentary - Director Steve Purcell and Head of Story Derek Thompson discuss the major themes of this short, the characters, and the settings they created to make the look of Battlesaurs. A great listen.

Reptillus! (HD, 11 Mins.) - Here is a look behind the scenes that focuses on the voice acting, the animation, the character design, and the new character's origins.

Toy Story Goes to Comic Con (HD, 4 Mins.) - Here, the cast talks about going to Comic Con and discussing 'Toy Story' with the fans.

Karaoke: My Unexpected Friend (HD, 4 Mins.) - Two versions here where you can hear Reptillus Maximus sing the song or where you can actually sing the song.

Battlesaurs: Animated Opening (HD, 1 Min.) - A fun opening theme-song sequence for the Battlesaurs morning TV program, which of course is fake.

Deleted Scenes (HD, 10 Mins.) - There are five deleted scenes, all of which are worth watching with introductions by Steve Purcell. 

Trailers (HD, 4 Mins.) - A couple of trailers for other Pixar movies.

'Toy Story That Time Forgot' is a welcome addition to the 'Toy Story' universe, even if it's only twenty minutes long. Each character is back and funny as ever, and the story itself is hilarious, thrilling, and highly entertaining, while still relaying a heartfelt message that Pixar movies are well known for. The video and audio presentations are both top notch, and the extras are great, with some bonus features for the little kids as well. If the price is right for a 22-minute Pixar film of 'Toy Story', then this comes highly recommended!