Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Toy Story That Time Forgot
November 2, 2015
Toy Story that Time Forgot - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray
Toy Story that Time Forgot is the latest Disney TV special to hit the home market. It is based on the Toy Story franchise and hit TVs last December. Is is worth checking out if you haven't seen it before? Is it worth picking up?
The TV special focuses on Trixie, the triceratops. Trixie is one of Bonnie's favorite toys, but Bonnie never plays with Trixie as a dinosaur. Even when she needs a dinosaur, Bonnie chooses Angel Kitty, a Christmas tree ornament instead. Bonnie gets invited to her friend Mason's house and grabs some toys to bring along, but Mason is playing video games instead, so Bonnie tosses the toys into Mason's playroom.
All alone, the toys explore Mason's playroom only to find he's got a complete collection of Battlesaurs, which are dinosaur warriors. Trixie is excited as ever, while her fellow dinosaur Rex is equally excited and predictably panicked over the opportunity to meet more dinosaurs. Trixie rushes off, followed by the rest of Bonnie's toys that made the trip: Woody, Buzz, and Angel Kitty. They meet the Battlesaurs, including their strongest warrior, Reptillus Maximus, and later their leader, The Cleric. They seem very interested in Trixie and Rex joining their clan. It is a dream come true for Trixie. Or is it?
Okay... Oops. Watching Toy Story that Time Forgot right after Inside Out was a mistake. I went from watching arguably the best movie of 2015 to watch a TV special and that hurt my opinion of this TV special. It is still good in a number of ways. It has some fun jokes, the action scenes are well-staged, etc. However, the emotional core isn't really there and what there is feels borrowed from the first Toy Story. Specifically, one of the two storyarcs is Buzz Lightyear's story arc where he learns he is a toy. I think it will entertain its target audience, but it won't have as much crossover appeal with adults as most Pixar films have.
On the other hand, Angel Kitty is awsome.
Extras begin with an audio commentary track with the director, Steve Purcell, and the head of story, Derek Thompson. Reptillus! is an 11-minute featurette that looks at the creation of the Battlesaurs, specifically Reptillus Maximus. Toy Story Goes to Comic-Con is a four-minute look at the Toy Story that Time Forgot panel at comic con. There is a song, "My Unexpected Friend", that you can listen to or play in Karaoke Mode. There is an opening for the fake Battlesaurs TV show. Finally, there are five deleted scenes, with an introduction by Steve Purcell.
The technical presentation is what you would expect for a digitally animated TV special from Pixar. It doesn't look or sound as impressive as their theatrical releases, but that's hardly a damning insult.
The Blu-ray costs $12 compared to $8 for the DVD.
Toy Story that Time Forgot is a fine TV special aimed at kids. I think the target audience will be entertained enough that the DVD or Blu-ray is worth picking up. However, it won't appeal to adult animation aficionados as much as films like Inside Out will.
Video on Demand
The Movie
The Extras
The Verdict
Filed under: Video Review, Inside Out, Toy Story, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Kevin McKidd, Wallace Shawn, Kristen Schaal, Emily Hahn, Steve Purcell, Emma Hudak