'Toy Story of TERROR' Coming to Blu-ray in August

At long last, some Pixar news!

Last October, Pixar premiered their first ever television special, Toy Story of Terror, to which audiences reacted quite warmly. For the past few months, fans have been wondering when the special will be available to own on home media, and we now have our answer.

The 22-minute special will arrive on Blu-ray and DVD on August 19 and will be stuffed with plenty of bonus features, including the three existing Toy Story Toons short films; Hawaiian Vacation (2011, directed by Gary Rydstrom), Small Fry (2011, directed by Toy Story of Terror director Angus McLane), and Partysaurus Rex (2012, directed by Mark Walsh).

All three Toy Story Toons are already available on home media (Hawaiian Vacation on the Cars 2 Blu-ray/DVD and Pixar Short Films Collection: Vol. 2, which also includes Small Fry, and Partysaurus Rex on the Blu-ray re-release of Monsters, Inc.), though it's nice to see that they'll all be together on the same disc, and fans who haven't been able to get a hold of these shorts previously can now get them all in just one purchase.

Other extras on the Blu-ray set include faux vintage commercials for some the toys featured in Toy Story of Terror, similar to this Lotso one released as part of the marketing campaign for Toy Story 3:

Blu-ray Special Features:

• “Toy Story Toons” Shorts: Hawaiian Vacation, Small Fry, Partysaurus Rex
• Audio Commentaries: Toy Story OF TERROR!, Hawaiian Vacation, Small Fry, and Partysaurus Rex
• Team of Specialists  – Director Angus MacLane goes deep behind the scenes to introduce the team of specialists required to make Toy Story OF TERROR!
• 3  Deleted Scenes + Editor Introductions – Pencil Topper Trilogy, Travel Brochure, Road Trip Roulette
• Vintage Toy Commercials + Director Introductions – Old Timer, Combat Carl, Transitron
• D23 Teaser

The DVD will come with all the same bonus features as the Blu-ray excluding  the deleted scenes and editor introductions, and the Disney Movies Anywhere app will have an exclusive feature with Mr. Pricklepants as well as an additional deleted scene.

The TV special itself is an absolute blast (you can read my review here), but all the bonus material really makes this set worth picking up. Commentaries, deleted scenes - what more could you ask for?

Finally, Pixar released this trailer for the upcoming Blu-ray release, which gives us a sneak peek at some of the faux toy commercials included on the set.

This is a must-own for any Pixar or animation fan, so mark your calendars - Toy Story of Terror hits store shelves August 19!

A Look Back at 2013

Here we are, once again at the end of yet another year. While not without its fair share of saddening tragedies in the Pixar realm, this year has nonetheless seen the release of not one, not two, but three fantastic new works from the folks down in Emeryville.

Unfortunately, this hasn't quite been the best year for Pixar. We saw the removal of Bob Peterson as director from The Good Dinosaur - making this the fourth time a director at the studio has gotten the boot. This eventually lead to nearly 5% of the staff being laid off.

Then in October came the headline that probably devastated me most of all - Pixar Canada was shut down. It's a real shame; the Vancouver-based satellite studio had made some remarkable shorts since opening in April 2010, and the studio itself was filled to the brim with talented artists. Those who have followed this blog for a while now may know that I was fortunate enough to visit Pixar Canada this January and tour the studio (you can read about my visit here). I'm more thankful for that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity now than ever before, so a big thank-you is due to Amir Nasrabadi (general manager and vice-president of Pixar Canada at the time of its closure) for allowing this dream of mine to become a reality. The studio itself may have closed, but it built quite the legacy in the short three years that it was operational. So long live Pixar Canada!

Now let's talk about some of the more exciting things that happened this year.

Of course, Monsters University, the studio's fourteenth feature-length film and prequel to fan-favorite Monsters, Inc., hit theaters in June and its reception was generally quite warm, despite a select stubborn few still riding that old bothersome 'Pixar is losing it' bandwagon. Oh well, you can't please everybody. Let them keep riding that bandwagon while we look forward to the studio's future wildly ambitious projects.

The latest short film to be pumped out by Pixar, The Blue Umbrella, also made its debut this year alongside MU. While perhaps not as groundbreaking as, say, Day & Night or La Luna, it's arguably still a splendid and very creative work of art, accompanied by an irresistibly catchy soundtrack, not to mention its gorgeous photo-realistic visuals.

More recently, in October Pixar released its first ever television special! Toy Story of Terror saw the return of Woody, Buzz, Jessie and co. and delighted audiences across the globe, proving that the folks at Pixar are more than capable in handling the half-hour special format. Needless to say, Toy Story of Terror left audiences hungry for more Pixar TV specials, so here's hoping they're cooking up some more for us to enjoy in the near future.

All in all, it's been another great year. 2014 will likely be quite a quiet year in terms of Pixar news, what with no new feature film until 2015, but who knows, maybe the studio will surprise us with another television special later in the year. Whether that happens or not, let's make 2014 another memorable year.

Happy New Year, everyone!

'Toy Story of Terror' Delivers on all Fronts

Last Wednesday night, fans were treated to Pixar's first ever television special, the spooky Toy Story of Terror, and needless to say, it did not disappoint.

Toy Story of Terror is essentially everything you loved about the Toy Story films packaged into a 22-minute short. It's fast-paced and filled to the brim with witty humor, quirky writing, references to classic horror films, and even character development. That's right! Character development in a television special! Under all the laughs and hijinks there is some actual depth to this short.

The story revolves around Jessie and her withstanding fear of being trapped inside boxes. Without giving too much away for those who have yet to see the special, she must muster up all the courage she can in order to confront her fear to save her friends and return safely to Bonnie.

I was amazed at all this short managed to accomplish in such a short amount of time. It took the already very fleshed-out character of Jessie and added yet another layer to her, which is exactly what these new Toy Story shorts and television specials should be doing, and it excites me to see Pixar pulling it off so well. We get to revisit this phenomenal cast of characters and see parts of them we've never seen before, all without ruining an already perfect trilogy. Brilliant.

We're also introduced to a wide array of fantastic new characters, including Combat Carl (voiced by Carl Weathers), who hilariously refers to himself in the third person. A personal favorite of mine, however, was his 1/3 scale counterpart, Combat Carl Jr., also voiced by Carl Weathers, albeit in a slightly modified, higher pitched voice. I'm a sucker for squeaky voices. All the new characters are a welcome addition to the Toy Story universe, and I really do hope we get to see more of them in the future.

Michael Giacchino provides an excellent score that adds a hint of spookiness to that classic Toy Story-esque music we're used to.

Other highlights include the always entertaining Mr. Pricklepants, who really steals the show here, and the gorgeous animation, which is, well, pretty much flawless.

All in all, Toy Story of Terror is a delight in practically every aspect, and destined to become a Halloween classic in the years to come. Also, between this and Small Fry, I'm starting to become a pretty big fan of Angus MacLane's work.

Terrifying Tidbits

Don't worry, that headline was a pun. This is actually some pretty good news!

With Halloween just around the corner, Pixar is getting audiences pumped for their first ever television special, Toy Story of Terror (stylized as Toy Story of TERROR!), which airs October 16 on ABC. The special is directed by Angus MacLane (who previously directed the Toy Story Toon, Small Fry) and features the voices of all the original voice actors from the trilogy returning as Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang. Here are some tidbits regarding the special that have been dropped over course of this month.

Entertainment Weekly debuted this poster for the upcoming special. It's not much, merely a previously seen shot of Jessie, Buzz, and Woody pasted on top of a spooky background.

These nifty banners were recently spotted near Disneyland promoting the new short (via The Rotoscopers):

We also got this funny little Sky Broadband commercial starring Bonnie's toys. Check it out:

Be sure to also watch this exciting, fast-paced trailer for the special:

Finally, here is a colorful gallery of stills from the special, which give us a first look at some of the new toys which we'll be introduced to this coming month, including newcomer Combat Carl, voiced by Carl Weathers. You might remember how the notorious Sid blew up a Combat Carl action figure back in the original Toy Story. The one seen in Toy Story of Terror seems to be a different figure than the one that was obliterated but from the same toy line.

Prepare yourself and ready your DVRs, because this October, the toys are back in town!

Pixar Gives First Glimpse at 'Toy Story of Terror'

Everyone loves Toy Story - it's human nature. Even after an incredibly satisfying finale to the trilogy, we were left hungry for more of our favorite plastic pals. Fortunately, our demands to see more of Woody, Buzz and co. were not ignored, and soon after Toy Story 3, Pixar released the first in a series of short films featuring the beloved characters, and have since made a total of three phenomenal Toy Story Toons, with more on the way. You'll be excited to hear that the studio is also now going beyond your standard 6-minute short film...

In October came the announcement that Pixar is currently hard at work on an all new Toy Story half-hour Halloween television special, entitled Toy Story of Terror!, set to air on ABC this October. That was about all that was said back then, but today the studio unveiled a still image from the upcoming short featuring a petrified Woody, Buzz, and Jessie, and we have also received some new details regarding the plot of the special.

The Pixar Times reports that Toy Story of Terror! will focus on everyone's favorite yodeling cowgirl, Jessie. Angus MacLane (BURN-E, Small Fry) will be directing, and claims the special will pay homage to classic horror films including Psycho, Alien, and Predator, and I'd expect a nod to The Shining in there as well, given Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich's passionate love for that film. We'll also learn more about the toys' new-found life with young owner Bonnie, and fans of the original film will be excited to hear that poor old Combat Carl, blown up by the maniacal Sid in Toy Story (1995), will make an appearance as well, voiced by the one and only Carl Weathers (Rocky, Predator).

No fixed date has been announced yet, but expect to see Toy Story of Terror! air on ABC this October, just in time for Halloween!

Boo! 'Toy Story of Terror' Coming to TV in 2013!

A work-in-progress logo for the upcoming Toy Story television special

Back in June, we were told that two new Toy Story TV specials (along with three Toy Story Toons) were being worked on at Pixar, but not much details were given on the projects. So far, we've gotten the fantastic short Partysaurus Rex, but we have yet to find out what the other two Toons will be and when they will be released. What about the specials? Well...

Animation World Network dropped the news yesterday that the first of the two television specials, scheduled for October of next year, would be, of course, a Halloween special featuring the beloved characters from the franchise. The special is entitled Toy Story of Terror! and will involve the toys going on a road trip that soon goes awry, leading to a catastrophic turn of events following the disappearance of one of the toys.

It sure sounds like it will be a ton of fun, and what's great is that it will be a whole lot longer than a regular short, so there is plenty of room for almost any clever idea that the minds at Pixar can dream up.

The special will probably air on either the Disney Channel or on ABC; or both. It may even be posted online soon afterwards, who knows. Maybe it could also eventually get a home video release, like some of DreamWorks' television specials have gotten in the past.

The only bad thing: we'll have to patiently wait until next Halloween to see Toy Story of Terror!