Toy Story of Terror!

Toy Story of Terror!

Television release poster
Genre TV special
Written by Angus MacLane
Directed by Angus MacLane
Starring Tom Hanks
Tim Allen
Joan Cusack
Carl Weathers
Stephen Tobolowsky
Don Rickles
Wallace Shawn
Timothy Dalton
Kristen Schaal
Music by Michael Giacchino
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Producer(s) Galyn Susman
Editor(s) Axel Geddes
Running time 21 minutes
Production company(s) Walt Disney Pictures
Pixar Animation Studios
Distributor Disney–ABC Domestic Television
Release
Original network ABC
Original release
  • October 16, 2013 (2013-10-16)

Toy Story of Terror! is a 21-minute Halloween television special, based on the Disney Pixar Toy Story movies. It is set shortly after the events of Toy Story 3 and Toy Story Toons, and premiered on the American television network ABC on Wednesday, October 16, 2013.[1][2] It was written and directed by Angus MacLane, produced by Galyn Susman, with Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, Timothy Dalton, and Kristen Schaal reprising their roles of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Mr. Potato Head, Rex, Mr. Pricklepants, and Trixie with Carl Weathers as Combat Carl and Stephen Tobolowsky as the motel manager.[2] Michael Giacchino composed the music for the special.[3] The film's soundtrack was released on October 15, 2013, on Amazon.com and iTunes in digital format.[4]

The special follows the toys on their road trip, when a flat tire leads Bonnie and her mother to spend the night in a roadside motel. After Mr. Potato Head goes missing, the others begin to search for him, but they find themselves caught up in a mysterious, monstrous, and terrifying sequence of events that lead them to a big conspiracy.

Plot

Bonnie Anderson and her mother are going on a road trip to visit Bonnie's grandmother; Bonnie has brought Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Rex, Mr. Pricklepants, Mr. Potato Head, and Trixie with her. The toys are first seen sitting in the trunk of Bonnie's mother's car watching a horror film. When the car gets a flat tire, Jessie is knocked into a tool box. The others manage to free her, but Jessie is traumatized as the experience reminds her of the many years she spent abandoned in a box. Mrs. Anderson parks the car at the Sleep Well Motel, where they must spend the night as a tow truck cannot be sent out until the next morning.

Once Bonnie and her mother are asleep, most of the toys exit Bonnie's bag to explore the motel, ignoring Woody's warnings that they could easily be left behind at the motel. Jessie is left alone in the bag when Woody and Buzz leave to gather the others, at which point her claustrophobia drives her from the bag as well. When the toys all meet up, they realize Mr. Potato Head is missing. At this point, Mr. Pricklepants begins to narrate ongoing events as if it were part of a horror film, considering himself an expert. The toys then begin to search for Mr. Potato Head. Trixie walks to a floor vent, into which she suddenly falls down. The others enter the vent, where they hear Trixie's screams. While the others try to find her, Mr. Pricklepants and Rex are taken by a mysterious creature. Woody, Buzz, and Jessie encounter Mr. Potato Head's arm, which points their way to a bathroom in the motel. In the bathroom, Woody, Buzz, and the arm are also snatched. Jessie is then grabbed by an action figure named Combat Carl, who tells her that events in the motel may have permanently separated him from his owner, Billy, as well as from his own right hand. He urges her to flee to her owner for safety, but she insists on trying to rescue her friends. Carl is also taken, and the creature finally comes for Jessie in the bathtub. It is revealed to be an iguana named Mr. Jones. Jones grabs Jessie and takes her to the motel's manager, Ron, who is responsible for thefts against his guests. He steals unattended belongings of motel guests, then sells them in online auctions. Ron puts Jessie in the back room of his office, in a glass cabinet where she reunites with Bonnie's other toys and Combat Carl and meets Billy's other toys and valuables that have been stolen over the years.

As morning approaches, someone buys Woody for $2,000 and Ron packs him into a box. Jessie is sold soon after, but Ron is distracted by the arrival of the tow truck and Jessie is left on the counter. A delivery lady takes Woody's box out to her truck, and Combat Carl tells Jessie that their only hope to rescue Woody and escape is for Jessie to travel to the truck in a box. Terrified, Jessie insists that she cannot enter a box. Combat Carl tells her it is the only way, and teaches her his iconic phrase, "Combat Carl never gives up. Combat Carl finds a way." She then repeats it, substituting her name for his. She frees a sold robot toy from a box, and that toy helps pack her into the box with the flaps unsealed. However, the delivery lady tapes the flaps shut, trapping Jessie and bringing her box to the truck. Jessie is initially overcome by claustrophobia, but then she uses Carl's phrase to calm herself. She finds a paper clip which she uses to unseal herself and free Woody. They return to the office, where the Andersons are about to check out. Mr. Jones attacks Jessie, but she manages to retrieve Mr. Potato Head's arm (and Combat Carl's hand) from the iguana's mouth and saves Woody, Buzz, Rex, Trixie, Mr. Potato Head, and Mr. Pricklepants. Bonnie and her mother are meanwhile seen checking out of the motel, completely oblivious to the fact that Bonnie's toys have been stolen, until Jessie uses the arm to pull down the curtain covering the back room's entrance, exposing the presence of the thefts. Ron tries to deny everything, but after Mr. Jones walks up, holding Jessie, Ron is forced to confess and give Bonnie back her toys, and Mrs. Anderson threatens to turn him over to the police. The Andersons resume their trip to visit Bonnie's grandmother.

During the credits, Combat Carl and the rest of Billy's toys board the delivery truck in hopes of returning to their owner. Two police officers later arrive to interrogate and arrest Ron, who attempts to escape by hijacking their police car but is forced to flee on foot after immediately crashing it into the motel sign; the officers initiate a manhunt for him.

Cast

Soundtrack

Toy Story of Terror!
Soundtrack album by Michael Giacchino
Released October 15, 2013
Recorded 2013
Genre Film score
Length 20:58
Label Walt Disney
Michael Giacchino film scores chronology
Star Trek Into Darkness
(2013)		 Toy Story of Terror!
(2013)		 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
(2014)

The film's score was composed by Michael Giacchino. The soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records on October 15, 2013.[5][6]

Track listing

All music composed by Michael Giacchino.

No.TitleLength
1."The Suspension Is Killing Me"  0:44
2."Thinking Inside the Box"  1:40
3."Motel Me a Scary Story"  1:07
4."I've Got a Bag Feeling About This"  1:45
5."Why'd It Have to Be Crawl Spaces?"  1:15
6."The Ballad of Combat Carl"  2:33
7."Iguana Be Kidding Me"  4:03
8."Nobody Puts Jessie in the Box"  1:33
9."Rock 'Em Box 'Em Robots"  1:31
10."Pink Peanut Panic"  1:23
11."World's Worst Curtain Call"  2:31
12."FedExit (End Credits)"  0:53
Total length:20:58

Release

Reception

The special has received critical acclaim, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 92% based on 13 reviews,[7] and a Metacritic score of 79% based on seven reviews.[8] Matt Roush of TV Guide said, "ABC's Toy Story of Terror! is a delightful half-hour vignette of gags, action and self-empowerment, couching its never-give-up message in terrific non-stop entertainment."[9] Brian Lowry of Variety said, "Toy Story of Terror! is about a quarter the length of the average animated feature, but everything else here could easily be mistaken for the bigscreen version, from the pacing and humor to Michael Giacchino’s score."[10] Rob Owen of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said, "It’s a small adventure befitting the 30-minute running time but it’s also clever in the way it ultimately puts the "Toy Story" characters in a recognizable situation, which is similar to the big-screen movies."[11] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times said, "Once the annual avalanche of Halloween-themed episodes, specials and movies overtakes TV, you probably don't expect to be using the word 'charming' very often. But charming perfectly describes one such entry, Toy Story of Terror!"[12] Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club said, "The Toy Story franchise has always operated best with a note of existential panic, and there’s some of that here, but it feels like the special leans awfully hard on the films that gave rise to it."[13] Robert Lloyd of Los Angeles Times said, "Themes from earlier Toy Story movies are also recycled, which should bother no one. Although Woody and Buzz get their screen time–with Jessie, they are the 'Jules et Jim' of computer-animated cartoons about sentient playthings—it is the plucky cowgirl, facing her fears, whose story this is."[14]

Home media

Toy Story of Terror! was released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 19, 2014. It includes the three Toy Story Toons shorts: Hawaiian Vacation, Small Fry, and Partysaurus Rex.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "D23 Expo: New Art From the Upcoming Disney, Pixar and Disneytoon Movies". ComingSoon.net. August 9, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (May 14, 2013). "ABC 2013-14 Schedule: Rebel Wilson Gets Post-'Modern Family' Slot, 'S.H.I.E.L.D.' On Tuesday, 'Dancing' Shrinks To One Night". Deadline. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Michael Giacchino to Score Pixar's 'Toy Story of Terror'". Film Music Reporter. June 27, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  4. ↑ Bryko (October 4, 2013). "'Toy Story of Terror' Gets a Soundtrack Release". Upcoming Pixar. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  5. ↑ "'Toy Story of Terror' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  6. ↑ "Toy Story of Terror!: Michael Giacchino: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  7. ↑ "Toy Story of Terror!". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
  8. ↑ "Toy Story of Terror - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  9. ↑ "The Wednesday Playlist: A Toy Story Special, Burton and Taylor, EPIX Gets Schooled - Today's News: Our Take". TVGuide.com. 2013-10-16. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  10. ↑ Brian Lowry TV Columnist @blowryontv (2013-10-13). ""Toy Story of Terror!" Review: Pixar, ABC Make Delightful Special". Variety. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  11. ↑ "TV review: 'Toy Story OF TERROR!'". Communityvoices.post-gazette.com. 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  12. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (2013-10-16). "In 'Toy Story of Terror' a Road Trip Goes Awry". latimes.com. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  13. ↑ "Toy Story Of Terror · The A.V. Club". Avclub.com. 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  14. ↑ Lloyd, Robert (2013-10-16). "Review: 'Toy Story of Terror' kicks off Halloween on ABC". latimes.com. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  15. ↑ "Toy Story of Terror! Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. May 16, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
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