Toy Story : Hors du Temps

It's always fun to see "the old gang" get back together. The Toy Story characters have so endeared themselves to our hearts that there is an automatic connection with them every time they appear on screen. In "Toy Story That Time Forgot", some new blood is introduced.

For a basic plot summary, this little short tells the story of a Christmas playdate at a friend of Bonnie's. While at the friend's house, Bonnie is sucked into playing a new video game instead of playing with the toys. So, Woody, Buzz, and the gang must "go it alone" and interact with a new set of dinosaur toys (led by Reptillus Maximus) that still don't yet know they are toys.

Like I said, it's great to see and hear from the toy characters again. In this installment, dinosaur Trixie gets a lions share of the screen-time, much like Combat Carl stole "Toy Story of Terror". That being said, each of your favorite character has at least a line or two.

The only reason I can't give this the full five-stars? Because I think that maybe a bit more time was given to the battle dinosaurs than necessary. What makes Toy Story great is the emotion and the humorous interaction between the characters. Both of those things are indeed present here, but there is a lot of "setup" to pull it out of the story.

So, I have to say that I liked last year's Halloween special a bit more than this Christmas effort. That being said, this one is still quite enjoyable and will, at times, have you both laughing and feeling in equal measure.

And now this is end. I wish there was more short movie from Toy Story.

After Toy Story 3, Pixar continued the story of Woody and Buzz through short cartoons, and even two holdiay specials. This is the second of the two specials, set after Christmas, where Woody, Buzz, Rex, Trixie, and Angel Kitty, an ornament who is exclusive to this special, for a playdate Bonnie has with her friend, Mason. As the two kids are hooked on a new video game console, the toys are taken hostage by the Battlesaurs, action figures led by Reptilus Maximus, and while Rex and Trixie are treated nicely, Buzz, Woody, and Angel Cat are sent to fight to the death at the arena, causing Trixie to see that her new friends were not played with, and therefore, do not know they are toys.

Basically, like the first special, Toy Story of Terror, focused on Jessie conquering her fears, this special focuses on Trixie and her problem of Bonnie not playing with her as a dinosaur. Most of the cast from the film reprise their role (in fact, this would be Don Rickles' final movie before he would pass away in 2017). However, it does get violent at some points, even if the victims are all toys (one scene has Reptillus Maximus decapitating toys, while sock monkey is thrown out of the arena and mauled to death by smaller dinosaurs, with fluff flying out), but nothing too dark or scary happens (and since these are toys, there is no gore, other than fluff being spilled, and they are still alive even if their heads are knocked off). With a good story and cast of chatacters, as well as a good lesson Trixie teaches Reptillus, this is a neat TV special for the whole family.

Am a big fan of Pixar, films and shorts, and the three 'Toy Story' films (the first of which being ground-breaking) are among my favourites from them as far as their feature films go. For me, none of their work is below mediocre (even my least favourite 'Cars 3'), though that is probably not going to be a popular opinion with the post-'Toy Story 3' films getting a lot of hate. Meanwhile their best work is masterpiece level, all three 'Toy Story' films being on that level.

'Toy Story that Time Forgot' has a very cheesy, corny title but the actual special itself is the opposite of that and it is not as muddled as it sounds. It is instead very charming, quite cute and has enough amusing moments, a good position to be for a special released around Christmas but not really one. It is nowhere near Pixar at its A-game, but there is nothing really here that disgraces them or the 'Toy Story' franchise.

Part of me did feel though that 'Toy Story that Time Forgot' could have been longer than it was, which could have been used to give the original characters more screen time, and the pace can be uneven here, at times rushed.

Bonnie also sounds rather mature for her age and it doesn't quite gel with her character design.

On the other hand, there is an awful lot to like about 'Toy Story that Time Forgot'. The animation is very good for a television special made on a lower budget. Such beautiful attention to detail in the backgrounds and the character designs and the colours are so vibrant. The music more than serves its purpose well, with the right amount of energy and charming orchestration.

Loved the writing, which saw some wonderful wit in the dialogue and it was both very funny and emotive. The story is very sweet and charming, and really liked that it showcased Trixie who had enough of an interesting, not annoying or too sugary, personality to be a worthy lead. The moral/message was delivered well, making its point without over-emphasising, and it was one that is relevant and important. Would have liked more of the original characters but they are still fun and likeable without being out of character at any point. The conflict is handled entertainingly and sensitively with enough tension without going over the top on it. The voice acting is very good excepting Bonnie.

In summary, worth a look if not essential. 7/10

Toy Story continues to be the best protected franchise ever filmed, as Pixar makes sure every entry with these characters is top notch. As usual, everything looks amazing, there are fun new toys to meet, and the pacing is brisk. You never have to worry about filmmakers who don't know their audience with Toy Story--they are so careful and demand the best for their viewers. Every moment that ends up on screen furthers the story and can be appreciated by any age viewer. There is a bit of a dig at gaming culture, as the message seems to favor active play over technology and screen time. But if you don't love the way Bonnie gets Mason to turn his dinosaur battlefield into a all-toy dance off, then I don't want to know you.