As a kid, I grew up not only watching but also absolutely loving the Toy Story films. I have very fond memories of both watching the films and buying and playing with all the Toy Story merchandise and toys that were sold. At the time, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were easily the best animated movies around. Offering clever scripts, loveable characters, fantastic animation and fun for the whole family, both films garnered much critical acclaim. Now we come to Toy Story 3. Our favourite toys have returned after an eleven year hiatus and are ready to rekindle the love we once felt towards them. The question is, is the magic still there or is Toy Story 3 ready to be tossed in the attic?
Toy Story 3 picks up quite a few years later and Andy is now all grown up. Confined to a storage chest, our favourite toys don’t see the light of day all that much anymore. Andy is now ready to go to college and he has outgrown his toys. While he wants to take Woody (Tom Hanks) with him, he has decided the other toys should go into the attic. Andy’s mom takes the toys and instead of putting them into the attic, mistakenly puts them in a bag on the curb to be taken by the garbage men.
Thinking that Andy no longer wants them, the toys sneak into a box that is being donated to Sunnyside Daycare. Woody realizes that Andy’s mom has made a mistake and tries to explain this to the toys. But, before they know it, they are whisked away and they all end up in Sunnyside Daycare. While all seems perfect at Sunnyside Daycare, not all is as it seems. Woody realizes that the toys are in danger and must save them before it is too late. It is here that our latest adventure begins.
Check out our full theatrical review here.
Every once in a while, we’re treated to an exceptional Blu-Ray. It usually involves a superb film, a flawless transfer and interesting and in-depth special features. Toy Story 3 is one of those Blu-Rays. The transfer, the film and the special features, all of them are top-notch.
Pixar films are beautiful. The animation, the colours, the graphics, everything, Pixar always creates visual treats. Toy Story 3 was a marvel to watch in theatres and on Blu-Ray it’s no different. The textures pop off the screen and the vivd colours are eye candy at its best. Strong detail is apparent and literally every frame is presented perfectly. This is an immaculate transfer and one that is not to be missed.
Audio is equally as good. The voice acting is clear, crisp and strong. Ambient effects are present and handled well and aurally stimulating scenes fill the film. Sound effects are placed appropriately and overall, the audio accompanies the video perfectly.
Disney continues to dazzle when it comes to the special features. This 4 disc Blu-Ray is packed with a treasure chest of special features. I’m not even sure where to begin. Both the picture in picture and alternative commentary track are engaging and worth a listen. Two lengthy featurettes are also included and coming in at 41 and 33 minutes respectively, they are both very well produced and definitely worth your time. The first is called Film Fans and the second is called Family Play. Both are essentially a collection of featurettes.
There are also a number of other smaller special features including some promotional stuff, the PIXAR short Day and Night, Â etc. It’s a great collection and everything here is well done, some of the featurettes are very entertaining and interesting and it’s all worth a watch.
The full list of special features is as follows:
- Day & Night: The innovative and entertaining short from the imagination of Pixar artist and director Teddy Newton.
- Making of Day & Night: The story behind the unique 2D/3D blended short (BD-exclusive)
- Cine-Explore: commentary by director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla K. Anderson (BD-exclusive)
- Beyond the Toybox: an alternative commentary track featuring leads from story, tech, art and animation – commentary by story supervisor Jason Katz, supervising technical director Guido Quaroni, production designer Bob Pauley and supervising animators Bobby Podesta and Michael Venturini (BD-exclusive)
- Beginnings: Setting a Story in Motion – Screenwriter Michael Arndt analyzes successful opening scenes from Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles (BD-exclusive)
- Bonnie’s Playtime: A Story Roundtable:Â A roundtable discussion with Director Lee Unkrich and the story artists who brought the “Bonnie’s Playtime” scene to life (BD-exclusive)
- Roundin’ Up a Western Opening:Â The development of the movie’s exciting opening scene (BD-exclusive)
- Life of a Shot: Toy Story 3 artists and technicians describe their contributions to a few of the shots in the film’s “Western Opening.” (BD-exclusive)
- Goodbye Andy: an exploration of character design, acting and animation in the scene “Andy’s Goodbye.” (BD-exclusive)
- Accidental Toymakers: by creating the Toy Story characters, the Pixar filmmakers found themselves in the unlikely role of toy designers. Meet the toy company that took a chance on manufacturing the now iconic toys and learn of their incredible success that began with a modest number of Woody and Buzz Lightyear toys 15 years ago. (BD-exclusive)
- Toys!: A closer look at all of Toy Story 3’s beloved toys from updating the classic characters to the creation of the Sunnyside Daycare and Bonnie’s Room toys.
- Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs – The Science of Adventure: Produced in conjunction with NASA, this hybrid animation documentary of Buzz’s visit to the International Space Station focuses on research in zero gravity and Buzz’s triumphant return to Earth.
- Paths to Pixar – Editorial: Pixar editors, past and future share anecdotes about their careers.
- The Gang’s All Here: A touching look at the returning voice talent for Toy Story 3 and an introduction to the voices of the new characters.
- A Toy’s Eye View – Creating a Whole New Land: A sneak peek at the new Toy Story-themed playland at Hong Kong Disneyland.
- Studio Stories – A series of amusing animated anecdotes about life at Pixar.
- “Where’s Gordon?” – An animator finds a hidden room at Pixar.
- “Cereal Bar” – The majestic and expansive Pixar cereal bar is explored.
- “Clean Start” – The Toy Story 3 animators shave their heads to mark the start of the film.
- Toy Story Trivia Dash – This game challenges you to sprint to the finish with Woody, Buzz, Jessie and Rex as you quickly answer questions about all three Toy Story movies (BD-exclusive)
All in all, as stated before, this is a fantastic package. There really aren’t many flaws. The film, the transfer, the special features, it’s all put together to create a package that is worth buying for just about anyone.
If you haven’t yet seen the film, go out and buy it, ASAP. If you have seen the film, you already know how good it is and buying the Blu-Ray should really be a no brainer. Toy Story 3 is a wonderful farewell to a classic series and the Blu-Ray does the film justice.
