Toy Story 3 (Blu-ray)

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Rating: G

Starring:

Tom Hanks as Woody

Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear

Joan Cusack as Jessie

Ned Beatty as Lotso

Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head

Michael Keaton as Ken

Wallace Shawn as Rex

John Ratzenberger as Hamm

Estelle Harris as Mrs. Potato Head

John Morris as Andy

Jodi Benson as Barbie

Emily Hahn as Bonnie

Laurie Metcalf as Andy’s Mom

Blake Clark as Slinky Dog

Javier Fernandez Pena as Spanish Buzz

Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants

Kristen Schaal as Trixie

Lori Alan as Bonnie’s Mom

Charlie Bright as Young Andy

Jeff Garlin as Buttercup

Bonnie Hunt as Dolly

John Cygan as Twitch

Jeff Pidgeon as Aliens

Whoopi Goldberg as Stretch

Jack Angel as Chunk

R. Lee Ermey as Sarge

Jan Rabson as Sparks

Richard Kind as Bookworm

Directed by Lee Unkrich

Special Features:

Disc 1: Blu-ray

Day & Night Theatrical Short

Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: The Science Of Adventure

Disc 2: Blu-ray

Toy Story Trivia Dash

Cine-Explore With Director Lee Unkrich & Producer Darla Anderson

Beginnings: Setting A Story In Motion

Bonnie’s Playtime

Roundin’ Up A Western Opening

Beyond The Toy Box: An Alternative Commentary Track

Paths To Pixar: Editorial

3 Studio Stories

And More

Disc 3: DVD

Day & Night Theatrical Short

Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: The Science Of Adventure

The Gangs All Here: A Look At The Returning Voice Talent

3 Studio Stories

Plus Much More

Includes Digital Copy Of Toy Story 3 For Portable Media Players

Other Info:

Widescreen (1.78:1)

DTS-HD MA 7.1 MA Sound

Spanish and French Languages

Spanish and French Subtitles

Running Time: 103 Minutes

The Details:

The following is the official description of the film:

“The creative minds behind Disney•Pixar’s groundbreaking animated blockbusters invite you back inside the toy box for a heartwarming and hilarious movie experience you’ll never forget. In ‘Toy Story 3,’ Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) and the rest of the Toy Story gang return for an all-new adventure, along with a few new faces — some plastic, some plush — including Barbie’s counterpart Ken (voiced by Michael Keaton), a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants (voiced by Timothy Dalton) and a strawberry-scented bear named Lots-O-Huggin’ Bear (voiced by Ned Beatty).

As Andy prepares to depart for college, Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the rest of Andy’s faithful toys wonder what will become of them. But, when a mix-up lands them at Sunnyside Daycare, they meet a host of new toys and soon discover a wild new adventure is just beginning!

Buzzing with hours of bonus features including the Pixar short film ‘Day & Night,’ ‘Toy Story 3’ goes to infinity and beyond!”

“Toy Story 3” is rated G.

Mini-Review:

I’ve been a big fan of “Toy Story” since I saw it in theaters when it was first released. When “Toy Story 2” came along, I thought it was one of those rare sequels that surpassed the original. So it was with a lot of anticipation that I watched “Toy Story 3.” While it was fun, I have to say I think I liked its predecessors better.

The first two-thirds of the movie are OK, but nothing remarkable. Our heroes are boxed up and accidentally sent to a daycare. It offers a number of laughs as Woody, Buzz, and the others are used and abused by toddlers. It’s not until Woody escapes and meets his potential new owner that things get interesting. We’re introduced to a new set of toys, a new way of playing different from Andy, and more. As that goes on, the rest of Andy’s toys attempt a “Great Escape” from the daycare that leads to a lot of laughs. But it’s the tear-jerking finale that this sequel will most be remembered for. And while emotional, it’s not something you really want to go through again and again on repeat viewings.

The whole cast is back and in top form. Woody is still Woody and Buzz is still Buzz. We are introduced to a ton of new characters in the daycare, but the only really memorable one is Michael Keaton as Ken. He’s appropriately made fun of and is a great addition to the cast. Unfortunately there are no other major breakout characters like there were in “Toy Story 2.”

Is “Toy Story 3” worth checking out? Definitely. And it’s a worthy addition to the series. But I’d still like to see a “Toy Story 4” if for no other reason than to see them take another shot at getting it right.

Like all the other Pixar Blu-rays, this is a treasure trove of bonus features. One of my new favorite regular features are the “Studio Stories.” They are funny stories about what happens in the Pixar offices during movie production. This time you hear about a contest to shave heads, a secret room at Pixar, and the legendary cereal bar. My kids and I both loved these stories and they’ll certainly make you want to go work at Pixar. “Beginnings: Setting A Story In Motion” is really interesting and it teaches viewers the basics of constructing a story. It is really well done and I could easily see teachers showing it to students to get them excited about writing fiction. You’ll also find tons of featurettes on the voice cast, the creation of the toys, crafting Bonnie’s playtime scene, the creation of the real world Buzz Lightyear toys, and more. You can watch the movie in “Cine-Explore With Director Lee Unkrich & Producer Darla Anderson.” They provide a ton of information as storyboards and other videos appear on the screen. There are also games, trivia, featurettes on the Toy Story section of the Euro-Disney theme park, and more. There’s literally hours of entertainment here. This is the right way to do bonus features on a DVD.

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