Blu-ray + Digital HD

Toy Story That Time Forgot Blu-ray Review

Don't forget to experience this new mini-chapter from the 'Toy Story' universe.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman, October 28, 2015



They're back! A dinosaur Toy Story.

is still cool. After all these years and three films , the original "toys to life" gang -- Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Jessie (voiced by Joan Cusack), Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen), Trixie (voiced by Kristen Schaal), and Rex (Wallace Shawn) -- remains one of the most delightful bunches of digital plastic ever to grace the silver screen. In, they take their adventures to the small screen for big battle against some unruly prehistoric action figures that think they're real-life warriors, not a child's playthings. Originally aired on ABC on December 2, 2014, the short is a breezy and fun escape that returns to a familiar world for an all-new adventure.It's Christmastime. All of the presents have been opened and the favorites chosen. Yet Bonnie (voiced by Emily Hahn) is still enjoying some of her old standbys like Trixie, Rex, Buzz, Woody, and Jessie, even if she's not playing with them exactly as intended. Instead she's giving some -- particularly Trixie -- a mild Christmas makeover. She packs them up for a playdate with her friend Mason (voiced by R.C. Cope) who has, this Christmas, hit pay dirt. Not only did he receive practically the full line of Battlesaurs action figures and play sets, he also scored a hot new video game system, complete with a virtual reality headset. Mason's immersed in the video game and Bonnie, excited to check it out herself, tosses her toys aside to adventure in the digital realm. The gang is approached by an entire army of Battlesaurs, including the group's martial leader, Reptillus Maximus (voiced by Kevin McKidd). He gets Trixie and Rex suited for war. They think it's all fun and games, but they quickly learn that the Battlesaurs mean business and that they intended to fight to the death. The toys' only hope for survival is to convince Maximus that he's a toy, not a wartime leader. That could be a tricky prospect, however, with the cunning Cleric (voiced by Director Steve Purcell) secretly driving the issue.More than a casual "put down the video game controller and appreciate the simpler toys and games in life" request,'s most basic theme explores the idea that one is happiest when one finds his or her own place in the world, essentially finding fulfillment in fulfilling the purposes for which one was created. For the kids, that's playing with the toys and finding happiness in them. For the toys, that's providing that tactile, functional, and foundational element of contentment for the children. It's a happy full circle sort of story that uses the theme more as a bookend and springboard for the central action, which is sufficiently exciting. It's not very large in scale and the scenes are, of course, somewhat limited under the constraints of a 22-minute program, but the short satisfies with a playful sense of adventure and fun new characters mixed in with several old favorites.