Toy Story of Terror - Halloween Review

I had a blast with Toy Story Month, but the Toy Story franchise had other winks and expansions that I feel are worth addressing, especially here.

Let’s start with a little history. In the early 2010s, Pixar established a new unit called Pixar Canada. The idea was to bring animators together to produce short films starring Pixar’s established characters from their cinematic library. The unit lasted quite some time before it unfortunately went under, leaving behind only a handful of short film series, mostly in the form of Toy Story Toons and Cars Toons.

But Pixar’s breakthrough extensions back then weren’t limited to their Canadian branch. Along the way, they also built up a strong arsenal of TV specials to show what more they could do and what more storytelling they could bring to television. And it wasn’t just Pixar. Around that time, Disney flexed its creative muscles in the same way, having already proven its worth with two Christmas specials, both of them of Prep and Landing.

In Pixar’s case, they also released two TV specials. One was Toy Story That Time Forgot, which I plan to elaborate on later, and the first, which I personally consider Pixar’s finest, was Toy Story of Terror.

Premiering on ABC in 2013 and set between Toy Stories 3 and 4, this special served as a neat detour from the usual fare we’re used to in the Toy Story franchise. In this case, Bonnie and her mother had a flat tire mid-trip, likely on the way back home, so they pulled over and spent the night at a SleepWell motel because the tow truck repairman couldn’t fix their tire until the next morning. How Bonnie’s mother didn’t pack a spare tire in the first place, I don’t understand, either, but that’s beside the point.

Although this was partly influenced by the vampire horror movie they watched before Bonnie and her mother pulled over, the toys gradually grew suspicious of what they heard and witnessed throughout the motel. For example, every time the toys stepped out to do their thing, they disappeared, sometimes in a flash, and a puddle of what looked like slime was left behind where they used to be. In other cases, scratch marks and wreckage were left behind wherever the toys went. So Jessie, along with Woody and Buzz, banded together to get to the bottom of what went on in the motel room before they were next, whatever it was that picked the toys off under their noses.

Would they make it out in time and rescue their abducted friends? How would Bonnie feel about the toys having gone missing? And what was orchestrating the unusual goings-on throughout the special?

Now, this plot seemed as straightforward as can be, which was to be expected from a TV special, but Toy Story of Terror was creative in how it told the story, as you’d want from the Toy Story franchise. It was especially inventive in exploring its own tongue-in-cheek take on the horror genre while still keeping it grounded enough to make sense within the Toy Story universe.

Before I get into that, let’s look at the characters.

The star of this special was Jessie, who was just as much a victim of circumstance as the rest of her friends. But her drive and commitment to get to the bottom of these freaky situations before she disappeared, and possibly became the next victim, validated her strength and worthiness to confront the issues head-on and save her friends from imminent danger. And this was long before Toy Story 5 tested her even further!

Meanwhile, one of the unfortunate toys she ran into, who had extensive experience with the horrors she and her friends ran into, was Combat Carl, voiced by Carl Weathers. Even though he mostly spoke in third person, his background and convictions made clear what he witnessed and why he doubted their chances of making it out alive before the terrifying forces they confronted took them over. But underneath his frightened image lurked a more confident soldier who always said to himself,

Combat Carl never gives up. Combat Carl finds a way.

Here’s what else I should mention about the supporting characters.

Even though the characters who returned here from the previous Toy Stories had more of a standard role than in the first three Toy Stories or the next two to follow, many of them – Woody, Buzz, Rex, Mr. Potato Head, Mr. Pricklepants, Trixie – had their moments to shine throughout the special, even when it looked like they were about to be overwhelmed by what they did not understand at first. For all its modesty by comparison, it maintained what the first three films did so well: allowing the supporting characters to each have a moment to shine in their own way, and in a way that was simple and brief, yet memorably effective and in character, whether it’s for comedic effect or in service to the story.

Take Mr. Potato Head, for example.

SPOILER ALERT

He was the first to disappear from the group, but one of the most significant clues the remaining toys found was his dismembered arm. Being sentient, the arm had quite a hand to play, no pun intended, in guiding the heroes to where they needed to go to find the abducted toys.

But this special threw more into the mix than Combat Carl. It introduced several new characters, including a Pez cat figure, Old Timer (who we would later see again in Toy Story 4), and even a Lego bunny that could shapeshift with its Lego pieces. What’s even trippier is that this Lego bunny was introduced just a few months before The Lego Movie threw its own spin and set the world ablaze with its innovative Lego story.

Go figure.

I’m also having a soft spot for Pocketeer (isn’t that a cute name?). He mentioned that he’s part of a superhero team called not the Fantastic Four, but the Fastener Four, with the other members being Zipper Man, Snaps, and Speed Lacer. Okay, now I want to more about this team. These guys seem so unconventional yet delightfully goofy as superheroes!

Now, this leads to what I personally consider the most clever aspect of this entire special. Even though it was on a roll with poking fun at the typical horror clichés, it also did a great job of establishing many different kinds of terror, not just the bombastic kind, but also the real-life terrors.

First, it started with campy horror tones, which were established right away when the toys watched a horror movie in the car trunk before Bonnie and her mother pulled over and spent the night at SleepWell. Much like how Woody’s Roundup was Toy Story’s own Howdy Doody, I can tell right away that this film felt like its own Dracula.

The last time I saw Toy Story confront anything within the horror genre, the closest I can think of was when Woody and Buzz ran into Sid’s toys in the first film. In this special, however, it used classic horror tropes as a tribute while still poking fun at them, with Mr. Pricklepants as its commentator. 

Throughout the special, he kept drawing attention to common or overused horror tropes, either from the movie they watched or from the circumstances that presented themselves throughout the motel, and connected them to the predictable horror aspects he knew were done to death.

Speaking of which, as he went out with Mr. Potato Head, he said,

If something does happen to the potato, I wouldn’t want to miss it.

Actually, I’m trying not to follow Mr. Pricklepants’ lead and take a cue from a certain meta-aware movie I know of, but now it’s becoming rather tempting. The story goes that, because they’re staying in a motel room, Mr. Potato Head thought he’d snag some of the room’s amenities as souvenirs. Too bad that’s how he disappeared in the first place. Before then, Woody and the others, except for Jessie, left Bonnie’s suitcase to keep tabs on Mr. Potato Head, which led to this line from Buzz to Jessie.

Don’t worry, Jessie, I’ll be right back.

You know what? Now he just forced my hand.

This kind of meta-awareness ran rampant throughout the special, giving Toy Story of Terror a cheeky edge as it addressed the horror clichés that made the designated horror movies classics.

The special’s use and acknowledgment of bombastic horror elements was fun enough, but it only got better. It ran with it until it peeled back the layers of these situations like an onion and revealed the man behind the curtain. The man behind the curtain was the motel manager, Ron Tompkins.

By the time the source behind the horrors running rampant throughout the motel was revealed, it turned out that the toys had disappeared and blotches of ‘slime’ were left in their wake because the toys were carried off by an iguana named Mr. Jones, who always drooled whenever he caught a toy. What did Mr. Jones do with them? He brought them one by one to Ron, who would take the stolen goods and put them up for sale.

Wow. That is just dastardly.

And that demonstrated the real horrors present in the special: the mere likelihood that even when you least expect it, someone, in some way, could rob you right under your nose, not to mention that some people, who seemed very innocent on the outside, could be capable of something unforgivable without you even knowing it. And only once Jessie and the other toys caught on would they have worked up the courage to set the evildoers in their place.

What I also like about this special is that it also addressed personal terrors, specifically Jessie’s fear of tight spaces.

As Jessie tried to work through the initially unknown circumstances, and after learning the truth behind them, she was forced into tight or confined spaces more than once. As you may remember from Toy Story 2, she had a long history of being boxed up after Emily outgrew her. Whenever I saw Jessie trapped, whether in a toolbox, a suitcase, or a package, I felt her claustrophobia. I could literally see the walls, floor, and ceiling slowly closing in on her, as if the tight spaces she dreaded were about to compress her. So, it left her at her most vulnerable throughout the special as she tried to confront her fears, knowing that not doing so would put herself and her friends in greater danger than they needed to be.

But it was not just the story or its horror tropes that were well utilized throughout the special. The atmosphere is worth admiring, too.

The special opened with rain before and during the characters’ stay at an otherwise normal-looking motel, and the thunderclaps in the background inevitably honed the classic horror clichés the special kicked off with. From there, the uncertainties and clues the characters stumbled upon heightened the motel’s collective eeriness wherever they roamed until they reached Ron’s office. Even that was well conveyed; Ron’s computer light illuminating his office at night helped emphasize his general shadiness. The whole atmosphere felt ominous with the growing possibility that something unseen and dangerous lurked throughout the motel, waiting to catch unsuspecting prey. And just as the heroes were on the brink of saving the day, the sun began to rise. So, that evoked a borderline ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ vibe with the special.

Long story short, this special was terrific in establishing all the different aspects of terror throughout and making them work in perfect harmony, as it started with the overdone horror tropes until it ventured into more realistic and multifaceted waters and finally felt more in line with what was usually explored within the Toy Story franchise.

The voice acting, as one would hope for in a Toy Story special, left a strong impression.

The returning actors, including Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, Wallace Shawn as Rex, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, and Kristen Schaal as Trixie the Triceratops, all delivered in adequate measure as each character wrapped their heads around the initially unexplainable situations throughout the special. But like I said, there were a few key actors throughout the special that felt like they went to town here.

Starting with the returning actors, let’s look at Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants. In Toy Story 3, he was already well established in the little time he had, giving Mr. Pricklepants a theatrical personality that showed not only his savviness with the arts, but also his appreciation for them.

Boy, did this special seem tailor-made for him, because this was where he was given the most opportunities to go wild with his character. As you can tell from what I decided to refer to in this review, Mr. Pricklepants felt like the Randy Meeks of the special, for he was always the one pinpointing what tropes to watch out for in any horror movie, even though he was very extravagant in painting what they witnessed before them as reminiscent of a classic horror movie.

The other actress who resumed playing her character like a natural was Joan Cusack as Jessie. She highlighted Jessie’s vulnerability as she tried to work her way through all the messes, certain and uncertain, that she and her toys found themselves in. She also slowly let loose Jessie’s inner courage as she faced her fears and confronted unforeseen travesties with her head held high, reaffirming the noble, exceptional qualities that made Jessie the standout cowgirl that she is.

Some of the other voice actors who came along were not too shabby either. Carl Weathers did a phenomenal job as Combat Carl, where, despite his always talking in third person only making him feel a little silly, it was largely overshadowed by his fierce drive in his attempts to stay low and alive throughout the motel. He made the situations sound like they were truly matters of life and death, most evident in the absence of his right hand. Even when things weren’t so devastating or heavy-duty, he still played Combat Carl with utmost sincerity and emotion in his voice, showing not only his worth as a soldier, but also as someone else’s toy. In his case, his owner’s name was Billy. No matter what he did, Combat Carl knew that somehow, he had to make it back home to Billy because of how much he loved him.

Weathers even voiced a smaller-scale version of Combat Carl called Combat Carl Jr. He always acted more rational than the regular Combat Carl, so despite his otherwise cutesy voice clashing with his more masculine image, he sounded more like the brains to Combat Carl’s brawn.

And let’s not forget Stephen Tobolowsky as Ron. He was terrific at flip-flopping between an upfront, considerate motel manager and a ruthless, underhanded thief desperate to make a quick buck off anything Mr. Jones would swipe for him. I felt his fittingly blood-curdling antics, but also a hint of wimpiness in his voice as things began to slip sideways for him.

Speaking of which, I ought to point out a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it detail. Ron thought he had struck gold when he made at least a couple thousand dollars altogether off of Woody and Jessie. But look closely at the shipping label as he prepped Woody for shipment. You’ll notice that the buyer was Al McWhiggin from Al’s Toy Barn.

Yes, the same Al who stole Woody in Toy Story 2 and kept him, Jessie, and the rest of his Woody’s Roundup collection for exhibition in Japan, was still looking for Woody and Jessie at all costs, even over ten years later.

That guy would never quit! Either that, or he was just desperate.

In a way, it also tied into the real-life horrors this special addressed. It showed how far some people would go to carry out their dirty methods, especially when working with others. Ron, the biggest bad guy in this entire special, indirectly teamed up with one of the biggest baddies from Toy Story 2, each for their own selfish needs. So it gives people a general idea of what it’s like to see more than a few bad guys trying to pull off their dirty deeds on their own or with like-minded people.

By the way, if you watch this special to the end credits—well, I won’t give anything away, but let’s just say that one, the payoff was cathartic, because of how severe Ron’s actions were compared to what we’ve seen from the other villains throughout the Toy Story franchise. And two, as to how it went down, it was pretty hilarious to see. You’d have to see it to believe it.

Now, let’s talk about the music.

Randy Newman didn’t do it this time, as he had throughout the movies. This time, Michael Giacchino took over. He was already a proficient composer for film and television, scoring Lost, the Prep and Landing specials, and some of Pixar’s earlier hits like The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Up. Here, he made the magic work just fine for Toy Story via television. For what he had going for it, he did a terrific job of embellishing the Toy Story franchise’s whimsy with straight-up horror motifs that underscored the uncertain factors popping up in front of the characters throughout the special.

Altogether, Disney and Pixar might have been at their most creatively versatile in the early 2010s. And when you look at what else they unleashed, whether in film or television, their effort was clear as day, especially through Toy Story of Terror. The animation was still marvelous. The voice acting was still at the top of its game, as always. The story was compelling. And what this special confronted, and how it did so, made for a worthy trip into the unknown, complete with classic Toy Story ingenuity.

Never mind that this came before streaming networks encouraged this versatility. There’s something about watching Disney and Pixar practice their creative output across different platforms, both on the big screen and on the small screen, that showed what they’re capable of when working within their limits. Chuck Jones faced the same challenge when he took on How the Grinch Stole Christmas for television. So it felt encouraging to see Disney and Pixar do the same with their creative outlets: Disney with the Prep and Landing specials, and Pixar with the Toy Story specials. Much like how the Prep and Landing specials deserve a place alongside all the other classic Christmas specials out there, this special deserves a place alongside Halloween classics like It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Prepare to snuggle up tight with your toys. Because with this, you’ll have a spooky good time.

My Rating

A