When the credits rolled at the end of Toy Story 3, after composing myself, I began to think that I had just watched one of the greatest endings to a film trilogy. I was happy when Pixar and director Lee Unkrich said that they viewed the third film as the final feature film with Andy. However, the toys have found a way to continue on, in the hands of adorable new owner Bonnie. Continuing the saga of these toys in the medium of shorts sounded like a great idea, as it allowed the feature films to stand on their own as one cohesive animal without the possibility of damage from a sequel. After watching the short a few times, it is clear that we have another great Pixar short on our hands. Check out my spoiler-free review here!
The Set-Up
Ken and Barbie have stowed away in Bonnie’s backpack, hoping to catch a free ride to Hawaii. However, they are in for a rude awakening when they find out that Bonnie has actually left her backpack behind. Woody and the rest of the gang decide to give the two their own idea of a Hawaiian vacation.
The Review
It felt like I was catching up with some friends to who I thought I was going to have to say goodbye a few months ago. All of the toys are back – even better, all the voice actors are back as well, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. It is great to see all these characters on the big screen once again. The downside is that since there are so many of them, we don’t get to spend that much time with any one of them.
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Now, that’s not a bad thing. The pacing of the short is incredible. Jokes fly left and right. Before you’ve even caught your breath from the last joke, you find yourself laughing at the next one. This is truly the fastest-paced film that Pixar has released. By the time you reach the end, you don’t want to say goodbye all over again. That is, until you realize that this is only the first Toy Story Toon. The next one is set to debut with The Muppets in November.
The visuals are what we have come to expect from Toy Story and Pixar. Stunning animation, fantastic lighting, incredible attention to detail – the list can go on and on. Just because the feature film series has transitioned to shorts, Pixar hasn’t taken that as a reason to produce anything less than visually beautiful.
This new Toy Story film is simply a must-see. The beloved characters from the trilogy return in a hilarious, touching, inventive new short.
Rating: 9.3/10
©Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation is attached to Cars 2 and hits theaters Friday!
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