After Christmas, everything changes when you find a bunch of ordinary toys in another place, or in an unusual area with a group of new business characters you've never seen before. After Christmas, these games try to find their way back to their children's bedroom and to the safety they used in their rooms away from this strange world and terrifying people.
The spirit remains true, and this is a nice add-on to the movies, with the familiar subtext that the cool effects in video games are no substitute for a kid's own imagination.
Funny, warm and not afraid to include gags clearly intended more for parents than their kids, it's the kind of production that keeps the franchise fresh (and crassly, merchandise flying off shelves) while waiting for yet another sequel.
Delivering humor, heart and a toy-filled adventure, Toy Story that Time Forgot is another wonderful, entertaining and playful installment to the Toy Story franchise.
It basically contains the emotional capacity of a six-minute Toy Story short so don't expect a tear-filled, transcended experience. But do expect a playful, amusing addition to the growing saga that both kids and grownups will enjoy.
Writer/director Steve Purcell brings these new toys to life with small details that ring true to life, from the herky-jerky movement of a dinosaur playset's elevator to a brief, TV commercial-length theme song for these battling dinos.
It's still fun, still sweet, and still a pleasure to hear Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Wallace Shawn and the gang voice these characters, but I checked my watch several times and would have probably preferred it at something closer to Toy Story Toons length.
