Toy Story that Time Forgot

Pixar’s adorable 2014 Toy Story holiday special is now available on DVD/Blu-Ray. In Toy Story that Time Forgot Bonnie brings her toys to a friend’s house and then leaves them to play a videogame. Buzz, Woody, and the gang discover that the friend’s armored dinosaur toys think they are real because they have never been played with. They have villainous British accents (Buzz calls them “Shakespeare in the Park”) and they are called Battlesaurs, so they want to battle.  “Battle is everything to us.  Our survival. Our legacy. From a kingdom long ago.”  But the concept of play, even of giving, is beyond their comprehension.

Rex (Wallace Shawn) is fitted with robot arms and sent into the arena.  And Trixie (Kristen Schaal) gets the role of a lifetime — herself — only to learn how much more there is in giving to someone else.  Battlesaur Reptillus Maximus (Kevin McKidd) begins to question everything the thought he knew about his purpose and the nature of his reality.  Victory is glorious, but surrender to service opens up new opportunities, especially when imagination is involved.

This 22-minute film introduces some wonderful new characters, including  the ethereal and mysteriously aphoristic Angel Kitty (Emma Hudak). And the DVD has a lot of great extras, including deleted scenes and the intro to the imaginry “Battlesaurs” television series.