Genre: Animated | Family

Network: ABC

Air Date/Time: October 16, 2013, 8/7c

Directed by: Angus MacLane

Synopsis: Disney/Pixar‘s first special for television, “Toy Story OF TERROR!,” a spooky new tale featuring all of your favorite characters from the “Toy Story” films, airs WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16 (8:00-8:30 p.m., ET).

What starts out as a fun road trip for the “Toy Story” gang takes an unexpected turn for the worse when the trip detours to a roadside motel. After one of the toys goes missing, the others find themselves caught up in a mysterious sequence of events that must be solved before they all suffer the same fate in this “Toy Story OF TERROR!”

The cast of “Toy Story OF TERROR!” includes Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz, Joan Cusack as Jessie, Carl Weathers as Combat Carl/Combat Carl Jr., Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Wallace Shawn as Rex and Kristen Schaal as Trixie.

“Toy Story OF TERROR!” is produced by Galyn Susman and directed by Angus MacLane. The special is from Disney/Pixar.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/BsKMStXgEkI[/youtube]

If you love Toy Story, you’re gonna love this. Just like I do, because IT IS ADORABLE. So many great movies, when they move to the small-screen in a sequel, lose their magic and their charm and feel like cheap and disappointing imitations. I promise, that is not the case here. Like I said, IT IS ADORABLE.

Small-screen sequels also often lose all the “name” voices, but not our beloved Toy Story. Almost unbelievably, they’re all here. Well, mostly all. But those voices that are missing haven’t been replaced; they’ve just shaved down the cast a bit, perfectly acceptable in a half hour special.

Nor have they added in anything shockingly new or extraneous or ill-fitting. I would have loved a couple more laughs, like we got in the first movie, but I did actually laugh out loud once or twice, something I don’t do very often with TV shows.

It’s really a spin on Toy Story 2 with some bits of Toy Story thrown in and… I admit it, I still haven’t seen Toy Story 3. I heard about all the sad and knew it wouldn’t be for me; I’m no fan of crying. Happily, there is no crying in Toy Story OF TERROR! It is charming and fun and funny and exciting and yes, it did make me jump once. It wasn’t terror per se, but I definitely jumped. How fun is that? They’ve added in a sweet little salute to classic horror film formulae, which just makes me love it even more.

It may be a little thin to be considered an instant classic, but I’d definitely enjoy seeing it again, before this Halloween and before every Halloween. Well done, Disney/Pixar!

I give Toy Story OF TERROR! Four Out of Five Stars.