Originally Disney planned to release these two films separately…”1” now…and “2” in February, but when the studio decided to release another of their classics: “Beauty and the Beast” in 3-D in February, the decision was made to turn the “Toy Story” 3-D’s into a double-feature.
There’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know Buzz, Woody and all the other characters from the “Toy Story” movies, and the stories themselves, which you saw either when they first came out in theaters in 1995 and 1999, or have seen on TV or on DVD. And if you’re a kid, or the parent of kids, chances are you’ve seen them over and over and over.
What’s special about the re-release of the films is that you have the chance to see them back-to-back on the Big Screen for the first time, and they’ve been converted to 3-D, which is great and really enhances the stories. It’s certainly not the best 3-D effect you’ve ever seen (compared to, say ”Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”) because they studio converted 2-D films that are 10 and 14 years old.
Of the two films, the 3-D is better in “Toy Story 2”, especially the opening sequence where Buzz and Zurg battle-it-out in a video game.
As for the stories there are no changes. However, there are some new, fun additions, including an introduction in which the characters explain how the “double-feature” is going to work and trivia questions and new funny shorts that run throughout the 10-minute intermission.
And we get our first look at the “Toy Story 3” trailer: Andy is off to college and all the toys get sent to a Day Care Center, which doesn’t work out too well, so they decide to try to escape. “Toy Story3” in 3-D is set for release on June 18, 2010.
As for the double-feature experience: getting there early to get a good seat, previews, the two movies, plus intermission, and staying for the end credits (which is a must since they include hilarious outtakes) adds-up to nearly 4-hours. If you plan on bringing little ones I suggest going to a matinee. However, I went to a 7:00 showing (which was sold out) and there were a lot of kids in the audience, and they all made it through.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, the “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2” in 3-D double-feature gets a B+. The whole experience is a lot of fun. I’d forgotten some parts of each of the films so it was great to see them again, and in a theater for the first time. And they really get you ready for “3” next summer.
Remember: this “Toy Story” event is only in theaters for 2-weeks so if you want to go, don’t wait too long.