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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Toy Story 3 (Blu-ray) (2010)

Toy Story 3 (Blu-ray) (2010)

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Released 17-Nov-2010

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Animation Main Menu Audio & Animation
Audio-Visual Commentary
Audio Commentary
System Setup
Featurette-Lots & Lots detail below
Game
Trailer-Lots
Rating Rated G
Year Of Production 2010
Running Time 102:33
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered
Multi Disc Set (3)
Cast & Crew
Start Up Language Select Then Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Lee Unkrich
Studio
Distributor
Pixar
Walt Disney Studios Home Ent.
Starring Tom Hanks
Tim Allen
Joan Cusack
Ned Beatty
Don Rickles
Michael Keaton
Case Standard Blu-ray
RPI $44.95 Music Randy Newman
Ken Schretzmann
Lee Unkrich


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English DTS HD Master Audio 7.1
English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Chinese Dolby Digital 2.0
Korean Dolby Digital 5.1
Chinese Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
Chinese Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 1080p
Original Aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English
Chinese
Chinese
Korean
Chinese
Chinese
Portuguese
Thai
Indonesian
Malay
Vietnamese
English Titling
Chinese
Korean
Chinese
Portuguese Titling
Chinese
Thai
Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     Let me start by getting something out of the way about this 3 disc (2 Blu-ray & 1 DVD) set. I really don't see how you could have made this better than it is as a Blu-ray release. It has everything you can think of; incredible video, awesome audio (including a 7.1 lossless track) and an absolutely huge collection of extras. It is undoubtedly the best release of 2010 that I have seen. As an added bonus it also includes a wonderful film, which is a great addition to the Toy Story series. While some animated series have fluctuated in quality (Shrek anyone?), this one just gets better and better. Pixar just keep producing great films.

     The story here in the third part sees Andy ready to leave for college and needing to decide what to do with his toys, which have not been getting a lot of playing with Andy lately. The toys decide to do something about it to avoid getting thrown away or put in the attic and through a series of misadventures end up at the Sunnyside Day Care Center. Initially, this seems like a great place to end up with lots of kids to play with them and many other friendly toys. They soon realise, however, that all is not as it seems and Sunnyside may not be a great environment for them.

     The film has a wonderful wild west opening sequence, taking place in Andy's imagination, which allows the characters to do things they normally wouldn't and the animators to play with some great ideas. There are also a number of new and excellent characters including Lots-o-huggin' Bear (Ned Beatty), Ken, of Ken and Barbie (Michael Keaton) and Mr Pricklepants, a thespian hedgehog (Timothy Dalton). There are some excellent sequences and a really quite sinister closing action sequence. There are also some really funny ideas like Buzz being reset and getting stuck in Spanish mode or Mr Potato Head needing to use things other than his potato as a body. All in all it is a great sequel and a very worthy addition to the series.

     This film was directed by long time Pixar but first time solo director Lee Unkrich and he has certainly done a marvellous job. I could go on and on about this film but there is little point, you already know it is a great film. Just buy it already!

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Transfer Quality

Video

     The video quality is absolutely incredible as you would expect. The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 1080p native widescreen.

     The picture was incredibly clear and sharp throughout with the full detail of the animation jumping off the screen at the viewer. The colour was magnificent, with the various shades and hues of the characters (and all of Ken's outfits) beautifully presented. There were no noticeable artefacts.

     There are subtitles in English for the Hearing Impaired and many other languages. There are also captions in a variety of languages.

     There is no noticeable layer change during the program.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is also incredibly good. This Blu-ray contains eight audio options, an English DTS HD-MA 7.1 soundtrack, an English DTS HD-MA 5.1 ES soundtrack, a Chinese Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack, a Korean Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack and the same in two other Chinese variants, Portuguese & Thai. The 7.1 and English 5.1 tracks are both awesome. Unfortunately I don't have a 7.1 setup so cannot comment specifically on the 7.1 variant, in terms of differences to the 5.1. Regardless having the 7.1 is an excellent addition for those who can fully utilise it.

     Dialogue was clear and easy to hear at all times. The score by Randy Newman is marvellous once again and my kids particularly enjoyed the Spanish version of the Toy Story theme song, You got a Friend in Me.

     The surround speakers were in constant usage throughout for numerous surround effects, voices, atmosphere, action scenes and much, much more. The definition and directionality of the sound is a joy to listen to. The subwoofer is also used constantly supporting bangs, bumps, action scenes and the music.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

    This set contains three discs, two Blu-rays and a DVD. The extras are incredible in terms of both quality and quantity. Although the feature disc does not contain a commentary there are two on Disc 2, so do not despair.

Menu

    The menu is awesome with lots of input from the characters and things you don't see often like screen saver functionality. Bravo!

Disc 1 - Blu-ray

Maximise your Home Theatre

    High quality home theatre video and audio tests to help you set yours up better. Bring you own sound meter.

Screen Saver

    A nice feature which automatically puts a screen saver on if you leave the disc on the menu too long. It also allows the delay to be adjusted. Also on Disc 2.

Buzz Lightyear Mission Log - The Science of Adventure (4:25)

    Buzz hosts a show about science, focusing on experiments in space. Kids will enjoy this.

Theatrical Short - Night & Day (6:02)

    Although probably not the greatest of the Pixar shorts, this is still an inventive and well made short about day and night fighting each other. A Great extra.

Toys! (6:39)

    Crew members talk about the new characters and toys they created for this film and changes in animation since the previous films which have allowed them to upgrade the main characters. Quite Interesting.

Disc 2 - Blu-ray

    Disc 2 is divided into a number of sections and has numerous subtitle streams available.

Family Play

The Gang's All Here (10:24)

    Obligatory voice cast featurette about how the previous stars returned (Hanks, Allen etc) and the new cast members like Jeff Garlin, Bonnie Hunt, Timothy Dalton, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Keaton & Ned Beatty. Also covered is why Slinky Dog needed a new voice cast member for this film.

Goodbye Andy (8:04)

    Featurette on the themes of the film and various thoughts about how to say goodbye to Andy. The last scene approach is covered in some detail. The director and animators are interviewed.

Accidental Toymakers (3:59)

    Featurette on the toymakers involved in the original film and new toys for TS3. Snore.

A Toy's Eye View: Creating a Whole New Land (5:29)

    Basically an ad for Disney themed parks and the Toy Story rides at them. Zzzzz.

Epilogue (4:22)

    Full screen credits sequence from the film, without the credits.

Film Fans

Cine-Explore (102:33)

    The first commentary style extra. This is a picture-in-picture commentary featuring the commentators plus lots of other photos such as storyboards etc. The commentators are Lee Unkrich (Director) and Darla K Anderson (Producer). They are enthusiastic and interesting and discuss other ideas considered for scenes, links to the earlier films, technical improvements, the characters, the story, the voice cast and much more including John Lasseter's role in the production. Excellent!

Beyond the Toybox - Alternative Commentary (102:33)

    A more conventional commentary with five of the technical leads from story, Technical, Art and Animation. A little drier but still very interesting. It covers character design, story, technical details, trivia and special effects. Very worthwhile.

Roundin' Up a Western Opening (5:47)

    Covers the opening sequence and how they developed it, based on the idea that they wanted this opening sequence to be Woody rather than Buzz focused. Covers other ideas they tried and the development process of the final version. Worthwhile.

Bonnie's Playtime - Story Roundtable (6:31)

    A roundtable discussion amongst story guys about he challenges of developing one particular scene. Interesting.

Beginnings - Setting a Story in Motion (8:15)

    A more general discussion of story development in animated films which compares TS3 to Finding Nemo & The Incredibles. Interesting.

Life of a Shot (7:00)

    Featurette on the various components of each shot in an animated film, featuring many of the technical people involved. Worthwhile.

Making of Day & Night (2:05)

    EPK style promo making of for the short.

Paths to Pixar (4:40)

    A featurette focused on the film editors role in Pixar productions.

Studio Stories - Where's Gordon (2:18)

    Featurette about a story from Pixar's history which may or may not be completely true.

Studio Stories - Cereal Bar (1:38)

    Featurette about a story from Pixar's history which may or may not be completely true.

Studio Stories - Clean Start (3:07)

    Featurette about a story from Pixar's history which may or may not be completely true. This one is specific to TS3.

Games & Activities

Toy Story Trivia Dash

    A very well put together trivia quiz game with multiple rounds for two players. Much better than was possible on DVD. You can choose to be asked trivia questions about just TS3 or all the movies. Sometimes you don't have enough time to read the question.

Publicity

Grab Bag (3:54)

    My kids favourite extra which is a collection of small promotional snippets for the film. Funny stuff.

Ken's Dating Tips (1:36)

    A funny collection of dating tips from Ken.

Lots-o-Huggin' Bear Commercial (0:30)

    Commercial made to look like it is from the 1980s for the bear in the film.

Lots-o-Huggin' Bear Commercial (Japan) (0:26)

    Commercial made to look like it is from the 1980s for the bear in the film. Japanese version

Internet Chat (1:02)

    Silly promo piece based around internet chatting - linked to a scene in the film.

Security Cam (1:13)

    Horror spoof promo.

Gadgets (0:56)

    Short promo piece.

Dancing with the Stars at Pixar (2:23)

    Promotional featurette about Dancing with the Stars getting involved in the design of Buzz's doing Spanish dancing.

Silence Trailer (0:38)

Anti-Piracy Trailer (1:02)

Teaser Trailer (1:44)

Trailer 2 (2:21)

Trailer 3 (2:30)

Japan Teaser Trailer 1 (1:02)

Japan Trailer 2 (2:44)

Character Intros (2:00)

    Promo pieces for the new characters.

Poster Gallery

    20+ posters for the film

Disc 3 - DVD

    A complete DVD version of the film (in PAL-runtime 98:26) with Dolby Digital 5.1 EX sound plus Audio Descriptive and other languages, an excellent video transfer for SD and the following extras repeated from above

 

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    The US edition of the Blu-ray includes an extra disc with a digital copy of the film and has BD-Live functionality. Both the US and local Blu-rays appear to be Blu-ray region free.

Summary

    A wonderful addition to the Toy Story franchise. The video quality is excellent. The audio quality is excellent. The extras are marvellous and plentiful.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Daniel Bruce (Do you need a bio break?)
Friday, December 31, 2010
Review Equipment
DVDSONY BDP-S760 Blu-ray, using HDMI output
DisplayLG Scarlet 42LG61YD 106cm Full HD LCD. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderBuilt into BD player. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationPioneer VSX-511
SpeakersMonitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Sony SAW2500M Subwoofer

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