Toy Story of Terror! (2013)

There's something genuinely clever about taking the Toy Story world, stripping away the grand adventure, and dropping it into a creepy roadside motel for Halloween. It shouldn't work as well as it does. But here we are.

Toy Story of Terror! is a short, sharp, seasonal spin-off that knows exactly what it wants to be. When Bonnie's toys end up stranded at a dodgy inn during a road trip, things quickly start going wrong. Toys vanish. Lights flicker. Something lurks in the shadows. The setup is pure B-movie horror, played with just the right amount of cheek, and it's that tonal balance that makes the whole thing tick. It's scary enough to give younger kids a proper Halloween atmosphere without ever tipping into anything genuinely unsettling. Think shadows and suspense rather than scares. Think Mr. Potato Head doing his best film noir detective impression, which is exactly as funny as it sounds.

What I appreciated most is that this is Jessie's show. Woody and Buzz have had their moments. Plenty of them, across four films and assorted shorts. So it's genuinely refreshing to hand the baton to Jessie and let her carry things with that fiery, headstrong energy she's always had but rarely got to run with on her own. She's a great character, and this is a proper showcase for her. The emotional beats around her are small, but they land cleanly, which is all you can ask of a 22-minute special.

The horror-comedy tone reminds me a little of What We Do in the Shadows (2014), in the sense that both take genre conventions seriously enough to make the comedy work. You have to believe in the rules of the genre before you can play with them, and Toy Story of Terror! clearly does. The motel setting is dripping with classic monster movie atmosphere. Flickering neon. Creaking corridors. A suspicious proprietor. The gags land because the atmosphere is doing its job.

The animation is exactly what you'd expect from Pixar: sharp, expressive, and detailed even in a production this size. There's no drop in quality just because it's a Halloween special rather than a theatrical release. The character work is tight, the pacing is brisk without feeling rushed, and every toy in the ensemble gets at least one good moment. For a 22-minute runtime, that's impressive juggling.

Does it reach the emotional heights of Toy Story 3? Of course not. That film wrung me out completely. This is something lighter, something built for a specific occasion and a specific audience. A Halloween treat rather than a feature-length story. And I think that's fine. Not everything has to swing for the fences. Sometimes a solid single down the middle is exactly what you're after.

If you've got kids, this is a perfect October evening watch. If you're a Toy Story fan of any age, it's worth half an hour of your time just for the fun of seeing these characters in a completely different register. It's not essential viewing, and I'd never argue otherwise. But it delivers precisely what it promises: good laughs, a bit of spooky atmosphere, and a group of toys you've always liked getting a chance to be genuinely brave. Three stars.

Rating: ★★★  | Year: 2013  | Watched: 2025-09-25

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Rakuten TV
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Fandango At Home
Physical: Amazon US

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More with Joan Cusack: School of Rock (2003) · Toy Story 3 (2010) · Toy Story 2 (1999)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More adventure: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · The Eagle (1925) · Louisiana Story (1948) · The General (1926)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)