Small Fry (2011)

Bonnie is given a Zurg belt buckle when her mom buys a small fry at the Poultry Palace. There's a mini Buzz in the display but the cashier refuses to let her have it. The mini Buzz escapes and switches places with Bonnie's Buzz. The fake Buzz convinces Rex that he shrunk but nobody else believes him. The real Buzz finds his way to the discarded Fun Meal toys support group. The Toy Story gang is back although some of the discarded toys are funnier. It's a sad reality that so much garbage toys get produced and sold with the fast food which are then quickly discarded. The ridiculous toys are funny in their stupidity. It's a quick jab but also a fun short.

Buzz and Rex get taken to a Poultry Palace, a fast-food joint where mini toys are given away with meals. A mini version of Buzz Lightyear spots the real Buzz and decides to swap places in order to finally get played with rather than be a display model or be abandoned in the ball pit like so many other fast-food freebies. The swap is done, leaving Buzz stuck with the toys left behind, while the gang back at home have to deal with this smaller, more annoying version of Buzz.This short film from the Toy Story stable is yet again not quite up there with the strength of the film but yet it manages to be funny and engaging none the less. We have seen the basic plot before but the specifics of this time give some nice scenarios, specifically the support group. The interaction with Lizard Wizard made me laugh out loud and generally this was a nice idea. It concludes quickly and mini-Buzz doesn't seem to be much more than a plot device, but it does its job and gives a nice short burst of well animated fun with the well-known voices and characters in support.Fans of Toy Story will like it enough to forgive its flaws, and luckily enough I guess the vast majority of those watching, will be fans of the films.

'TOY STORY TOONS: SMALL FRY': Four Stars (Out of Five) The second 'TOY STORY' Pixar animated short film (after 'HAWAIIAN VACATION'), this one debuted before 'THE MUPPETS'. It was written and directed by Angus MacLane and stars the usual 'TOY STORY' voice talents (Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn, etc.) plus newcomers Jane Lynch, Timothy Dalton and more. It runs about 7 minutes and tells the story of Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen once again) being replaced by a mini kids' meal version of himself (voiced by Teddy Newton) at home while he's trapped at a fast food restaurant with other thrown away kids' meal toys who have their own support group. The premise is a great idea and the film is packed with clever laughs. Minute for minute I'd say this short film is the wittiest of all the 'TOY STORY' films, stretched in to a feature length movie it probably would have ran a little thin though. It's much better than the last 'TOY STORY' short and nearly perfect for it's 7 minute running time. As far as short films go this is definitely a rewarding and worthwhile movie going experience, especially if you're a fan of Pixar or 'TOY STORY'.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKd3ajZbngo

A local fast food outlet has Buzz Lightyear toys with their kids meals. Through some strange circumstances, the real Buzz is left in the store and a smaller and somewhat annoying Buzz from a kids meal is taken home instead. What's to happen with the original and will they ever get him back...like the previous "Toy Story" films.I have given this short film a very respectable score of 7. I might have been tempted to score it higher, but frankly would have preferred some original characters and am getting a bit burnt out on "Toy Story". I know this means I am running counter to the rest of the viewers out there who seem to have an insatiable love of these folks. While good, to me, familiarity will soon be bringing contempt. Now this does NOT mean I dislike the film--the concept was pretty fresh and the animation was shockingly good. This improved CGI is obvious when you see the adorable little girl in this film who was also in "Toy Story 3" (Bonnie)--she is so much more realistic looking here only about a year later. Shockingly realistic, actually.