They're back!
"They," of course, are Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, Slinky Dog, Rex, Bullseye, Hamm and the other beloved toy characters from Disney-Pixar's Toy Story movies.
Both animated features were considered state-of-the-art when they were made in 1995 and 1999. And make no mistake, they still impress today.
But they've been spruced up for a 10th anniversary celebration.
"Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" in 3-D is a two-week engagement that brings both movies back to theaters. And they're being shown in the Disney Digital 3D format. (The double-feature starts at more than 1,500 theater locations around the country today. That includes most of the Megaplex, Carmike and Cinemark chain locations in the state.)
This is also a test-run for the combination of digital animation current 3-D technology, which will be used for next June's "Toy Story 3."
Here's a quick refresher course for those of you who may have forgotten what the films were about, as if anyone really could:
"Toy Story" (1995) revolves around the rivalry that develops between Woody (the voice of Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (the voice of Tim Allen). The two action figures are vying for the attention of their human owner, a boy named Andy.
In "Toy Story 2" (1999), Buzz must rescue Woody, who's been stolen by a toy collector and who is now in danger of being sold to a Tokyo museum.
While fans are already excited to revisit the films, the rerelease has also been met with a little skepticism.
Some people may be reluctant to pay to see movies that a lot of them already own on DVD. And some are reluctant to see 3-D attractions, which can cause
headaches and eye strain.
Also, the combined package runs three hours plus, which is a long time for audiences — especially children — to sit quietly in a movie theater.
However, if you are a fan of the films, there are a lot of good reasons to see them again:
The rerelease comes at a time when there aren't too many quality films that can be enjoyed by an entire family.
You get two movies for the price of one. Pre-sale prices for the rerelease average between $10-$12 (between $8.50-$9 for children and seniors). And yes, that includes the 3-D glasses "convenience" fee.
It's fun to see how much digital animation and character rendering has progressed in nearly 15 years. Almost more startling is seeing how much it progressed between the two films. Especially when it comes to human and animal characters.
Andy's little sister, Molly, or "Princess Drool" as she's known by some of the toys, looks inhuman and almost grotesque in the first "Toy Story."
"Toy Story's" menacing pitbull, Scud, looks unconvincing. Compare that cartoon pooch to Andy's pet dachshund, Buster, in "Toy Story 2."
The 3-D effects are pretty dazzling, too. Witness Buzz's ill-advised attempts to fly — to go to "infinity and beyond," as he says — in "Toy Story." And a sequence from "Toy Story 2" in which Buzz, Hamm, Rex and Slinky Dog attempt to cross a busy street while disguised as orange traffic cones is even more hilarious in 3-D.
There are also some very fun extras, including a tease of "Toy Story 3," some outtakes and an intermission.
During the movie break, there are bits of Toy Story trivia and other surprises, such as early test footage that shows what Woody would have looked like as a ventriloquist dummy. (Thank goodness they abandoned that idea.)
By the way, the intermission is not in 3-D.
Speaking of which, for those who don't enjoy 3-D but still want to see a Pixar movie this weekend, "Up" is still playing in discount theaters, or so-called "dollar houses." (The film will be on DVD Nov. 10.)
e-mail: jeff@desnews.com