With 2014’s Toy Story That Time Forgot, the beloved Pixar franchise gives us a Christmas special. This short tale follows the events of Toy Story 3 and shows how our old pals Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the rest have adapted to their new life with young Bonnie (Emily Hahn).

However, Trixie the Triceratops (Kristen Schaal) feels upset because Bonnie never plays with her as a dinosaur. Instead, she gets stuck with non-dino roles as part of Bonnie’s escapades.

Matters look up when Bonnie goes to play with Mason (RC Cope) and the toys discover he got a slew of “Battlesaurs” for Christmas. Rock-em, sock-em dinosaurs, Trixie feels like she finally can act out her natural instincts.

Not unlike Buzz in the first film, the Battlesaurs don’t understand that they’re toys, so they take their roles as violent combatants seriously. Trixie needs to save her pals from the doom that the Battlesaurs attempt to bring upon them.

Aired as a 2014 Christmas special, Forgot doesn’t attempt much more than a light-hearted good time. The Toy Story movies all went for strong character/thematic depth, but not much of that occurs here.

Of course, lessons will be learned, primarily by Trixie. She comes to accept Bonnie’s whims and sees that her owner’s joy matters more than her narrow view of her natural role. Oh, and the kids realize they should shut off the videogames and use their imaginations more often.

All of that is fine, but those themes/lessons don’t play a substantial role. Instead, Forgot mostly aims to offer a good time, with an emphasis on a spoof of gladiator movies.

In that vein, Forgot does fairly well for itself. I’m glad Schaal’s Trixie gets the spotlight, as it’s nice to see a supporting character come to the fore. Schaal doesn’t have the greatest range as an actor, but she embodies the part and does well.

We also find all the regular Toy Story actors back in action. As they play smaller parts, none do much heavy lifting – I think Hanks recorded his part while he waited in line at Starbucks – but it’s good to have them in the show, as I feared a program like this might opt for soundalikes.

Nothing about Toy Story That Time Forgot dazzles, as it offers a minor pleasure. Still, it gives us an entertaining new entry in the Christmas program genre.

Toy Story That Time Forgot appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The show offered strong visuals.

At all times, sharpness looked immaculate. The special always boasted excellent clarity and definition, with even the smallest objects rendered tight and clear. No issues with jaggies or shimmering occurred, and edge haloes/artifacts were absent. Of course, no source flaws cropped up either, as the movie stayed clean and fresh.

With all the toys on display, we found a nice array of colors, all of which excelled. The wide palette offered fine vivacity, as we got a broad, lively set of hues. Blacks came across as dark and deep, while low-light shots seemed smooth and clear. Everything about the image satisfied.

While not as impressive, the DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack of Forgot still worked fine. The soundfield lacked a lot of opportunities to really dazzle, but it presented a smooth soundscape. The mix featured a lot of gentle ambience, and those elements blended together well.

The surrounds usually focused on those atmospheric elements, but a few scenes added life. Most of these related to the battle sequences, and they gave us a reasonable sense of action. As a TV special, the results didn’t compete with theatrical fare, but they seemed fine.

Audio quality was always positive. Speech was natural and distinctive, without edginess or concerns. Music seemed lively and full, while effects were clear and concise. Low-end demonstrated good punch when necessary. The soundtrack offered a reasonably positive auditory experience.

A few extras flesh out the set, and we start with an audio commentary from writer/director Steve Purcell and story supervisor Derek Thompson. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific view of story/characters/themes, cast and performances, visual/audio design, and connections to the other films.

Despite the brevity of this commentary, Purcell and Thompson make this a very informative chat. They pack every second with good material related to the program. I didn't expect much from the conversation, but it delivers a terrific look at the show.

For a look behind the scenes of Battlesaurs, we go to Reptillus!, a 10-minute, 51-second featurette. It features notes from Purcell, Thompson, producer Galyn Susman, story artist Louise Smythe, production designer Anthony Christov, directing animator Andrew Gordon, and actor Kevin McKidd. This featurette discusses backstory and design for the Battlesaurs. Tight and informative, the show covers the subject matter well.

Toy Story Goes to Comic-Con lasts three minutes, 39 seconds. It shows Purcell, Thompson, Susman and actor Kristen Schaal as they introduce Forgot at Comic-Con. It’s a short, forgettable reel.

A Karaoke segment appears. This provides a ballad called “My Unexpected Friend” and plays it with or without Reptillus’ vocals. The silly presentation makes it mildly interesting.

Next we find a Battlesaurs Animated Opening. It runs 50 seconds and shows what the title implies: an intro for the fake TV series. It fits the series well and becomes a fun addition.

Five Deleted Scenes fill a total of nine minutes, 25 seconds. We find “Battlesaurs Christmas” (3:06), “Prisoners of Bone” (1:22), “SOS” (1:07), “Trixie’s Proposal” (1:55) and “Light of Play” (1:51). All of these offer entertainment value and some would’ve worked well in the show. In particular, I like “Bone” since it acknowledges the program’s echoes of the first Toy Story.

Note that those totals include short introductions from Purcell. He tells us where the clips would have fit into the special and why they got the boot. Purcell brings us some useful insights.

The disc opens with ads for The Good Dinosaur and Inside Out. No promo for Forgot shows up here.

A new holiday special, Toy Story That Time Forgot provides a likable show. It doesn’t offer a great program, but it musters enough entertainment to make it worthwhile. The Blu-ray boasts excellent visuals as well as decent audio and bonus materials. Toy Story fans should enjoy this new effort.