Small Fry (film) explained

Small Fry
Director:Angus MacLane
Producer:Kim Adams
Starring:Tom Hanks
Tim Allen
Joan Cusack
Don Rickles
Estelle Harris
Wallace Shawn
John Ratzenberger
Teddy Newton
Angus MacLane
Jane Lynch
Timothy Dalton
Music:Henry Jackman
Editing:Torbin Xan Bullock
Production Companies:Pixar Animation Studios
Distributor:Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Runtime:7 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English

Toy Story Toons: Small Fry is a 2011 American animated short film written and directed by Angus MacLane. It was shown in theaters with The Muppets on November 23, 2011.

Small Fry is the second short in the Toy Story Toons series, based on the characters from the Toy Story feature films. The short involves Buzz getting trapped at a fast food restaurant, where there is a support group for discarded kids' meal toys from over the years, with a kids' meal toy version of Buzz taking his place.

Plot

One night at fast-food chicken restaurant named Poultry Palace, Bonnie is disappointed to receive a Zurg belt buckle as her kids' meal toy, as the restaurant ran out of Mini Buzz Lightyear toys. In a nearby display cabinet, a Mini Buzz Lightyear complains to a Mini Zurg that they will never be played with, but Mini Zurg prefers to stay.

After eating dinner, Bonnie goes to play in the ball pit with Rex and Buzz Lightyear, whom she brought along. Seizing a chance to be played with, Mini Buzz sneaks out of the display cabinet, climbs into the ball pit, and pulls Buzz under the balls to take his place. Bonnie's mother packs the toys in her bag, unaware that Mini Buzz was not the real Buzz.

Mini Buzz successfully fools Rex into thinking he is the real Buzz and that he was shrunk by the plastic in the ball pit, though when they return home, the other toys instantly realize he is an imposter. Meanwhile, Buzz emerges from the balls and discovers he was left behind at the restaurant, which is now closed.

While trying to escape, Buzz discovers a storage room where a support group for abandoned fast food toys is being held, led by a mermaid toy named Neptuna.

The support group thinks Buzz is another victim of abandonment and he is forced to take part in the meeting. During a reenactment therapy session, Buzz meets Gary Grappling Hook, a toy grappling hook and a member of the group, and he uses him to escape. Back at Bonnie's house, the other toys demand Mini Buzz to reveal Buzz's whereabouts, and then begin devising a plan to break into Poultry Palace and save him.

However, Buzz soon finds his way home and returns, confronting Mini Buzz about his behavior. Mini Buzz is then seen at the support group opening up to the others, with Buzz now accompanying him as his sponsor. In a post-credits scene, back at the Poultry Place restaurant, Mini Zurg is left with the electronic belt buckle as his sole companion, much to his delight.

Voice cast

See main article: List of Toy Story characters.

Production notes

The "Condorman" toy is a reference to the Disney live action comedy/adventure film Condorman (1981); in an interview, director Angus MacLane said, "I'm hoping for a very small sub set of the Disney animation fans to be stoked that there is actually a Condorman toy. Maybe it will stir up some buzz about a gritty re boot."[1]

Release

This short premiered with the theatrical release of The Muppets, on November 23, 2011.[2]

Home media

As of July 2012, Small Fry is available as a digital download on Amazon Video,[3] and iTunes.[4] The short was released on November 9, 2012, on the DVD and Blu-ray of Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 2.[5] It is also on the Toy Story of Terror! Blu-ray, released on August 19, 2014.

Notes and References

  1. News: Radish. Christina. Director Angus MacLane Talks New TOY STORY Short SMALL FRY Which Plays in Front of THE MUPPETS. December 26, 2011. Collider.com. November 21, 2011.
  2. News: Lussier. Germain. The 'Toy Story' Gang Will Return In 'Small Fry,' Attached To 'The Muppets'. 19 August 2011. /Film. 19 August 2011.
  3. Web site: Small Fry (Short). Amazon. July 18, 2012.
  4. Web site: Small Fry. iTunes. July 27, 2012.
  5. News: Sluss. Justin. Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 2" is coming to Blu-ray in November. September 2, 2012. High Def Disc News. August 26, 2012.