Toy Story 3: Trixie Plush (Disney Parks Exclusive)

Currently available exclusively at Disney Parks, here we have the new for 2017 Toy Story 3 Trixie plush! I was able to pick this up during our visit to Walt Disney World just last month (it can also be found at Disneyland/California Adventure as well). Trixie measures about 12.9" long x 6.5" tall x 6.4" wide and retails for $16.99.

Trixie is one of those few Toy Story characters, like Stinky Pete, Wheezy, Rocky and others, who has never gotten a true, mainstream, full size toy/replica release after all these years. Isn't that odd? How easy would it be to make her, right? In the film, she appears to be a pretty cheap plastic mold with minimal detail (right around Rex's size); a real life version of her wouldn't have to be much more than that in terms of quality. Also, all of Bonnie's other toys have gotten the replica treatment (heck, Mr. Pricklepants, Dolly and Buttercup were even released as part of the high end Thinkway Toys "Toy Story Collection")— so where's Trixie? OK, rant done. ;)

With that said, since no official full scale plastic Trixie toy has been made (yet), this is a great alternative for the time being (to at least have the character represented in your collection). That was my way of thinking—so I most definitely had to pick this up when I saw it!

As far as plushes are concerned, this one actually has a very good likeness to the character, feels sturdy yet soft and stands up very well on her own. I like the the high sheen of the fabric as well. Everything from the quality of the stitching to the embroidered features looks very nice here overall.

Whether you're looking for a alternative to a plastic Trixie toy for the time being (like me) or you just like the character and want this as part of your Disney plush collection (kids especially might just like her to cuddle with), I can highly recommend picking this up.

At Disney World, you can find her all over the place (just check the Shop Disney Parks app for the exact locations she's sold) and I'm sure she's just as easy to find currently in Disneyland as well. If you can't make it to either park soon, you can order this straight from the Shop Disney Parks app and have it shipped conveniently right to your home.

With Toy Story 4 a couple years away, maybe we can look forward to a "to scale" Trixie toy then...but for now, we'll just have to wait and see! Let me know your thoughts your thoughts in the comments below.

Find me on Instagram @danthepixarfan

Toy Story: Midway Mania Mr. Potato Head Mug (Disney Parks Exclusive)

Last month during our vacation to Walt Disney World, I stumbled upon this crazy awesome Toy Story Mr. Potato Head mug featuring his "boardwalk barker" look from the Toy Story Mania attraction! Given that Midway Mania is one of my all time favorite Disney rides and that Potato Head is one of my favorite Pixar characters, there was no question regarding if I was going to get this or not. The question was just when I would get it.

There is a short story regarding this...so here we go. The first night we got to Orlando, we hit up Disney Springs before anything else. I popped into one of my favorite stores, The World of Disney, and found a bunch of these mugs there on a shelf (as seen in my pic below). I had seen this mug design online prior, but had totally forgotten about it going in (so it was a very pleasant surprise). I added it to my list of "wants" and continued on.

However, when I went to pick this up just three days later (the very last night of our trip), it was completely sold out. I even ran, quite literally, over to the Hollywood Studios Pixar Place gift shop at the last minute before closing (I had seen a bunch there earlier), and it was gone there as well. Eventually I was able to get assisted by a helpful cast member who informed me that, according to the system he was checking on, this mug had sold out everywhere. Nooooooooo...how did that even happen? Moral of the story: when you see something you want, just get it—especially at Disney World.

I left empty handed that night, but thanks to my mom (who heard this story and then totally surprised me with it on my birthday; I believe she resorted to eBay), this great mug is now a part of my collection.

The mug is made of a ceramic material, stands about 6" tall and holds 18 oz. It is not dishwasher or microwave safe. His hat, of course, is removable. I can't remember the original retail price, but I wanna say it was around $14.95.

One detail I especially love here is how the handle is Potato Head's harm grabbing his ear. This is a direct reference to the huge Mr. Potato Head animatronic seen in the Toy Story Mania ride line/queue (on which this mug is based on), who sometimes reaches for his ear, takes it out, holds it and then puts it back in. It's one of the most impressive and most sophisticated moves I've ever seen an animatronic do (see what I'm talking about in this video HERE). 

I'm not sure if the mug ever came back in stock after I left, but it's very possible. I believe this is also available in Disneyland/California Adventure as well, so that's another option. If you can't make it to either, you can try calling the Disney Parks merchandise hotline to see if they can ship it to you (877-560-6477) or just visit good 'ol eBay using this direct link to current listings. It's also in stock over at the "Your WDW Store" site HERE (almost double the price, but it's there nonetheless). 

Will you be picking this mug up? What are your thoughts? Shout it out in the comments below!

Disney·Pixar Cars 3 Soundtrack Review TWO! (The "Hits")

This past weekend I shared my thoughts on and gave you a detailed review of the Cars 3 soundtrack featuring Randy Newman's fantastic score (be sure to check that out right HERE). If you wondered, "hey, where are all the other cool tunes I heard in the movie??", wonder no longer. They're right here on a SECOND Cars 3 soundtrack—this time featuring the "hits"!

So much of the fun of the original Cars stemmed from the song choices outside of Randy Newman's score. The Cars soundtrack instantly became everyone's favorite road trip music with songs like "Life is a Highway", "Route 66" and many more. There was a great mixture of old songs, new original songs and new covers of old songs. There was an overall country/folk/50's rock and roll vibe which provided retro undertones that helped give the film a timeless, classic feel. With that said, if you loved all that about the original Cars soundtrack, you will mostly like LOVE what they did here with the Cars 3 album! I know I did.

 Below are the eight tracks included (amounts to around 28 minutes):

1.	"Run That Race"	Dan Auerbach	2:43
2.	"Kings Highway"	James Bay	3:07
3.	"Truckaroo"	Brad Paisley	2:36
4.	"Thunder Hollow Breakdown"	Brad Paisley	4:49
5.	"Glory Days"	Andra Day	4:07
6.	"Ride"	ZZ Ward ft. Gary Clark Jr.	4:03
7.	"Drive My Car"	Jorge Blanco	2:42
8.	"Freeway of Love"	Lea DeLaria	4:30
Total length:			28:37

The first track, titled "Run that Race" (by singer/songwriter Dan Auerbach),  is essentially Car's 3's "Real Gone" (in that it's an original song that opens the movie). I love it! It really feels like a classic song that's already been around for a while—yet it's brand new. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought it was an older rock song from the 60's or 70's. It's catchy, a lot of fun and was the perfect way to introduce Lightning McQueen at the top of his game at the start of the film.

Track two, titled "Kings Highway" (covered by singer/songwriter James Bay), is one that might sound more familiar since it's a remake of the 1991 classic of the same name (originally sung by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers). Again, this song completely mirrors what they did in the first Cars with "Life is a Highway" in that it's an upbeat, modern cover of a classic song that takes place during a travel montage with Mack and McQueen (and funny enough, both "Life is a Highway" and "Kings Highway" were originally released in 1991). This just might be my favorite track in the film...such a solid choice! I love how they kept the old school rock and roll feel, but gave it a slight modern update (without going too modern). Tom Petty purists may not dig it, but I really like this one.

Tracks three and four, "Truckaroo" and "Thunder Hollow Breakdown", are original instrumentals by Cars staple, country singer/songwriter Brad Paisley. In the first film, Paisley provided two original songs: "Behind the Clouds" (which subtly plays in the background of Flo's V8 cafe, as if it was coming through an old radio, while the townies discuss Doc as a famous race car. It's also heard at the beginning of the short Mater and the Ghostlight) and "Find Yourself" (which plays during the end credits). In Cars 2, Paisley preformed the end credits song "Collision of Worlds." For Cars 3, Paisley digs deep into his southern roots and gives us two rockin' blue-collar style tracks featuring original electric guitar compositions—track three sets the scene at Thunder Hollow and track four captures the high-octane crazy eight action of the demolition derby! Both are very cool tracks which turned out exactly how I pictured/hoped they would.

Track five, "Glory Days" (preformed by Andra Day) is another cover of an oldie but goodie...the 1984 classic of the same name (originally by Bruce Springsteen). This version has much more of a country flair (as well as some good ol' soul) which works perfect in the film's old town pub scene. The style they went with fits so well here and the lyrics perfectly match the overall theme of the film as well. No complaints.

"Ride" (by ZZ Ward and Gary Clark Jr.) is track six and is the last of the songs on this album that are actually in the movie. "Ride" had its worldwide debut on April 17th of this year during the Dancing with the Stars "Disney Night" television event. I have grown incredibly fond of this song and find myself putting it on repeat often (that guitar riff is fantastic and gets stuck in my head). Again, I LOVE how they captured the magic, retro tone of late 50's/60's rock and roll era with some added modern energy. And after having seen the film and how this song fits into the epilogue/end credits, I enjoy it that much more picturing what's happening on screen. So well done!

The last two tracks, "Drive My Car" and "Freeway of Love", as mentioned, are not even in the film (they're classified as "bonus tracks" here on the album). Both of them are covers of classic songs you probably know or at least heard of; "Drive My Car" was originally by The Beatles (covered here by Jorge Blanco) and "Freeway of Love" (covered here by, and here's a fun fact, Lea DeLaria—the voice of Miss Fritter! Who knew she sang right?) was originally sung by the legendary Aretha Franklin. I probably feel connected to these two tracks the least, but they're still fun to have on here.

To wrap things up, the soundtrack for the original Cars still takes the cake for me—but only by a little. Those were some big shoes to fill and, in my opinion, this ended up being an AWESOME followup in the same league as the first. The overall Cars feel/magic is very much present here and you can tell a lot of effort went into capturing that. These songs are perfect additions to the Cars universe and your roadtrip playlist ;)

Don't take my word for it though, listen for yourself! Be sure to pick this up on iTunes or Amazon (digital or CD) using the links below and let me know what you think. It might take a couple listens for it to sink in, but I hope you end up enjoying it as much as I have.

Disney·Pixar LOU Soundtrack Review

If you've seen Cars 3 in theaters, you more than likely also caught Pixar's charming, brand new short film "Lou" (directed by Dave Mullins) in front of it. If you loved the music in the short as I did, you'll be thrilled to know that it's now available to purchase [digitally only] from Walt Disney Records on both iTunes and Amazon Music!

This two track album retails for $1.99 and includes the "Suite from Lou" (5:04), "Lou End Credits" (0:40) and a digital booklet.

The score is composed by Chistophe Beck, who is no stranger to Disney productions (having scored hits like The Muppets, Frozen and Disney Animation's short film Paperman); though this is his very first composition for a Pixar Studios film. With how cute it turned out, I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't his last either.

The theme that Beck wrote for Lou, like the film, has a lot of charm and heart to it. It's bright, upbeat, somewhat quirky and very catchy. Beck very much captured the sweet innocence of the title character Lou and the youthfulness of the supporting cast on screen. I really like how much the cello shines in several parts too—one of my favorite instruments. There's also a really fun drum kit segment during the second third of the "Suite from Lou" (very reminiscent of something out of Monsters University) which had me tappin' my fingers. Finally, I love how the version of Lou's theme repeated during the end credits track adds a new level of whimsy to the already magical melody.

Composer Chistophe Beck

Overall this is a new classic short film with an equally as classic score that fits in perfectly with the best of Pixar's previous efforts. As soon as I saw Lou, I had hoped for a soundtrack release. I'm glad I got what I wished for! For all you Pixar fans out there—you won't want to miss this. Purchase the album on Amazon or iTunes using the direct links below and be sure to let me know your thoughts on the score and the film itself.

Note- Pixar began releasing their short film soundtracks regularly in 2013 beginning with The Blue Umbrella and then continued with Toy Story of Terror in 2014, Lava in 2015 (featured on the Inside Out soundtrack) and Piper in 2016. For whatever the reason, Sanjay's Super Team and Toy Story That Time Forgot did not get soundtrack releases. Click any of my titles above to read my thoughts!

Disney·Pixar Cars 3 Soundtrack Review (Original Score)

SPOILER WARNING—If you haven't seen the film, tread carefully. The track listing included below ultimately outlines the entire story of Cars 3.

Since the original Toy Story, composer Randy Newman has played a significant role at Pixar Studios—contributing to the tremendous heart and soul of many of their films (including the original Cars) by creating beautiful, memorable and endearing musical scores. His signature style is instantly recognizable; a style which I've never heard repeated or mimicked by any other composer in the slightest. When I think of Pixar, I often synonymously think of Mr. Newman and was absolutely thrilled to hear that he would be returning to the Cars universe with Cars 3.

As much as I enjoyed Michael Giacchino's score for Cars 2, Newman's score was a key ingredient this time around if Pixar was to bring back the feel and heart from the first film to Cars 3 (which was their goal). I'm happy to report that Newman has done it again and that the score he's crafted for Cars 3 does not disappoint. Here is the official track listing:

1.	"Storm's Winning Streak"	1:21
2.	"When All Your Friends Are Gone / Crash"	3:44
3.	"Doc's Painful Demise"	1:25
4.	"Mater on the Horn"	0:28
5.	"Sistine Chapel on Wheels"	1:05
6.	"Temple of Rust-eze"	1:25
7.	"A Career on a Wall / Electronic Suit"	3:20
8.	"Drip Pan"	1:11
9.	"McQueen's Wild Ride"	2:05
10.	"Biggest Brand in Racing"	3:10
11.	"Fireball Beach"	2:15
12.	"Pull Over, Now! / Cruz's Racing Dreams"	1:59
13.	"1.2%"	1:21
14.	"If This Track Could Talk"	2:32
15.	"Letters About You"	2:02
16.	"Smokey Starts Training / A Blaze of Glory"	5:56
17.	"Starting Dead Last"	1:41
18.	"Flashback & Pit Stop"	3:32
19.	"Through the Pack"	3:41
20.	"Victory Lane"	3:50
21.	"The Fabulous Lightning McQueen"

Not only do we get some beautiful new melodies, but Newman does what great composers do by returning to familiar themes and motifs from the original film. Musically speaking, this helps bridge the gap between movies and brings McQueen's story arc full circle (which perfectly matches what's happening visually on screen as well). Newman is a classic composer who understands the importance of "musical storytelling", an art that seems to be fading away in the modern world of film scores.

This soundtrack includes 21 tracks and clocks in at around 50 minutes. While I enjoyed listening to the entire score, below are the tracks that really stood out to me while listening AND watching the film:

Track 2- When All Your Friends Are Gone / Crash 
This track starts off with some slow and emotional strings before transitioning into a vigorous action piece. When the action starts, the tone is hopeful; but it then quickly changes to a more dire feeling— capturing the swelling emotion of McQueen's final race and epic crash perfectly.

Track 3- Doc's Painful Demise 
I like this track for its second half. It introduces, what I call, the "passing the torch" or "mentorship" theme. It's a really beautiful melody that I've had stuck in my head since I saw the film last night.

Track 7- A Career on a Wall / Electronic Suit
This is a very soft, very tender track filled with emotion (at least until the second half where it gets more lively). It introduces what I consider to be Doc Hudson's theme (or the "Doc and McQueen" theme), which shows up at various times during the score. This melody, which is almost like a waltz, also makes up the equally as beautiful track "Letters About You" (Track 15).

Track 11- Fireball Beach
I like this one a lot. It's fun, upbeat and even has some more of those "swooping strings" that I love. There's even some twangy electric guitar and a muted trumpet played "wah-wah" style (very 1920's), which gives this track a really unique sound and feel.

Track 14- If This Track Could Talk
This is my absolute favorite track on the album and one of my favorite scenes in the film. It starts off with Doc Hudson's theme, but this time accompanied by some country style guitar and piano (which gives it a classic, hometown feel). It then transitions flawlessly into the the "passing the torch" theme, ultimately leading to both themes being blended together (very symbolic in a way). It's absolutely gorgeous, with equally as gorgeous visuals to match it on screen.

Track 16- Smokey Starts Training / A Blaze of Glory 
For me, this one is just the epitome of classic and fun Randy Newman. I love how at one point we're even treated to western-esque style cue here which is very reminiscent of what Newman did for the western aspects of the Toy Story films (which repeats again in Track 19- Through the Pack).

Tracks 17, 18, 19 & 20- Starting Dead Last, Flashback & Pit Stop, Through the Pack and Victory Lane 
I love these tracks because there's a nice mix of the new aforementioned themes combined with most of (if not all) the classic Cars racing themes heard in the first movie. Man did hearing those bring the feels for me! Especially the triumphant victory theme heard during the final race in the original film—yup, it's back just like I hoped it would be. You have no idea how glad I was to hear that when I saw Cars 3! They nailed it...chills every time.

To wrap things up, I think this is such a brilliant, well done score with so much heart. For the average person who may not be into scores like I am (or who doesn't really pay too much attention to them), they might listen to this only to hear something forgettable. In that sense, it's not groundbreaking (i.e. most people won't leave the theater humming the tunes like I did); but if you're someone like me who really appreciates the art of orchestral arrangements and musical storytelling, you'll no doubt understand why this score is so incredibly good. Beautiful job Mr. Newman! You've still got it.

Pick up the Cars 3 original score on CD using the link below or be sure to download it digitally via Amazon or iTunes. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment here on the blog or through social media. 

Check back soon for my review of the SECOND (yes, there's two) Cars 3 soundtrack which features the more "mainstream" artists/songs heard in the film. 

Cars 3: Rust-Eze Racing Center Playset (Target Exclusive)

Straight out of Cars 3, here we have the Rust-Eze Racing Center playset by Mattel! This is currently available only at Target stores and comes with an exclusive [plastic] 1:55 scale Rust-Eze Racing Center Lightning McQueen (my personal favorite design out of his new paint jobs seen in the film). This is a really cool, two-level playset packed with all sorts of fun.

From what I've seen from all the trailers and stills from Cars 3, this racing center seems to be a really sleek and high tech facility. It has that really modern appearance filled with glass windows and all the latest state of the art racing training gear on the inside. This playset does nicely capturing that look for what it is! I was so thrilled when I saw this was being made since I've been fan of the look of this place ever since I saw it in the second trailer. 

Let's take a look at this thing all set up! Assembly took about five minutes.

FEATURES—

Pose Lightning McQueen by the giant 95, just like in the movie! Hit the stack of tires to send him rolling away (connects to other Cars "Story Sets"). Ka-Chow!

Roll McQueen into the elevator and lift up on the 95 lightning bolt to transport him to the second level. Once you've reached the top, tilt the bolt to allow him to dive on out.

Lightning is ready to start his simulator training!

This is really neat. Place McQueen (or virtually any car) on the simulator base and turn the dial to steer him left and right. The image on the "screen" is lenticular, so it changes as you move it from side to side. Come on Lightning, you need to beat Jackson Storm!!

If you turn the simulator screen around (which I should have taken a picture of, but you can see it on the back of the box), there's actually a place designed to hold your smart phone as well. In theory, this is a really cool touch! You can pull up any kind of racing video or racing video game app on your phone to add to the simulator effect—however...

That leads me to one minor honest gripe I have; It would have made a lot of sense if Mattel created a free app specifically designed for this purpose. They could have used actual Pixar Cars style graphics, included a selection of several racetracks to choose from and/or even made a game out of it. It seems like a missed opportunity that would have brought this feature to the next level.

Send McQueen speeding down the ramp and into the elevator for another go!

Other than a missed opportunity with the simulator feature and the fact that this plastic McQueen is filled with stickers that can easily peel off (I don't mind that too much though since I have the diecast version of him as well), this is a very cool playset overall. 

If you're a Cars collector who loves playsets and recreating movie scene specific moments like I am, you'll most definitely want to pick this one up! And I will add that it's kid-tested/approved over here (my two nephews Noah and Luke played with this for a long time and could have kept going). Be sure to add other characters like Cruz Ramirez and Sterling for more fun!

Pick it up at your local Target (or online HERE) for $29.99 and let me know what YOU think in the comment section below.

Cars 3: Complete Tsum Tsum Collection

This morning, Disney·Pixar Cars 3 Tsum Tsums raced in Disney Stores for their nationwide debut! These are the first ever Cars characters to be created in Tsum Tsum form and they did not disappoint. Not to mention there's a truck load of them! Not only were seven traditional mini style characters released, but two surprise medium characters as well.

The "mini" lineup includes Lightning McQueen, Jackson Storm, Cruz Ramirez, Smokey, Mater, Doc Hudson ("Hudson Hornet") and Sally, with the two mediums being Mack and Miss Fritter! Solid selections—a really nice mix of old and new faces. I honestly could not wait to get my hands on them today.

Each one is absolutely adorable. I just knew Cars characters and their designs would work so well with the elongated Tsum Tsum shape and they're exactly what I pictured. Here's hoping we get some more sometime in the near future based on the original Cars and Cars 2!

Let's take a closer look...

Lightning McQueen, Cruz Ramirez & Jackson Storm

Smokey & Fabulous Hudson Hornet Doc Hudson

Mater & Sally

Now for the mediums—

Mack

Miss Fritter

As usual, the mini Tsums are 3 1/2" in size and retail for $5.95 each. The medium characters are around 12" long and retail for $12.95 each. Each is as soft and as detailed as the next with small beans inside and embroidered features on the outside.

No matter if you're young or old, if you're a Cars fan and/or any kind of Disney Tsum Tsum collector, you'll most certainly want to pick these guys up. Head into your local Disney store ASAP if you're interested as it won't be too long before they're gone. If need be, you can also snag them on the Disney Store's site right HERE.

Who's you're favorite? Do you plan on picking any of these up? Which characters from the Cars franchise would you like to see in a future Tsum Tsum series? I would love to see Fillmore, Sheriff, Chick Hicks, Holley Shiftwell and Finn Finn McMissile (those are the first few that come to mind that I think would work well in this shape, but bring on any and all).

Lastly, get ready for adventure as the next Tsum Tsum series has been revealed to be "The Best of Pixar Series 2"—coming July 4th! This lineup will include long awaited characters (at least by me, I don't know about you) from Up AND Ratatouille! Very, very exciting.