Toy Story fans still holding out hope for another feature-length continuation in the ongoing saga of Andy Davis' toys are no doubt eagerly eyeing the Cars 2 release date, June 24th, 2011, in anticipation of once again seeing Buzz, Woody, and the gang on the silver screen.
Last week Entertainment Weekly gave us an early peak at images from the upcoming Toy Story short Hawaiian Vacation - and today, Pixar has released a thirty second clip from the short to give fans a taste of what they can expect.
As most Pixar fans know, each film the famed studio releases is preceded by a Pixar-made short film - starting with Geri's Game which aired ahead of A Bug's Life in 1998.
Just for fun, here's the list of shorts attached to theatrical Pixar releases. While Geri's Game was the first Pixar short to be attached to a Pixar feature, Luxo Jr. and Knick Knack are actually older films - debuting at the 1986 and 1989 SIGGRAPH conference (Special Interest Group on GRAPHics and Interactive Techniques), respectively, but had to wait nearly a decade for release to the masses - via a Pixar feature film.
- Geri's Game (A Bug's Life)
- Luxo Jr. [Originally released in 1986 at SIGGRAPH] (Toy Story 2)
- For the Birds (Monster's Inc.)
- Knick Knack [Originally released in 1989 at SIGGRAPH] (Finding Nemo)
- Boundin' (The Incredibles)
- One Man Band (Cars)
- Lifted (Ratatouille)
- Presto (WALL-E)
- Partly Cloudy (Up)
- Day & Knight (Toy Story 3)
- Hawaiian Vacation (Cars 2)
- Unknown Toy Story short (Muppet Movie)
As we previously reported, Hawaiian Vacation will center around iconic toy-couple Barbie and Ken - who, frustrated by their failed attempt at a trip to Hawaii (by attempting to stow away) in Bonnie's backpack, are cheered up by the other toys who take on a variety of tropical-roles to “re-create a romantic getaway in the toy box.”
Check out the Hawaiian Vacation clip below (or head to Apple for the HD version):
Ken, voiced by Michael Keaton, was a stand-out addition to the cast of Toy Story 3 - and it's great to once again see the iconic doll's reputation bent to the comedic whimsy of the Pixar team. Not to mention the way in which the animators will utilize the various fan-favorite characters for the short - as they act out roles including Mrs. Potato Head as a tour guide and Woody playacting as a character much like Captain Stubing on Love Boat.
While there are still no plans for Toy Story 4, Pixar is expected to continue with the franchise - be it in short form or otherwise. Hawaiian Vacation director, Gary Rydstrom, confirmed in a recent interview with EW that a new Toy Story short would be released ahead of the upcoming Muppet Movie - though he was mum on the details.
Follow us on Twitter @benkendrick and @screenrant and let us know what story ideas you'd like to see Pixar explore in future Toy Story short films.
You can check out the Toy Story short Hawaiian Vacation this summer when it precedes Cars 2 on June 24th, 2011.