Disc Deals and Steals of the Week: Toy Story 3, The Pacific Lead the Way

Columns, Top Story

Here at Inside Pulse Movies, we compile all the best deals on new DVD and Blu-ray releases, as well as report on some that are so good they’re criminal. Brick-and-mortar stores include Target, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Fry’s Electronics. Amazon deals are also in the mix.

Movie studios are gearing up for the holiday season in a big way. Last week we had catalog titles like Alien, Aliens and Back to the Future make their debuts on Blu-ray. This week we get the biggest animated release of all time.  Of course, I mean Toy Story 3. When I reviewed it back in June I went as far as to say that the Toy Story films are the greatest trilogy in the history of cinema. The Godfather, Part III or Return of Jedi are dubious because neither matches the quality of the films that preceded them. Even if TS3 is a cash grab for the studio – and a lucrative one at that – the creative minds at Pixar took their time. (The previous installment was released in 1999.) In that time, the studio has reached celebrity status; it’s a name brand like Nike or Coke. Unparalleled success, both critically and financially, Pixar could have picked any number of their movies to spawn a franchise (The Incredibles, anyone?), but it would be their first theatrical release, Toy Story, that would be the first to be sequelized.

Though it may repeat themes from the previous films, Toy Story 3 plays like the culmination of a great story. The payoff is in the last few minutes after the toys have made one last great escape. Like “Jessie’s Song” in Toy Story 2 or the opening scene in Up, it’s all the proof you need at knowing how great Pixar is.

As one of the most anticipated releases of the fall, the Blu-ray release is stacked. If you buy the right one, that is. For all the bells and whistles, go with the BD+DVD combo pack, which includes a 2-Disc Blu-ray, a DVD and a Digital Copy. The audio and video are demo-worthy. Just look at the detail when Ken models some of the clothes in his wardrobe.

Notable Extras: Five featurettes and “Day & Night” Theatrical Short

Notable BD Extras: Cine-Explore Picture-in-Picture Commentary, Alternative Commentary Track by Pixar staff, Family Play features (four total), Film Fans features (six total), and Toy Story trivia dash. The publicity section includes the usual trailers, promos and photo galleries, but also dating tips from Ken and the Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear commercials made to look like they were taped off TV in the ‘80s.

BEST PRICE
Target – $24.99
Best Buy – $24.99
Fry’s – $24.99
Amazon – $24.99


Other noteworthy DVD (and Blu-ray) releases this week…

Toy Story 3 (Single Disc) – [DVD / BD]
The Pacific – [DVD / BD]
Car Toon: Mater’s Tall Tales – [DVD / BD]
The Goonies (25th Anniversary Edition) – [DVD / BD]
V: The Complete First Season – [DVD / BD]
Centurion [DVD / BD]
The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete Series – [DVD]
Winnebago Man – [DVD]
WWE Hell in a Cell 2010 – [DVD]
TNA Hardcore Justice 2010 – [DVD]


Noteworthy Blu-ray-specific releases this week…


The Sound of Music (45th Anniversary Edition)

The Sound of Music (Limited Edition Collector’s Set)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Toy Story Trilogy (10-Disc Set)
White Christmas
Highlander


Retailer Specials

Ultimate Toy Box (BD) – $64.99
RoboCop Trilogy (BD) – $25.00
Grindhouse (BD) – $19.99
Miracle (BD) – $13.99
A Nightmare on Elm Street (original, BD) – $12.99
Hitch (BD) – $9.99

Exclusives:
Exclusive Steelbook packaging for V: The Complete First Season on DVD and BD
Exclusive Bonus Disc (“The Battle of Peleliu”) with the purchase of The Pacific on DVD or BD
Boardwalk Empire sampler free with purchase of any HBO Series or Miniseries

New Releases (available: 11/02/10)
The Pacific
(DVD, $42.99 – BD, $56.99)
Toy Story (1-Disc DVD, $15.99 – 1-Disc BD, $19.99)
Katt Williams: 9 Lives (DVD, $12.99)
V: The Complete First Season (DVD, $27.99 – BD, $34.99)
The Sound of Music (BD+DVD, $22.99 – Collector’s Edition BD, $59.99)
Ultimate Toy Box
Collector’s Limited Edition 10-Disc Set ($64.99)

$12.99 BDs: Killers, Daybreakers, From Paris with Love, Gamer

$3.99 DVDs: Jaws, Uncle Buck, Training Day, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Band of Brothers (DVD, $39.99 – BD, $49.99)
Toy Story (BD+DVD, $29.99)*
Toy Story 2 (BD+DVD, $29.99)*
Cars (BD+DVD, $24.99)*

* Save $5 when you buy Toy Story 3 on BD plus any of these titles

Exclusives:
Exclusive Bones Disc (“War on the Homefront”) with the purchase of The Pacific on DVD or BD
Exclusive Limited Edition of The Sound of Music includes 24-page book with rare photos and more

New Releases (available: 11/02/10)
The Pacific (DVD, $44.99 – BD, $64.99)
Toy Story 3 (1-Disc DVD, $15.99)
Mater’s Tall Tales
(DVD, $15.99 – BD, $19.99)
The Sound of Music
(BD+DVD, $19.99)*
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (BD+DVD, $19.99)*

save $5 when you buy both The Sound of Music and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

$16.99 DVD+BD Combo Packs*: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Percy Jackson & Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Marmaduke, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

* Free $5 Gift Card when you buy any two DVD+BD Combo titles

$7 DVDs: 27 Dresses, Bride Wars, The Departed (single disc), The Dark Knight (single disc), Alvin and the Chipmunks, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Bethenny Getting Married? (Season 1 – DVD, $12.99)
The Good Wife (Season 1 – DVD, $29.99)
Sons of Anarchy (Season 2 – DVD, $39.99)
Band of Brothers ($39.99)

New Releases (available: 11/02/10)
The Pacific (BD, $64.99)
The Sound of Music (BD+DVD, $19.99)

Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off DVDs: Die Hard, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Alien3, Alien Resurrection, AVP: Aliens vs. Predator, AVP: Alien vs. Predator Requiem, The Last King of Scotland

$14.99 BDs: Altitude, Frozen, Brooklyn’s Finest, Solitary Man, The Crazies, Law Abiding Citizen, Psycho, Unleashed, Mercury Rising, The Skeleton Key, Alpha Dog, Friday Night Lights, Carlito’s Way, The Bourne Ultimatum

Alien Anthology (BD, $89.99)
Back to the Future 25h Anniversary Trilogy (BD, $49.99)
The Big Bang Theory (Season 3 – DVD, $29.99)
Psych (Season 4 – DVD, $27.99)
Human Target (Season 1 – DVD, $25.99)
Grindhouse (BD, $19.99)
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Seasons 1-4 – DVD, $16.99 ea.)
Arrested Development (Seasons 1-3 – DVD, $15.99 ea.)

Travis Leamons is one of the Inside Pulse Originals and currently holds the position of Managing Editor at Inside Pulse Movies. He's told that the position is his until he's dead or if "The Boss" can find somebody better. I expect the best and I give the best. Here's the beer. Here's the entertainment. Now have fun. That's an order!