''Small Fry'' is a 2011 American

computer animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refer ...

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

written and directed by Angus MacLane. It was shown in theaters with ''

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompas ...

'' on November 23, 2011. ''Small Fry'' is the second short in the ''

Toy Story Toons ''Toy Story Toons'' is an American computer-animated series of short films based on the '' Toy Story'' franchise. The storylines of the series begin after '' Toy Story 3''. The films are set at Bonnie's house, the new home of Andy's toys. Three s ...

'' series, based on the characters from the ''

Toy Story ''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American computer-animated comedy film directed by John Lasseter (in his feature directorial debut), produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The first installment in the '' Toy Story ...

'' feature films. The short involves Buzz getting trapped at a

fast food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredie ...

restaurant, where there is a

support group In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping str ...

for discarded

kids' meal The kids' meal or children's meal is a fast food combination meal tailored to and marketed to children. Most kids' meals come in colorful bags or cardboard boxes with depictions of activities/games on the bag or box and a toy inside. Most stan ...

toys from over the years, with a kids' meal toy version of Buzz taking his place.

Plot

One night at fast-food chicken restaurant Poultry Palace,

Bonnie Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...

is disappointed to receive a Zurg belt buckle as her kids' meal toy, as the restaurant ran out of Mini

Buzz Lightyear Buzz Lightyear is the main character in the ''Toy Story'' franchise created by Disney and Pixar mainly voiced by Tim Allen. He is a Superhero toy action figure based on the in-universe media franchise consisting of a blockbuster featur ...

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 A ball pit (originally called a ball crawl, also known as a ball pool or ball pond) is a padded box or pool filled with small colorful hollow plastic balls generally no larger than in diameter. They are typically marketed as recreation and exe ...

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 A post-credits scene (commonly referred to as a stinger or credit cookie) or mid-credits scene is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video g ...

, Mini Zurg is left with the electronic belt buckle as his sole companion, much to his delight.

Voice cast

Tim Allen Timothy Alan Dick (born June 13, 1953), known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' (1991–1999) and Mike Baxter on the ABC/ ...

Teddy Newton Teddy Newton (born March 3, 1964) is an artist at Pixar Animation Studios. He has worked as a storyboard artist for '' 2 Stupid Dogs'', ''The Iron Giant'', and ''Dexter's Laboratory''. Newton co-wrote '' Jack-Jack Attack'' as well as did the voi ...

as Mini Buzz Lightyear *

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

as Woody *

Joan Cusack Joan Mary Cusack (; born October 11, 1962) is an American actress. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama '' Working Girl'' (1988) and the romantic comedy '' In & Out'' (1997 ...

as Jessie *

Estelle Harris Estelle Harris (''née'' Nussbaum; April 22, 1928 – April 2, 2022) was an American actress and comedienne, known for her exaggerated shrill, grating voice. She was best known for her role as Estelle Costanza on ''Seinfeld''. Her other roles i ...

as Mrs. Potato Head * Wallace Shawn as Rex *

John Ratzenberger John Dezso Ratzenberger (born April 6, 1947)About John
from Ratzenberger's official website is an Americ ...

as Hamm *

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series '' Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recog ...

as Neptuna * Angus MacLane as T-Bone, Super Pirate, Kangaroo Canoe, Funky Monk, Gary Grappling Hook *

Timothy Dalton Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. Beginning his career on stage, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in the 1968 historical drama '' The Lion in Winter''. He gained international prominence a ...

as Mr. Pricklepants *

Peter Sohn Peter Sohn (born October 18, 1977) is an American animator, voice actor, storyboard artist, and film director. He is known for his work at Pixar Animation Studios as the director of 2015's ''The Good Dinosaur''. He has also been the voice of Emil ...

as Recycle Ben *

Emily Hahn Emily "Mickey" Hahn (, January 14, 1905 – February 18, 1997) was an American journalist and writer. Considered an early feminist and called "a forgotten American literary treasure" by ''The New Yorker'' magazine, she was the author of 54 books a ...

as Bonnie * Lori Alan as Bonnie's mom, Tae-Kwon Doe *

Josh Cooley Joshua Cooley (born May 23, 1979) is an American animator, screenwriter, director and voice actor. He is best known for directing the 2019 film '' Toy Story 4'', the fourth film of the ''Toy Story'' franchise, for which he won the Academy Awar ...

as Cashier, Lizard Wizard * Jess Harnell as Mini Zurg, Vlad the Engineer * Bret Parker as DJ Blu-Jay * Emily Forbes as Roxy Boxy * Kitt Hirasaki as Nervous Sys-Tim *

Carlos Alazraqui Carlos Jaime Alazraqui (born July 20, 1962) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Deputy James Garcia on '' Reno 911!'' and for his voice acting roles. His extensive ...

as Koala Kopter *

Bob Bergen Robert Bergen (born March 8, 1964) is an American voice actor. He voices Warner Bros. cartoon characters Porky Pig and Tweety and has voiced characters in the English dubs of various anime. He formerly hosted the children's game show ''Jep!'', ad ...

as Condorman * Jason Topolski as Ghost Burger, Pizza Bot * Jim Ward as Franklin

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."

Release

This short premiered with the theatrical release of ''

'', on November 23, 2011.

Home media

As of July 2012, ''Small Fry'' is available as a digital download on

Amazon Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

, and

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

. The short was released on November 9, 2012, on the DVD and Blu Ray of ''

Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 2 ''Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 2'' is a 2012 DVD and Blu-ray compilation of the Pixar animated short films following the 2007 '' Pixar Short Films Collection Volume 1'' and the 1996 ''Tiny Toy Stories''. It features 12 shorts that were r ...

''. It is also on the '' Toy Story of Terror!'' Blu Ray, released on August 19, 2014.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Small Fry (film) 2011 films 2011 computer-animated films 2010s American animated films 2010s animated short films Films scored by Henry Jackman Films directed by Angus MacLane Pixar short films Films with screenplays by John Lasseter Toy Story Films about dolls 2010s English-language films