Toy Story

When George Lucas released his digitally tweaked versions of the original “Star Wars’’ trilogy in the mid-’90s, his rationale was that he wanted the experience of watching the films to be everything that we remembered. If we remembered the effects as being more advanced than they actually were, then that’s what he’d give us. (Oh, he also had a new trilogy to prime us for, in case we weren’t already planning to buy tickets. And toys and video games and Underoos.) With the new double-feature reissue of the “Toy Story’’ films, Disney and Pixar follow the same model.

PICK OF THE DAY All mixed up In 1987, the ground floor of the former Mixit soap factory in Somerville became the Mixit Print Studio. Area artists use the space to create prints, and more than 150 are on view at "reThink INK: 25 Years at Mixit Print Studio. " The show also features pieces from the Boston Public Library collection. Thursday hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m. (through July 31). Free. Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St., Boston. 617-536-5400. www.bpl.org/mixit THURSDAY Labor of love Mill workers from several minority groups worked together during the 1912 Bread and Roses Strike and changed the...

Woody the cowboy, Buzz Lightyear and their “Toy Story’’ pals are back on the big-screen in a new adventure. The voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Michael Keaton, Joan Cusack and other stars are featured in a “Toy Story’’ short film that runs before the Pixar Animation sequel “Cars 2,’’ which debuts in U.S. theaters Friday. “Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation’’ has Hanks’ Woody, Allen’s Buzz, Cusack’s Jessie the cowgirl and the other toys coming up with a scheme to give doll sweethearts Ken and Barbie (Keaton and Jodi Benson)

Pixar Animation remains undefeated at the box-office races. The Disney unit’s animated sequel “Cars 2’’ cruised to a No. 1 finish with a $68 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. That makes 12 wins in a row for Pixar since the company’s first feature film, 1995’s “Toy Story.’’ “It couldn’t be any better than that. What an unbelievable track record these guys have,’’ said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. “Cars 2’’ added $42.9 million in 18 overseas markets, giving it a worldwide total of $110.9 million.

When it comes to movie sequels, the third time is rarely the charm. Threequels are usually a desperate attempt to squeeze life out of a fading brand, and there’s not much in the first half of “Toy Story 3’’ to make you think any differently. How can this be? We’re talking about Pixar, the gold standard not just for family films and computer animation but pop culture as a whole. How can John Lasseter’s gang of super-geniuses fall asleep at the switch? Turns out they’re only playing possum.

The Beaches of Agnès (unrated), 9 Toy Story/Toy Story 2 (G), 10 Whip It (PG-13), 6 No Impact Man (unrated), 12 Zombieland (R), 11 The Boys Are Back (PG-13), 13 Capitalism: A Love Story (R), 8 Coco Before Chanel (PG-13)

The Pixar Story 8 p.m., CNBC Ah, Pixar, blessed Pixar. You brought heart and wit back to the movies. Has this remarkable animation studio made a bad film yet? I can’t think of one. I can think of plenty of great ones, though: “Finding Nemo,’’ “The Incredibles,’’ “A Bug’s Life,’’ “Ratatouille,’’ and of course, the “Toy Story’’ series (pictured), especially “Toy Story 2.’’ Even less-than-great Pixar flicks (“Cars,’’ say, or “Monsters Inc.’’)

UKIAH, Calif. -- Joe Ranft, considered one of Hollywood's leading story artists in animation and an Oscar nominee for co-writing "Toy Story," died when the car he was riding in veered off a Mendocino County highway and crashed Aug. 16. He was 45. According to the California Highway Patrol, the car was traveling on Highway 1 when the driver overcorrected and veered over a cliff, overturning twice, and landing in the Pacific Ocean. The driver, Elegba Earl, was also killed and another passenger was injured.

I think we can safely say at this point that Pixar has entered its Baroque period. When "Toy Story" came out in 1995, who would have guessed that within 15 years the company would be creating the richest, most resonant entertainments in Hollywood - on such subjects as culinary rats and a robot sentinel left in charge of a junkyard Earth? There is nothing, it seems, John Lasseter's house of soulful computer artisans can't do. Which is why "Up" comes as a shock. Its ambitions are emotional and visual rather than thematic, but on the most basic level the new film is pure vaudeville: a loopy flyaway fantasy that's...

. CARS 2 Directed by: John Lasseter and Brad Lewis Written by: Ben Queen Starring the voices of: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, and Michael Caine At: Boston Common, Fenway, suburbs, Jordan’s IMAX Reading and Natick Running time: 106 minutes Rated: G (machine guns, explosions, female cars adrool over male cars) This feels like the review in which I’m supposed to report that it has finally happened: Pixar has belched out a disaster and expects us to call it art. That “Cars 2’’ is the animation auteurs running on fumes, that...

. CARS 2 Directed by: John Lasseter and Brad Lewis Written by: Ben Queen Starring the voices of: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, and Michael Caine At: Boston Common, Fenway, suburbs, Jordan’s IMAX Reading and Natick Running time: 106 minutes Rated: G (machine guns, explosions, female cars adrool over male cars) This feels like the review in which I’m supposed to report that it has finally happened: Pixar has belched out a disaster and expects us to call it art. That “Cars 2’’ is the animation auteurs running on fumes, that it’s stuck in...

Ever since the release of Pixar’s first feature, “Toy Story,’’ the studio has been synonymous with the highest quality in animated fare, movies that speak to all ages with a mixture of warmth, wit and wondrous visuals. This week’s “Cars 2’’ is the rare exception, and by far their weakest film yet. But hey, we’re all about focusing on the positive around here, so let’s take a look at the five best movies Pixar has to offer: — “WALL-E’’ (2008): Daring and delicate at once, this is Pixar’s most inventive film.

In the Pixar pantheon of animated films remarkable for their appeal to both adults and children, “Cars’’ is the most purely kiddie affair. While critics prefer the heartfelt resonance of “Up’’ or the mortality ruminations of “Toy Story 3,’’ toddlers have been far more amped by “Cars.’’ Since premiering in 2006, “Cars’’ has been a high-octane sensation among those whose feet still don’t reach the gas pedal, and the “Cars 2’’ sequel opening Friday is already driving a similar response.

Pixar’s track record has been close to impeccable for turning out intelligent, emotionally rich, beautifully detailed animated films, with plenty of humor and heart to appeal to movie lovers of all ages. But the weak link in the chain, at least from a narrative standpoint, has always been 2006’s “Cars,’’ with its two-dimensional talking autos and hokey, borrowed tale of small-town life. Sure, it was bright and zippy, which was enough to appeal to the little ones, and it became a merchandising juggernaut.

Woody the cowboy, Buzz Lightyear and their “Toy Story’’ pals are back on the big-screen in a new adventure. The voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Michael Keaton, Joan Cusack and other stars are featured in a “Toy Story’’ short film that runs before the Pixar Animation sequel “Cars 2,’’ which debuts in U.S. theaters Friday. “Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation’’ has Hanks’ Woody, Allen’s Buzz, Cusack’s Jessie the cowgirl and the other toys coming up with a scheme to give doll sweethearts Ken and Barbie (Keaton and Jodi Benson)

In promotional ads for the new lizard-out-of-water family comedy “Rango,’’ much has been made of the fact that Johnny Depp and company didn’t just stand around in a studio jabbering into microphones but acted out the slapstick on a soundstage, with the digital animators taking the action from there. It’s a novel approach that both works and doesn’t. The film is an amiably bonkers fusion of a Sergio Leone spaghetti western, “Chinatown,’’ and more standard funny-animal fare, but the on-set filming seems to have welded the cast together into a cohesive and high-spirited comedy troupe.

Ever since the release of Pixar’s first feature, “Toy Story,’’ the studio has been synonymous with the highest quality in animated fare, movies that speak to all ages with a mixture of warmth, wit and wondrous visuals. This week’s “Cars 2’’ is the rare exception, and by far their weakest film yet. But hey, we’re all about focusing on the positive around here, so let’s take a look at the five best movies Pixar has to offer: — “WALL-E’’ (2008): Daring and delicate at once, this is Pixar’s most inventive film.

In promotional ads for the new lizard-out-of-water family comedy “Rango,’’ much has been made of the fact that Johnny Depp and company didn’t just stand around in a studio jabbering into microphones but acted out the slapstick on a soundstage, with the digital animators taking the action from there. It’s a novel approach that both works and doesn’t. The film is an amiably bonkers fusion of a Sergio Leone spaghetti western, “Chinatown,’’ and more standard funny-animal fare, but the on-set filming seems to have welded the cast together into a cohesive and high-spirited comedy troupe.

You have to hand it to The Mouse. Disney has mastered the art of reconstituting its popular movies and characters into various forms. Disney on Ice’s “Toy Story 3’’ is the latest incarnation, and although it’s not a show I would recommend attending without a child, it does manage to create some “wow’’ moments for parents as well as kids. With “Toy Story 3’’ as the frame, this show incorporates highlights from each of the three films — including Buzz Lightyear’s conviction that Star Command was about to call him back to outer space, and Jessie the...