The Magic is in You

The Magic is in You by Colin Hosten

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is an extremely simple book for young children. Each page spread is large artwork with a short sentence identifying what is hard, and the next spread is "the magic is in you" for one page with the other page expanding on what can be done (ex: spreading love, recognizing your feelings, finding true friendship, etc.). Not heavy on any story aspect at all, and each challenge and answer set features a different Disney movie. Spotlights in this one are Tangled, Inside Out, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, Aladdin, Dumbo, Toy Story, and of course Mickey from The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

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Toy Story 3: Read-Along

Toy Story 3: Read-Along by Walt Disney Company

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The CD for read along is a good option for early readers. The book itself is in picture book format, so more illustrations and less words per page, with the story very condensed into a short book. Admittedly, not my favorite of the Toy Story movies, so also not my favorite book, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good format for children. Of course the book can be read with or without the CD to follow along with. The events follow the movie itself, so can't say there are any surprises there.

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Toy Story: Storybook Collection

Toy Story: Storybook Collection by Walt Disney Company

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This installment features all stories from Toy Story. Not as big of a hit as some of the collections, but still a cute series. Stories included are the following:

1. A New Toy
2. Moving Day
3. Woody's Big Adventure
4. A Wild Ride
5. Toys That Go Bump in the Night
6. Tuned In
7. A Fine Feathered Friend
8. Rocket Launchers
9. Catching Gold
10. Little Lost Sheep
11. The Longest Day
12. Woody's Quest for a Date
13. Toys in Paradise
14. Showdown!
15. A Roaring Field Trip
16. The Best Hat in the West
17. The Search for Hamm
18. So Long, Partner

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Christmas Storybook Collection

Christmas Storybook Collection by Walt Disney Company

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a more recent Christmas collection, including short stories for the holidays even from some of the more recent movies.

1. Toy Story: A Toy Christmas
2. Tangled: Ghosts of Christmas Past
3. Mickey Mouse: Mickey's Christmas Carol
4. Dumbo: Dumbo's First Christmas
5. Winnie the Pooh: The Sweetest Christmas
6. Bambi: The Wonderful Winter Tree
7. Cars: The Best Present Ever
8. Wreck-It Ralph: Wreck the Halls
9. Monsters, Inc.: Christmas Laughs
10. The Little Mermaid: The Holiday Treasure Hunt
11. Finding Nemo: A Big Blue Christmas
12. Lady & the Tramp: Lady's Christmas Surprise
13. The Princess & the Frog: The Christmas Feast
14. Frozen: All I Want for Christmas
15. Robin Hood: Christmas for Everyone
16. Pinocchio: The Perfect Gift
17. Wall-E: A Gift for Wall-E
18. 101 Dalmatians: The Puppies' Messy Christmas

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Disney*Pixar: Storybook Collection (Special Edition)

Disney*Pixar: Storybook Collection Special Edition) by Walt Disney Company

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is similar to the other storybook collections, with a series of short large print stories and illustrations featuring many Disney characters, this time from the Pixar series. Stories in this edition include:

1. Wall-E: Blast Into Adventure
2. Finding Nemo: The Big Search
3. Cars: Off the Fast Track
4. The Incredibles: The Supers Save the Day
5. Up: An Adventure to Remember
6. Toy Story: A Tight Squeeze
7. Monsters, Inc.: Bedtime for Billy
8. Finding Nemo: Nemo & the Tank Gang
9. Ratatouille: One Amazing Chef
10. Cars: Race Day
11. Toy Story: To Infinity & Beyond!
12. A Bug's Life: A Berry Brave Troop
13. Monsters, Inc.: Scared Silly
14. Finding Nemo: A Day at School
15. Toy Story: Toy Camp
16. Monsters, Inc.: Mike's Dog Problem
17. Cars: Red's Tune-Up Blues
18. Finding Nemo: Who's in Charge?
19. The Incredibles: A Super Summer Barbecue
20. Toy Story 3: A New Adventure

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5-Minute Disney*Pixar Stories

5-Minute Disney*Pixar Stories by Walt Disney Company

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


As with the other Disney Pixar 5-Minute Stories collection, this will overlap with other publications as well as adding in some other stories in the mix. If you don't mind some overlap, it's another fun and simple addition to the lineup.

Monsters, Inc.: Mike's Laughing Matter
A Bug's Life: The Search for the Perfect Gift
Cars: Radiator Springs Road Trip
The Incredibles: A Super Family
Toy Story: A New Mission
Finding Nemo: The Ghost-Light Fish
Ratatouille: Sweet Dreams
Wall-E: Down to Earth
Up: Watch Dug
Toy Story: Mixed Signals
Finding Nemo: A Friend in Need
Cars: Rematch!

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5-Minute Disney*Pixar Stories

5-Minute Disney*Pixar Stories by Walt Disney Company

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This overlaps with some of the other Disney publications and 5-Minute Stories collections. It's still a fun addition to any Disney story library, though, and kids seem to enjoy it. Stories include the following:

Toy Story 4: A New Purpose
Cars 3: For the Love of Racing
The Good Dinosaur: Arlo's Birthday Adventure
Up: Badge Building
Inside Out: The Riley & Bing Bang Bong Band
Ratatouille: A Delicious Duo
Monsters University: Teaming Up
Wall-E: Back on Earth
Coco: The Rivera Family Band
Brave: Merida's Challenge
Finding Dory: You're It, Dory!
Incredibles 2: Babysitting Mode

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5-Minute Easter Stories

5-Minute Easter Stories by Walt Disney Company

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a collection of easter/egg/spring stories from various Disney tales, including the following:

Disney Bunnies: Thumper & the Eggs
Snow White: The Wishing Well
Zootopia: The Case of the Disappearing Easter Eggs
Cars: Mater & the Easter Buggy
Winnie the Pooh: The Easter Egg Hunt
Cinderella: The Surprise Ballet
Toy Story: Who's Afraid of the Easter Bunny
Frozen: The Spring Parade
Bambi: The Spring Adventure
Mickey & Friends: The Search for 5 Easter Eggs
Monsters, Inc.: Basket of Trouble
101 Dalmatians: The Great Egg Hunt

The table of contents will list some of these under the Disney Princess general title when really they are tied to a specific princess movie. Similarly, "Disney Bunnies" is really just about Thumper's family from Bambi.

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5-Minute Girl Power Stories

5-Minute Girl Power Stories by Walt Disney Company

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Lilo & Stitch: Ride the Waves
Even though there was surfing in the movie, this is written as if Lilo & Stitch are learning to surf for the first time. Of course, the whole family pulls together as usual.

Toy Story 4: Officer McDimples on Duty
Not all toys are meant for kids. The toys have a new adventure discovering a Taco toy that is meant for dogs. Now to find the perfect dog to play with them.

The Little Mermaid: The Tambourine Dance
Ariel still has trouble living on two legs, but she loves to try new things. It's encouraging to see her family supporting her this time around and everyone joining in to contribute to this new tradition for her.

Moana: A Day with Moana
Gathering sugar cane turns into a bit of an adventure when hide and seek doesn't go as planned. The group stays remarkably calm as they follow clues to find their lost friend, and the sugar cane they originally set out to collect, too.

The Lion King: Nala's Great Adventure
Simba and Nala are on the search for their perfect "cubhouse". Perhaps, it seems, the best place for a couple of cubs, is back at home.

Mulan: Honor for Father
While he comes across harsh at the beginning of the movie, it is scenes like this when he seems to be the ideal dad who truly values his family and his daughter. Mulan truly did do her best, and also showed that her family and friends are more important that a village tournament.

Sleeping Beauty: An Amazing Team
With Prince Phillip away (without his horse?), Aurora steps in to cheer up Samson and compete in the local jousting tournament. Certainly not the usual sport you hear of for a princess.

Aladdin: The Princess Polo Games
We don't usually see or hear anything about Princess Jasmine's mother. Apparently, she was well known for Princess Polo. Jasmine doesn't think she has a good team at first, but she learns to pull her team together and play to everyone's strengths. Perhaps most important of all though, they have fun.

Zootopia: Big Trouble in Little Rodentia
This tale is actually just a small snippet of the movie, focusing on the chase through Rodentia to catch a weasel.

Minnie: The Missing Daffodils
Minnie starts off accusing those who are innocent of being the flower prowler. She picks up towards the end though and realizes that it may be a rather innocent crime and unintentional as a hungry goat certainly has no idea that they're stealing her garden.

Incredibles 2: A Day Out with Mom
Violet and Helen have very different ideas when it comes to fashion, however, the entire family can agree on one thing: they make a great team and they enjoy being superheroes.

The Princess & the Frog: Tiana's Big-City Sound
This time around Tiana puts her focus and determination into helping her cousin and their band when the place they usually played closes down just as she gets to town. Not much of a surprise given the focus on music in the movie as well.

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Toy Story 2

Toy Story 2 by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This is essentially the story of the Toy Story 2 movie, just very abbreviated. It is chopped into sections, which make it possible to read it one part at a time. Given it's condensed nature, there are a lot of details that are changed or omitted to keep it a good length for a child's attention span. The pictures are the real highlight of this book, which are beautifully done.

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Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins (2000)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This is actually the pilot for the TV series, which was then released as a stand alone DVD down the line. This tells the story of Buzz Lightyears early days in Star Command, how he "lost" his first partner and began working alone.... only to learn alone wasn't what it was cut out to be. It's easy to like his new recruits as well as dislike "Agent Z."

Toy Story: That Time Forgot

Toy Story: That Time Forgot (2014)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Bonnie takes a few of her toys on a Christmas play date where the new toys don't yet realize they are toys and what their true purpose is for a child. It's up to Trixie to help teach the lot and save her friends from disaster. A cute and very fast clipped piece focusing on the new toys while Buzz and Woody take a back seat to the action.

Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3: The Gang's All Here (2010)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Andy has grown up and is down to one small toy chest of his favorite old toys. Woody, Buzz, and those left of the gang are faced with ending up attic storage or trash. Thinking they're being thrown away, they put themselves in a donation box only to learn Sunnyside isn't exactly sunny and Andy really wasn't trying to get rid of them after all. Thanks to Woody's own adventure trying to get home, he inadvertently found the perfect new home for the lot of toys and even found a way to convince Andy in the process. Now, they have a new home and new friends to continue their adventures with.

Toy Story 2

Toy Story 2 (1999)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Oddly, it was the sequels that really got me to like this series. Buzz and Woody are back, this time with a more Western theme as Woody learns he isn't the only Cowboy from his line of toys. Is a museum for toys really all that more interesting than being a child's treasured possession? That will be for Woody to decide as this time Buzz comes to his rescue, returning the favor from when Woody saved him in the first film.

Toy Story

Toy Story (1995)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Not my favorite Disney film, but it has grown on me over time as I've seen again at different venues. Will admit that I'm glad I have it in my movie collection now that family films will be the most common entertainment for years to come.