First look at Pixar short 'Toy Story of Terror'

Even as Pixar proclaimed that the tear-jerking Toy Story 3 would be the last in the beloved animated series, plans were already in the works to keep the franchise alive through a series of short films. So these characters were never really going to go away, and we've seen them on the big screen three more times since. Hawaiian Vacation, Small Fry, and Partysaurus Rex were all terrific ways to keep Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the gang fresh in our memories, and now this Halloween we'll see them again in Toy Story of Terror.

The first image from the 30-minute ABC TV special has been released and it's appropriately ominous considering the holiday. TV Guide also has a few more details on the plot, which has the toys in the car trunk as Bonnie and her mom go on a road trip to see her grandma. When the car breaks down, they're forced to stay in a creepy motel, where one of the toys vanishes and “the rest of the gang will find themselves caught up in a mysterious sequence of events that must be solved before they all suffer the same fate.” 

All of the voicecast we've come to know and love will be there including Tim Allen as Buzz, Tom Hanks as Woody, Joan Cusack as Jessie, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, Wallace Shawn as Rex, Kriten Schaal as Trixie and Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants. But there's also a surprise return in the form of Combat Carl, who appeared in the first Toy Story and will now be voiced by Carl Weathers. Look for Toy Story of Terror to air this October, and keep your ears open for news on a potential Toy Story 4.