Read Along with Woody, Buzz and the Gang: Toy Story 3 for iPad Review

My kids finally are out of school. Believe it or not their last day was June 22nd. With all of the snow we got here on the East Coast this past winter, extra days had to be made up resulting in an additional week+ for them.

What’s the first thing my kids wanted to do when they got home yesterday? See Toy Story 3. I obliged and we enjoyed the third offering from Pixar. When we got home I treated the girls to the Toy Story 3 application on my iPad. Disney had been kind enough to send me a copy of the application for review and I’d been saving it on my iPad for the right time to share with the kids.

Here’s what Disney Publishing Worldwide has to say about the app.

Children can join Woody, Buzz, their pals, and a crew of new toys on the adventure of a lifetime in this fully interactive reading experience packed with eye-popping 3D effects, exciting games, sing-along tunes, multi-touch surprises, puzzles, and coloring pages. Children can hear the story read aloud, record their own narration, or explore at their own pace.

Toy Story 3 iPad Application Highlights:

· This cinematic, interactive storybook app features characters from Toy Story 3.
· Two interactive reading modes allow kids to follow along as the story is read aloud, or explore at their own pace. Children can also select ‘Younger Reading Mode’ to simplify page turning.
· Kids can see the story pop off the screen with fantastic 3D effects. Free 3D glasses are available at Disney Stores, available exclusively in the United States and Canada.
· Children can play exciting games based on scenes from Toy Story 3. Kids can watch Woody soar above the town, help him to safety in “Hang Glider,” and have a blast with Buzz as they overcome thrilling obstacles in “Falling with Style” – also in 3D.
· Children can record their voice reading the story and hear it played back as narration.
· Children can tap characters and objects for sound effects and fun surprises.
· An interactive coloring feature that lets kids finger-paint and share their masterpieces with friends and family.
· Kids can sing along to songs from the movie.
· A visual page index allows kids the ability to jump to their favorite page.
· Children can turn pages manually and move back and forth through the story as they wish.

Like the Princess and the Frog read along app. I reviewed a while back Toy Story 3 features a narrator who reads the story along to your children. Kids turn the pages by swiping on the screen.

You can also set the app. to “young reader mode” which makes page turning easier. Kids just simply tap arrows in the corners of the screen to advance.

At any point in the story tapping on the book/mouse ears brings up the menu. From here you can access the “activities” included in the app. There are coloring pages, music, games and puzzles.

If you want to advance to another point in the book, or go back to one you’ve already read the “pages” icon brings up a sliding, graphical interface that allows you to quickly jump to any location in the story.

Unlike the other Disney read along iPad apps, the Toy Story 3 app. has a 3-D feature, just like the real movie. You’ll need a pair of 3-D glasses to take advantage of this feature though. If you don’t own a pair all you have to do is visit a Disney retail store where you can pick up a pair for free.

Like all the other Disney Read-Along iPad apps I’ve tried Toy Story 3 doesn’t disappoint.  The graphics are true to the movie, the sounds are clean and the app runs smooth as silk.  Once you’ve read the book portion a few times your kids will keep coming back to the app to take on the games and puzzles, listen to the music or just color.  The entire line of Disney Read-Along books are simply some of the best iPad apps for kids I’ve had the pleasure to review.

The Toy Story 3 Read-Along app for iPad is available for download in the iTunes App Store by clicking here (link opens iTunes.)

M.S.R.P. – $8.99

What I like – Beautiful graphics, smooth, 3-D option, extra activities.

What I don’t like – Like any children’s book the story gets repetitive.