By In his interview about the Toy Story Collection, John Lasseter said that when they were thinking about what kind of toys Andy would have in his room, they decided he had to have a toy dinosaur. They also decided that if a Tyrannosaurus Rex were alive today, he would have a huge inferiority complex because of his tiny hands so they used that to create the character and personality of Andy’s toy dinosaur, Rex. Rex’s insecurities make him one of the most funny and loveable characters in Toy Story. Rex of course was included in the Toy Story Collection, and if you didn’t get your hands on one right away when he was released, he has been proven to be one of the hardest toys to find in the collection nowadays unless you’re willing to pay a heavy price (I sure have not been able to get my hands on one yet ☹)
Although the Toy Story Collection Rex is very hard to find nowadays, there are quite a few other versions out there to fulfill your Rex void. The next best thing out there that was relatively easy to find is the Roaring Rex, but although he does roar, he does not speak the phrases we all know and love. Luckily, on the arrival of the 20th Anniversary of Toy Story, a Disney Store exclusive Talking Rex toy was released, which I would argue is now the next best thing to the Toy Story Collection Rex.
The Talking Rex toy looks very good and is relatively movie accurate, especially when you look at him from the front. Rex’s neck rotates side to side, his arms move up and down together, which make his mouth move up and down as well (and vice versa), and his legs move back and forth as well so you can pose him in the way you like best. Rex’s tail also can be removed by twisting it off for easy storage. The best feature of the Talking Rex toy is in the name, he talks with the original voice of Wallace Shawn! He speaks by pushing the button on his back and he can speak up to 11 different phrases including some of our favourites such as, “I’m going for fearsome, but I just don’t feel it” and “Did I frighten you? Were you scared? Tell me honestly. Oh great, now I have guilt”.
My only complaints about this toy is that although he looks very good, the level of detail is not as high as the detail of the Toy Story Collection Rex. The button on his back and speaker on his tummy are a bit of an eye store and take away from the accuracy to the Rex in the movie, especially for fans looking for the most film-accurate Rex toy. He is also very shiny, which can be a good thing or bad thing depending on your own personal taste; I find it a bit distracting.
If you can get your hands on a Toy Story Collection Rex toy at a reasonable price, I would recommend grabbing that Rex toy if you had to choose between the two, but the 20th Anniversary Talking Rex toy is still a fantastic toy that not only looks great, but also speaks with the original voice. He is a great addition to my collection, and although I am still on a mission to find the Toy Story Collection version, I have no regrets about purchasing him. I recommend grabbing one of these while you still can from your local Disney Store!