Toy Story
Culinary Movie Night Guide
Difficulty Level: Medium
Table of Contents
Equipment
Here is a list (with links) of all the equipment and decorations I used for my Toy Story Culinary Movie Night. I would be incredibly grateful if you used my links. I will make a little commission, and that would really help with the cost of the website and related expenses. You can find my full Amazon List here!
Affordable Pizza Box Option (You’ll need to print out the graphic)
Here are the PDF files with printouts of the Mega Gulps, the Supernova burger box, Pizza Planet graphic for the box, and Buzz Lightyear Wings.
Tips
- Personalizing the Menu– When planning your menu for your movie night, don’t feel pressured to serve exactly what I chose to serve. Feel free to remove/add/replace dishes so it makes sense for you and your guests. I’ve included an editable menu in this guide to make it your own!
- Managing Your Time– These movie nights can take a lot of time to prepare, especially if you plan on doing everything yourself. If you are planning a culinary movie night with a group, I suggest doing a potluck style. Have each person contribute a dish or two, and it’ll be very manageable. If you are planning on preparing everything yourself, here are some things I’ve learned while doing these often:
- Make A To-Do List– I can’t stress this enough! It’s very easy to forget simple things like opening a bottle of prosecco before you start the movie so you aren’t fumbling with the seal before serving. I have done this so many times! Your to-do list should include absolutely everything you need to do leading up to pressing play.
- Start Early– I learned this after a few very long days of trying to cook, prepare, and host all on the same day. Anything that can be done in advance should be done during the days leading up to the movie night. Some examples include pre-mixing cocktails, making desserts and other foods like soup that hold up well in the refrigerator, and pre-making any handmade decorations. Hosting is stressful enough without having to make a multi-course meal in one day, so get as much done as possible before.
- No Pausing– The question I get asked the most is “Do you pause the movie to bring out the next dish?”. It’s important to me that I don’t disrupt the flow of the movie, so I do not pause. It’s also important to me to enjoy the movie with my guests. Setting up everything I need before the movie helps me bring out each dish efficiently. The setup usually includes plating each dish and storing it in the refrigerator, so all I have to do is quickly microwave it before serving. I set out any garnish or decoration on my kitchen counter so it’s easily accessible. I even pour the cocktails into their cups and store them in the refrigerator, so all I have to do is add ice and any finishing touches before serving. Always think about how you can do the bare minimum during the film. I always include the setup in my to-do list as well, so I don’t forget about any aspect of the preparation.
- Optional– If your budget permits, I recommend ordering food that you may not be confident in cooking or food that may take a lot of time to cook. I do this occasionally, and it helps cut down the preparation time and supports local businesses. Win Win!
- Decorations- Have fun and decorate your space and serving tray! Add elements from the theme of the movie, but make a budget and stick to it! I usually use things I already own because these movie nights are DIY, and I don’t need to spend a fortune to make it fun. If I do buy decorations for the movie night, I try to find cheap or reusable things. If you are curious about some of the things I’ve used during the movie nights, here is a link to my Amazon List. All these items are things I bought with my own money and enjoyed using.
- Manage Stress- Culinary Movie Nights are fun and a great way to show your friends and family you love them. Sometimes, things you envision in your head will not come out perfectly. When this happens to me, it can be discouraging and stressful, but the people I do these for have NEVER expressed anything but appreciation. Go easy on yourself and remember that your guests are just happy to be there and to experience something you put so much thought and time into making.
Menu
I have created a free, editable, and printable menu for all the dishes I served for this Culinary Movie Night! Feel free to change it to what will work for you and your guests.
Cues
These are the cues I used during the movie night so I knew when I had to get the next dish ready to serve.
Please note: Each cue describes a scene that happens a few minutes before I have to serve the dish. It does not describe the scene the dish is based on. Some people get confused with that, so I thought I should specify. Because the cues only give you a few minutes to prepare the dish, it’s very important to have everything cooked and set up before the film starts. Review the “Tips” section above for ways to make this seamless.
I often get asked why I don’t use time stamps to keep track of when to serve the next dish and the simple answer is, I don’t find those helpful. If I used timestamps, I would have to have a separate timer going or keep disrupting the movie to check the timestamp. It makes much more sense to have cues to indicate when the next scene is about to happen. This allows me to enjoy watching the film with my guests.
Below is the link to the cues I used. This document is editable, so you can make updates if you decide to take out or change dishes.
Recipes
Reach For The Sky!
Add blue food coloring to make the drink blue, or add blue curacao.
To make the clouds, I used vanilla frosting from a can. I piped it into the inside of the plastic cup using a plastic bag with the tip cut off. Then I froze the cup overnight so the clouds would freeze and stay in place when I poured the drink.
To save time, I suggest premixing the martini the night before as well, so you can quickly pour the cocktail right before starting the film.
Battle Chips
For this dish, I used Cool Ranch Doritos and BBQ Chips as the base of the nachos. I put them on separate sides of the baking sheet to signify a battle. For the toppings, I did taco meat and nacho cheese sauce on top of the Doritos. You can add a pico de gallo on top, too, but I just kept it simple.
For the BBQ chips, I made sure to buy a brand that was sturdy so it could hold up under the toppings. For the toppings, I added shredded chicken and shredded Colby-Jack cheese. After I backed it, I drizzled BBQ sauce and ranch.
I recommend setting this up and placing it in the oven when you are about to start the movie. I did this and let it melt in the oven for a few minutes. Then, when it’s your cue, take it out and let it cool for a few minutes before putting the little soldiers toys on top.
Safety First
Pizza Planet Pizza! To see your options for the box, go to my Equipment section above. To make the pizza, you can keep it simple and buy a ( less than 5 inches) small frozen pizza or other pizza-type snacks like pizza bagels, pizza rolls, etc.
If you want to make little handheld pizzas like I did, you’ll need the following:
Premade pizza dough (I buy this from the bakery section of the grocery store)
Pizza sauce (homemade or canned)
Cheese (ricotta or mozzarella)
Pepperoni
To make the pizza:
Cut out small pieces of dough, sprinkle flour on top and bottom, and shape them. You want them to be about 4 inches wide.
Once shaped, add a spoonful of pizza sauce, then spread your cheese on top, and finish by topping the pizza with pepperoni.
Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until the crust starts crisping up, about 10-15 minutes.
I baked these pizzas soon before starting the film, so they were still fresh when serving. It’s a short movie, so you can cook these before and have them set up and ready to serve.
Mega Size Me
I printed out the burger box and labels for the Mega Gulps using the PDF file I attached in the “Equipment” section above. To make the box, I printed on “Cardstock”, so it was a thicker paper. I folded the box by following the fold lines on the box and taped it together to make the box. The box is the size of a slider burger, so make sure you make sliders for this dish.
I made a simple slider with two burger patties, American cheese, and condiments. For the cola, I served Diet Coke. Serve whatever works for you and your guests.
The Claaaaaw
No-Bake Key Lime Pie Recipe -I added blue food coloring to the crust.
*Important: While making the pie filling, do not add the lime juice. Split the pie filling into two. One part is for the key lime, and the other half is for the blueberry. For the key lime half, add half the recommended key lime juice and green food coloring to match the aliens. For the blueberry half, add blueberry jelly and blue food coloring to match the alien’s clothes. I didn’t measure the jelly, just add enough to make sure there is enough blueberries incorporated into the pie.
To assemble the aliens, add some crust to the bottom of your cups. Then layer the blueberry pie filling. Then layer the key lime filling on top of that. Add three googly eyes on top. I also added an intena on top. I made it from green melting chocolate that I spread on parchment paper and froze. This is optional, but a cute detail.
Thrown For A Loop
I premade this the day before, so it was quick to serve. I also had the garnish set up, so I didn’t lose time doing that during the movie.
Kookie Time w/ Mrs. Nesbitt
Add about 1/4 cup of loose leaf dareeling tea that has been soaked to the cookie dough before placing it in the refrigerator.
To Infinity & Beyond
For this last drink, I placed bomb pops in a glass of prosecco. I taped the printed buzz wings to the glasses and sparkler candles. I actually hate the brand of candles I used, so I’m not linking them. I’m still on the hunt for a good brand. The printout of the wings is in the “Equipment” section above.
Make sure to have the cup set up before you start the movie so you can serve quickly.
