Toy Story 1995

Ever wonder what it would be like if your toys were actually alive? Well imagination has no limitations in this computer animated movie about the secret lives of toys…

Woody (Hanks) a pull string cowboy toy is best friends with his owner, Andy (Morris). When Andy’s birthday comes around he gets a Buzz Lightyear (Allen) Space Ranger action figure and he starts to forget about Woody. Woody starts to feel jealous and comes up with a plan to lose Buzz just before Andy and family move. However, the plan goes wrong and Woody knocks Buzz out the window. The other toys see this and attack Woody. Woody goes to save Buzz and reclaim his honor and place among Andy’s toys. While saving Buzz they get lost at a gas station, taken to a pizza restaurant, and eventually end up in Andy’s next-door neighbor’s house. Andy’s next door neighbor, Sid (von Detten), is a bad kid and destroys toys, so Woody sets out to teach him a lesson. Meanwhile Buzz has had acceptance issues with being a toy and all, thus, making Woody’s mission of teach Sid a lesson and escape to Andy’s house all the more difficult. They eventually devise a plan and teach Sid a lesson he won’t soon forget, and then they escape with the help of Sid’s toys. After escaping Sid’s they see the moving truck pull out and must figure out how to get onto it. Fortunately Buzz is strapped to a rocket and they blast to infinity and beyond and return to Andy safe and sound.

Toy Story was one of the most influential and pivotal films in my life. I was only ten years old when it came out and it was the first animated feature that I saw multiple times in theaters. I saw Toy Story three times in theaters and one of those showings had the music video for “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” preceding it. At another showing the reel for the start of the film was all screwed up and we had to wait for them to fix it so we could see it again. Since I was ten at the time, the half hour we waited was a very long time. Toy Story is one of the movies that inspired me to pursue a career in animation, and although I am 2D, I still love and want to learn 3D someday. The other movies that brought me into animation will surface in time as soon as I write the reviews for them. I remember before Toy Story was released; that Tom Hanks was on Good Morning America talking about what pixels are and just how many went into Woody’s head alone!! This stuff fascinated me then and still does to this day, which is why Toy Story will remain as one of the most revolutionary films to come out, ever. As a matter of fact it was just declared as a historic picture due to it having been the first entirely computer animated feature film. Toy Story was a film that changed a nation and more than that an industry. Toy Story went to infinity…and beyond.

As well as being one of the most innovative films ever; Toy Story had all the makings of a great film. If you cannot relate to the thought of what your toys were like when no one was around and if they came to life, then you might not have had a childhood or you are just strange. I always wondered if my toys lead lives of their own without me. PIXAR made that wondering into a reality and at the same time they taught us lessons about acceptance, trust, faith, and most importantly; friendship. The many lessons in this film helped to set the bar for the future PIXAR films. Not only the bar in storyline but the bar for animation, characters, cast and so on. For movies the first impression is the most important and Toy Story broke the mold on new animated features. That was what all the other PIXAR films have had to live up to and they all have, thus, bringing forth a standard.

Toy Story originally started out as a story about Tinny the tin toy from the short Tin Toy. As the story changed so did the characters, and it evolved into the buddy story between Buzz and Woody. Another fun fact about the movie is that Billy Crystal was going to be in it, however, he turned it down only to later regret doing so and then he got to play Mike in Monster’s Inc. Speaking of casting; PIXAR set the pace for their uncanny ability to cast well. All the characters in Toy Story are played so well by the actors that breathed life into them, that the movie would not have had the same effect if other actors had been in their shoes. Toy Story is an all around wonderful and amazing film and I could really talk about it all day and probably write a thesis on it, however, I am going to spare you and let you get back to playing with your toys and showing them how much you appreciate them. Go grab your favorite old toy and sit down with it and indulge in Toy Story with your old buddy.

Run time: 81 mins.

Directed by: John Lasseter

Written by: John Lasseter

Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, and John Morris