Toy Story (1995)
Dir. John Lasseter
Starring Tim Allen, Tom Hanks & Don Rickles
Ranked #99 on AFI’s Top 100 Films of All Time
There are so few production companies and studios that have the track record that the studio that made my film for today. From the minds of some of the most talented animators in the world and the house of the mouse, I get to watch Pixar’s first and one if their best, Toy Story.
Andy and his mom and sister are getting ready to move. That’s the boring part of the movie. The best part is the secret world that inhabits Andy’s room. It’s a world where all your toys are alive. Woody is the favorite toy, a pull string cowboy doll that leads the other toys that consist of a dinosaur, army men, Boo Peep, a pig and a slinky dog. They are all nervous not because of the impending move but because it’s Andy’s birthday and the toys are worried they’ll be replaced. Woody and the gang’s worst fears come true when Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger toy is brought into the fold. Soon, Buzz and Woody come to blows and Buzz becomes trapped in the room of Sid, the local kid that loves blowing up toys. It’s up to Woody to save the day, rescue Buzz and wrangle all the other toys for the move.
Pixar must have some kind of magic water that they distribute to their workers or they just know what works and go with it. I mean lets face it, it’s hard to make a movie that appeals to both adults as well as children and Pixar has that formula. We see it in almost all of their films, including their first, Toy Story.
What works with Toy Story far outnumbers what doesn’t. It’s an adventure story that kids only dream of going on and one that adults only remember as fond memories. Toy Story brings back that time when I sometimes wondered if my toys were alive when I was at school or sleeping. It has a story of jealousy and friendship, of finding the best in people and sometimes just letting go of your worries.
The voice work is spot on with Tim Allen as Buzz and Tom Hanks as Woody. Of course the supporting cast of Jim Varney, Don Rickles, Annie Potts and John Ratzenberger of Cliff Claven fame who appears in all of their films help just round out the other toys voices.
I will say that after seeing Toy Story 3 and comparing it to Toy Story, it is amazing how far Pixar has gone with improving their animation. Toy Story was revolutionary for it’s time. It was the first full feature computer animated movie. It created a need for family fun that was sorely lacking and created numerous knockoffs and impersonators.
While this is not my favorite Pixar movie, some of the musical numbers make me lose interest pretty fast; this is one of my top 3 of all time. It’s amazing how far they have come in making movies and telling complete stories. I always look forward to their next films every time they come out, with the exception of Cars.
4.5/5
James
The Life of a Filmmaker moving @ 24 fps 