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It wouldn’t be uneducated or brash to say that Toy Story is one of the greatest animated films of all time. Although the technology used for this very first completely computer generated feature has vastly improved over the years, the story itself is timeless, humorous, powerful and marvelously creative. All the essential elements of successful storytelling and filmmaking come together in an inspired undertaking that opened the doors and set the benchmark for the future of CG movies. It also made Pixar a household name. In Toy Story, toys are not simply inanimate playthings. When humans leave the room, they come alive, living out little adventures and interacting amongst themselves. In Andy’s room, the Sheriff Woody doll (Tom Hanks) is the reigning favorite and confidently leads the other toys, consisting of the plastic dinosaur Rex (Wallace Shawn), Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), a Slinky Dog (Jim Varney), Hamm the Piggy Bank (John Ratzenberger), a Bo Peep doll (Annie Potts), and many more. Every Christmas and birthday is a time for hysteria for the group, due to the possibility of replacement or becoming next month’s garage sale fodder. When Andy’s birthday party is moved up by a week so that it won’t coincide with the family’s moving plans, Woody and the ensemble of toys panic. |
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With the help of the green plastic army men, Andy’s toys get advance info on the arrival of a new addition: the popular Buzz Lightyear space soldier (Tim Allen). Buzz has all the newest features, including flashing lights, moving parts and battery-operated sound effects, easily impressing Andy to the point that Woody is all but forgotten. When laser envy gets the better of the rootin’-tootin’ cowboy, he knocks the unsuspecting soldier out the window, jumpstarting a grand adventure to rescue him. From Pizza Planet to the next door neighbor’s house (cruel youth Sid, fulfilling the classic serial killer childhood portrait, tortures and disassembles toys for fun - his room is full of mutilated horrors), to regaining the trust of his longtime companions, Woody and Buzz must work together and learn to appreciate each other’s abilities. One of the most entertaining ideas in Toy Story is Woody’s acceptance of his place as a toy, and Buzz’s contrasting ignorance, believing that he is an actual cadet who must rendezvous with Star Command to defeat an evil alien enemy. The characters are all based on very popular and nostalgic curios and the jokes work perfectly with these designs. The only visual letdowns are the humans and the dog, which are noticeably inaccurate in their movement and design, but the toys themselves, with plastic, rubber and fibrous textures are just as realistic and convincing more than a decade later. The success is also due to the superb chemistry between Hanks and Allen, a near perfect comedy duo. With an incredibly thrilling escape and a daring rescue, Randy Newman’s award-winning songs (that all start to sound the same after awhile, but compliment the tone of the film), and brilliantly humorous dialogue, Toy Story is a winning masterpiece. - Mike Massie
Click HERE to read the review of Toy Story 2 Click HERE to read the review of Toy Story 3
Special Features:
Disc 2: Standard DVD
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