"Toy Story"*** (out of ****)
A toy is a boy's best friend in the Pixar animated movie, "Toy Story" (1995)
"Toy Story" is a movie that can appeal to children on multiple levels. On one hand it shows the relationship between children and toys. Toys are a special part of a child's life. Even as you grow older, you'll remember what your favorite toy was. Yet, on another level, "Toy Story" is a story about the fear of the unknown or being replaced and learning to fit in.
"Toy Story" was the first feature-length movie released by Pixar (which at the time was a separate from Disney) and revolutionized animated movies as we know it because of its computer animation. Today, every animated movie is done with computers but back in 1995 it wasn't the norm. "Toy Story" was the first computer animated movie released in feature length form.
When initially released most of the public and sheep (movie critics) spent a majority of their time talking about the computer animation and how different "Toy Story" looked from every other animated movie before it. Unfortunately, the story was neglected. The praise for "Toy Story" was largely based on its place in history and what it would mean for animation going forward.
You can't deny "Toy Story" is a technical marvel but its story is a little weak. Mainly what I dislike about "Toy Story" and all subsequent Pixar movies is they become action / comedies. Do children have such short attention spans that they can't sit down and watch a movie where there isn't running and jumping? Sometimes the action sequences interfere with the stories as in "Up!" (2009), which could have been a very dramatic movie. Movies like "Toy Story" or "Finding Nemo" (2003) could have had strong enough stories that action chase scenes weren't needed.
"Toy Story" is comparable to a buddy cop movie. You have two opposites that must learn to co-exist and eventually depend on each other. In the case of "Toy Story" we are talking about toys, an old-fashion pull string cowboy doll named Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) and an astronaut action figure named Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen).
Woody is six year old Andy's (John Morris) favorite toy. Because of that, in the world of toys, Woody is the leader. Woody receives special treatment from Andy, such as being the toy placed on Andy's bed as oposed to being left on the floor. Woody gets the leave the bedroom as Andy carries him around, while the other toys are confined to the bedroom. But all of that changes on Andy's birthday when he gets the coolest toy a kid could ask for, the space ranger action figure, Buzz Lightyear. Could Buzz replace Woody as Andy's favorite toy? Signs seem to point to yes as Andy's bedroom, which once had a cowboy western theme to it, is now filled with space related posters and bedsheets. What will this mean for Woody?
The comedic twist to this story and plot-wise the best thing the script writers do, is Buzz Lightyear doesn't know he is a toy. He honestly believes he is a space ranger on a mission to save his planet and he awoken only after a crash landing, Andy throws him and the cardboard box he came in, on the bed.
Part of what makes this story so fascinating for children is it confirms what all children already know. Secretly their toys are alive. In "Toy Story" all of Andy's toys come to life after he leaves a room. Every child has had a suspicion a toy has moved from the last spot they left it in. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you must have never played with toys. What is strange and I have a difficult time believing is merely a coincidence is Andy was the name of the boy in the horror movie "Child's Play" (1988) also about a toy that comes to life. That movie takes a child's joy in believing their toys are alive and turns it into a nightmare. Their toys are alive and out to kill them. Why did the people at Pixar pick the name Andy? Was it a joke?
Children however will be able to relate to Woody's fear. The most popular kid in school might feel threatened when a new student enrolls, as all the attention is on the new kid. Siblings often believe the other one is their parents favorite. Being liked, having the admiration of your peers, is very important to children (and some adults). It can make your early school years very difficult. But, "Toy Story" teaches children, no one can be replaced. Each person (or toy) is unique and serves a purpose. And, we are stronger when we work together, as Buzz and Woody eventually learn and become best friends. This is also reinforced in the Randy Newman song written for the movie, "You've Got A Friend In Me".
There are many that believe great animated movies have the capability to appeal not only to children but adults as well. If that is the metric to use when rating an animated movie, "Toy Story" definitely has that ability. There is a lot of humor in the movie that will appeal to adults. The best example of this was the decision to cast the late Don Rickles as the voice of Mr. Potato Head. Young children won't know who Don Rickles is but adults will appreciate the script allows him to insult the other characters in the movie.
The movie also makes, not too subtle, references to Woody being attracted to Little Bo Peep (Annie Potts). One line has her tell Woody, how about she find someone else to watch her sheep tonight. I'm not sure how children will interpret that line but adults will understand what is implied.
The animators of "Toy Story" also throw in a lot pop culture references and refer back to Pixar's own short films. In one scene there is a book shelf with various book titles shown. The book titles are names of previous Pixar shorts. There is also a scene that draws a reference to "Night of the Living Dead" (1968). And within the "Pixar Universe" we get an introduction to Pizza Planet restaurant and the gas station Dinoco. Both of which will reappear in other Pixar movies.
Of course the two final things worth discussing is the voice work of all the actors and the look of the movie. It has been said that Buzz and Woody may be the best characters Tom Hanks and Tim Allen ever played. Their voices seem perfectly matched for the characters which is odd given that Allen wasn't even the original choice for Buzz. Billy Crystal was. But it is not just Allen and Hanks that do wonderful work, Rickles is great as Mr. Potato Head. The late Jim Varney (of "Ernest" fame) as Slinky Dog, Wallace Shawn as Rex, a Tyrannosaurus Rex figure, that feels he just isn't scary enough. And Pixar favorite John Ratzenberger, who has done voice work for for all of Pixar's movies, as a piggy bank named Hamm.
And of course the look of "Toy Story" is amazing. For those of us old enough to have grown up with traditional hand drawn animation, we naturally had never seen anything like "Toy Story" before. It looked "real". And the amount of detail Pixar provides is impressive. You can shut the volume off and simply look at the movie and pay attention to the small corners of the frame and you notice something with each viewing. Look at the light smudge marks on the bottom of doors, the chipped paint on furniture, the cracks and marks on the trim of the wall. That is a lot of detail that honestly wasn't necessary. It speaks to Pixar's high standards. There is still a part of me that misses hand drawn animation however.
"Toy Story" will please children, as has already been proven, and adults will like it too. It has a sweet message but I think relies too much on action sequences when a simple sweet story about children and their toys would have suffice. Time has proven "Toy Story" to be a classic in the animation genre however despite my feelings.
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