Toy Story (1995) Disney/Comedy-Adventure RT: 81 minutes Rated G (mild violence) Director: John Lasseter Screenplay: Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow Music: Randy Newman Release date: November 22, 1995 (US) Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, John Morris, Erik von Detten, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey, Sarah Freeman, Penn Jillette, Joe Ranft. Box Office: $191.7M (US, original release)/$229.9M (US, w/re-releases)/$401.1M (World)
Rating: ****
This is where it all began for Pixar. Toy Story was their inaugural full-length film. It’s also the very first feature-length computer-animated film. The execs at Disney (they own Pixar) were extremely nervous about it. They didn’t think it could possibly work; a CA movie about talking toys. They almost canceled the project altogether after watching an early reel in Nov. 1993. They insisted on rewrites, giving the writers only two weeks to do the job. All the hard work ultimately paid off. Toy Story not only turned out to be a massive hit; it’s also one of the best animated films of all time. It even scored an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, the first animated movie to do so.
The premise of Toy Story is, at once, brilliant and beautiful. It’s a pure testament to a child’s imagination. It posits that toys come to life when nobody’s looking. How awesome is that? And the story it tells, it’s simple yet clever. Plus, it comes with a message about friendship. Okay, that last part sounds totally corny, but it works here.
Cowboy doll Woody (Hanks, Forrest Gump) is the leader of the toys living in his owner Andy’s (Morris) bedroom. He’s been Andy’s favorite toy for some time. He’s always the star of the almost 6YO boy’s imagined adventures. Woody is confident he will never be usurped until his status is threatened with the arrival of action figure Buzz Lightyear (Allen, The Santa Clause), a Space Ranger who doesn’t know he’s a toy. He thinks he’s a real Space Ranger on a real mission. He’s also something of a show off. All the other toys like him. Woody isn’t at all impressed.
It doesn’t take long for Buzz to become Andy’s new favorite toy. It makes Woody jealous. It reaches a head when Woody accidentally knocks Buzz out of the bedroom window. The other toys think he murdered the spaceman. Both toys end up in the outside world. They bicker as they try to catch up with Andy at a place called Pizza Planet (think Chuck E. Cheese with a sci-fi theme). Instead, they end up in the possession of Andy’s next-door neighbor, a sociopathic boy named Sid (Detten, The Princess Diaries). He loves to torture and disfigure toys. His room is a house of horrors for toys. Woody and Buzz have to work together to escape before they both meet a grisly fate.
I was 27 when Toy Story hit theaters. I felt like I was six again as I watched it at an advance screening surrounded by delighted children and adults. And why wouldn’t they be? It’s such an obvious premise for a movie (mostly) aimed at children. What kid hasn’t imagined his or her toys coming to life, interacting with each other and having adventures? I know I did when I was that age. It was fun to imagine what my GI Joes and Adventure People got up to while I was stuck in school. What director John Lasseter does here is ingenious. The level of creativity on display here is impressive.
It would be unfair to give sole credit for Toy Story to Lasseter. He receives a valuable assist from all four of the writers- Joss Whedon (The Avengers), Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo), Joel Coen and Alec Sokolow (Cheaper by the Dozen). This is one of the few times when too many cooks don’t spoil the broth. Instead, they complement each other. The storyline is simple while touching on deeper themes like Buzz’s existential crisis over his self-identity. It also contains a fair amount of humor including a few gags that will fly right over the heads of the little ones.
I don’t know what’s better in Toy Story, the computer animation or the amazing roster of voice talents. On the one hand, the artists who worked tirelessly on it took animation to the next level. We’re not talking mere computer graphics like you’d see on a video game. The toy characters come to life both literally and figuratively. I’ll always have a soft spot for traditional hand-drawn animation. I grew up with it. However, this is animation for a new generation of kids who are far more tech-savvy than my generation will ever be. They don’t want their parents’ cartoons; they want something more tangible.
Of course, the CA alone is only half the story. The cast assembled by Lasseter for this first Toy Story is stellar. Hanks and Allen have brilliant chemistry as rivals who must put aside their differences to achieve a goal, getting back home before Andy and his family move away. Individually, they’re also great. You really believe Woody’s insecurity and Buzz’s existential suffering. The two actors capture it perfectly using just their voices.
The equally awesome supporting cast includes insult comedian Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head, the inconceivable Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride) as Rex the neurotic T-Rex, Jim Varney (aka Ernest P. Worrell) as Slinky the slinky dog and John Ratzenberger (Cheers) as Hamm the intelligent piggy bank. Annie Potts (Young Sheldon) shows up as Woody’s love interest, porcelain doll Bo Peep. R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket) lends his voice to Sgt, the leader of a team of little plastic soldiers. By the end, you come to love the lot of them.
There’s no two ways about it. Toy Story is a classic. It launched a franchise that’s still going strong as of this writing (Toy Story 5 opens this Friday). It was (and still is) a part of many of family’s video library. It was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2005. Personally, I LOVE IT! It’s cute, charming, funny and it attests to the power of imagination. It’ll make the adults want to be a kid again playing with his or her toys. I kind of wish I kept mine.
