Toy Story (1995)

Toy Story

Call No: PN1997 .T69 2010

When the Oscar nominees for Best Picture came out last week, most of the names that I had expected to see were there. One name that I found (pleasantly) surprising was the summer blockbuster Toy Story 3, the final film in the famous toy trilogy. I remember reading about the studio’s determination to get a Best Picture nod, even going so far as to launch a series of posters, comparing scenes from the film to famous Oscar winners of the past. (You can find a collection of the posters HERE). The only other animated films to make the esteemed ballot was Beauty and the Beast in 1993 and Up in 2009. Being a fan of the Pixar and especially the series, I decided to go back and watch the first one again.

We all know the story. Andy is the boy who loves his toys, which all come to life when he’s not around. There’s Hamm the piggy bank, the cowardly dinosaur Rex, the often abrasive Mr. Potato Head, the loyal Slinky, and the pretty Bo Peep. The natural leader of the group, and favourite toy of Andy, is Sheriff Woody, a cowboy doll with a heart of gold. However, his patience and compassion for others is tested when Andy receives a new toy: a Buzz Lightyear action figure. Suddenly the toy room isn’t big enough for two favourite toys, and a fight results in both toys being separated from their owner with only days away from a house move. Buzz and Woody will have to learn to work together if they want to survive and get back to Andy, especially when the toy-destroying boy next door, Sid, gets his hands on them.

What makes the film a classic isn’t so much the formula, but its application. Toy Story set the stage for what would ultimately become the Pixar standard: take one teaspoon typical plot set-up, add a tablespoon of brilliant writing and characters, add a heaping cup of imagination, and you’ve got a Pixar film. What other team brings toys and cars to life, gives the monsters in our closets an everyday job, and makes a rat a famous chef? What made Toy Story so remarkable when it came out was that it combined incredible graphics with superior storytelling. It was the first fully generated computer animation feature film to be released, but its heart-warming story and entertaining characters have helped solidify its position as one of the greatest films of all time, making the AFI’s top 100 greatest films list in 2007.

“Excuse me, I think the word you're searching for is space ranger.”   

“The word I'm searching for, I can't say, because there's preschool toys present.”

It was a treat to re-watch the original. It was almost like visiting a special part of my childhood. I was able to appreciate not only the jokes that made me laugh when I was small, but the jokes that made my mother laugh when we saw it together. The majority of my favourite moments come from the humour created by Buzz thinking he’s an actual space ranger. But with all of the memorable, uplifting and imaginative moments in the movie, it’s hard to pick a favourite. I’m sure anyone who enjoys this film as much as I do would agree. None of us will ever look at a claw machine game the same way again.