Review of 'Toy Story'

1st film in the 'Toy Story' series

toy_story.jpg Young boy Andy's (voiced by John Morris) favourite toy is Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) is a cowboy action figure. Andy has an assortment of toys that come to life whenever humans are not around. When Andy receives a gift of a “Buzz Lightyear” (voiced by Tim Allen) figure Woody becomes jealous and rejects Buzz who refuses to believe he is an action toy. When Woody causes an accident that separates Buzz from Andy, Woody sets out to rescue him from the clutches of Sid (voiced by Erik von Detten) who plans to send Buzz “…to infinity and beyond…” by tying him to a rocket! Will Woody be able to rescue Buzz in time…?

The first full-length computer animated feature from Pixar Animation (which would later be bought by Walt Disney), “Toy Story” is unexpectedly a film with a lot of heart and personality. Here the characters and story are far more important than the medium which serves simply to bring it to the screen. If Woody and Buzz were not so…human…the film would not be any where near as successful as it is. Hanks and Allen really do an amazing job providing the humanity to these characters. There is a humour and warmth that is often lacking from animated films. Having said that, the animation is pretty spectacular and looks great. The world of the toy is brought to life and entertains every minute it is on the screen. The colours may be over-saturated and the animation often contrasts with the not-entirely-successful depiction of real-world characters, but this can be forgiven by the sheer visual pleasure the film provides.

The story, as might be expected, is quite simple with frequent humour to lighten some often quite heavy themes (Sid could easily be quite terrifying to younger members of the audience).

Despite being an animated movie, which people frequently believe to mean it is intended for children only, “Toy Story” is a film that will entertain old and young alike, as most successful animated films often do (Shrek, Ice Age, most Disney films, etc). This first film of the “Toy Story” series and still entertains.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2020-03-01


Directed by: John Lasseter

Studio: Pixar Animation Studios

Year: 1995

Length: 81 minutes

Genre: Animation

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114709/


Other reviewed films in the 'Toy Story' series:


Other reviewed films by John Lasseter, Ash Brannon and Lee Unkrich:

Other reviewed films by John Lasseter, Brad Lewis: