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TOY STORY (1995) (****)

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While technology has gotten better since TOY STORY was released, it's not easy to improve on storytelling this clever. John Lasseter's masterpiece could have been so many things with its recognizable brands and pop culture references, but it avoids all the pitfalls of that material and crafts an innocent story about friendship and love. The franchise has become a money making machine since, but, the film isn't about selling toys, but the joy of a toy in the hearts of a child and the joy of being that beloved toy.

TOY STORY presents the whimsical idea that toys come to life when humans are not around. Woody (Tom Hanks, BIG) is the king of the toy chest in Andy's room. He organizes the other toys, which include the comedian Mr. Potato Head (Don Rickles), dedicated Slinky Dog (Jim Varney, ERNEST GOES TO CAMP), insecure dinosaur Rex (Wallace Shawn, THE PRINCESS BRIDE), piggy bank Hamm (John Ratzenberger, TV's CHEERS), and the ceramic lamp Bo Beep (Annie Potts, GHOSTBUSTERS), who has a thing for Woody. It's Andy's birthday and he gets the new spaceman action figure Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen, TV's HOME IMPROVEMENT), who doesn't believe that he's a toy. With his fancy gadgets, Buzz quickly becomes Andy's new favorite, leaving Woody feeling forgotten.

Buzz believes that the box he came in is his wrecked space ship. As for Woody with jealousy comes selfishness, which often leads to tragedy. Buzz and Woody end up lost at a gas station, wandering a pizza parlor similar to Chuck E. Cheese, and then into the devious hands of Andy's next-door neighbor Sid (Erik von Detten, THE PRINCESS DIARIES), who finds great pleasure blowing up his toys and ripping off the heads of his little sister's dolls. This all takes place right as Andy is about to move, leaving both toys in jeopardy of never seeing their owner again.

Some of the visual wow factor has worn off since its debut. Yes, textures and lighting have gotten better, and the humans characters are passable and you'll have to forgive Spud the dog, but there is so many other details that are right. The extra piece of plastic on the Bucket of Soldiers men is one of my favorites. However, like a good independent filmmaker, Lasseter and the artists at Pixar knew their limitations and worked around them. Toys were the perfect characters for texturing that makes everything look shiny. The company had worked out many technical hurdles on the shorts before even tackling the features. TIN TOY is a clear precursor to TOY STORY. Lasseter knew when they were ready for a feature and didn't rush in. If they had gone with the technology of TIN TOY, TOY STORY would have looked dated now. They picked the perfect technological starting point for the feature where technology didn't get in the way of the great story.

It also helps when the acting is first rate. Lead by great voice work from Hanks and Allen, the animators breathe detailed life into Woody and Buzz. They are a classic buddy duo. Putting Woody's leadership position in jeopardy, Buzz, with his over confidence, cluelessness and luck, makes for a perfect foil for Woody, a worrier. Watch how Woody's arms flail around creating his excitable personality and capturing the looseness of his fabric arms. Magnificent animation. Buzz's earnestness is so engaging because he isn't in on the joke, which makes it much more frustrating for Woody when the other toys fall for Buzz's charms. What poignancy when the illusion is busted for Buzz. Moments like those give real weight because Lasseter and his team make us believe in these characters and their simple universal desires.

In 2007, TOY STORY made AFI's top 100 American films list at #99, one of only two animated films to make the list along with SNOW WHITE. (Strangely, the film only ranked #6 on the AFI's top 10 animated films list, but that's for another place to question.) For it's witty screenplay it was nominated for an Academy Award, along with two nods for Randy Newman's music and songs. Lasseter was awarded the Special Achievement Award "for the development and inspired application of techniques that have made possible the first feature-length computer-animated film." The Golden Globes nominated it for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2005. These accolades only define its place in history. They don't capture the magic of watching this film. If you haven't seen it for a while, watch it again. It's the kind of film — that with a little distance from each viewing — can blow you away each time you watch it. That's what true classics do; they live on forever no matter how cinema or the world has changed.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
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